Solaris 60 - the trendy mini-maxi

by Solaris Yachts 22 Sep 2021 06:52 PDT

Since 1974 Solaris Yachts has been designing and building boats for sailors. They are very solid, safe and comfortable boats. The shipyard uses the most advanced technologies in their construction, and the most traditional craftsmanship in details and finishing.

Today Solaris Yachts presents its new 60'. The water lines of Solaris 60 represent the latest design expression by Javier Soto Acebal applied to the size of the Mini-Maxi of 18 meters, which guarantees a perfectly balanced hull, high performance and soft navigation on the waves even in rough seas, with all the standards of the unique Solaris construction technique

Solaris 60 - photo © Solaris Yachts

A high performance mini-maxi

Solaris 60 was born with the idea of creating a Mini-Maxi, that is, a high-performance sailing boat, with an overall length of 18.31 meters. This length allows the boat to participate in offshore regattas, in the Mini-Maxi class, including the yearly main event in Porto Cervo.

The Solaris 60 has its main innovation in the cockpit, where the steering wheels are at full width. The helmsman can steer outside the profile of the sprayhood. This ensures that even the leech of the jib is completely free to view.

Solaris 60 - photo © Solaris Yachts

A minimalist, but highly functional deck plan

Four winches, close to the steering wheels and within easy reach, allow the helmsman to maneuver comfortably from the steering position. The self-tacking jib, with its elegantly safeguarded functional track, simplifies tacking, while the carbon bowsprit for Gennaker and Code0 is integrated in the bow.

The position of the binnacles allows to lower the handrails in the stern part and raise them at the two steps to get on the side decks. This solution is usually only used in very large boats, above 140' It is perfectly matching with the Solaris design: an aerodynamic deckhouse, just hinted at, maintains and continues the line with the cockpit, ending before the mast with an impeccable deck tip.

In addition, the position of thestering wheels also in port and in maneuvering allows the helmsman to have an unobstructed view without any impediments.

Aft different seats are available for maneuvering and steering in different sea conditions, even when seated.

Solaris 60 - photo © Solaris Yachts

The Solaris 60 interiors optimize the Solaris layout

The classic Solaris Layout based on the "forward owner" solution is proposed in two different layouts of the owner's cabin, with central bed or on the port side. The galley slightly hidden by two steps offers a very large and well-appointed comfort area, with many drawers for the fridge as well. Aft two airy and light-filled cabins, with single or double beds, both for the first time with large windows, overlooking the cockpit, the aft guest cabins have a king size bed on the port side and two single beds on the starboard side.

An eye also to the crew cabin, forward, equipped with a bathroom with shower separated from the bulkheads, has been meticulously considered and studied, maintaining high privacy and independence on board.

The transom contains a large garage that can directly accommodate the tender without further rotational movements.

Solaris 60 - photo © Solaris Yachts

Technical details, which make the difference between Solaris and other construction sites

Particular attention has been paid to the slightly recessed chain plates at side, in composite. As well as for the descent of the backstay, with the two side wires that end up below deck, avoiding the view of the pistons. The tension mechanism is with a single retractable piston in the tender garage. This, with entry along the boat, has an internal footprint really reduced to a minimum.

The standards of the Solaris exclusive construction technique

As with all models in the range, production takes place according to the standards of the exclusive Solaris construction technique, unique in the production of standard sailboats, which gives the hull strength, non-deformability and monolithic rigidity. All bulkheads are solidly layered with the hull and above all with the deck. All the floors and spars of the bottom and side of the boat are layered to the hull without the use of counter-molds glued with filler and silicone. All the furniture is glued to the hull with fiberglass layers. The chain plates are not made of steel but of composite material made up of 40 layers of unidirectional glass and carbon fabrics. The monolithic structural continuity thus obtained thanks to the use of a single material, fiberglass, eliminates at the root the deformations caused by the wind on the sail plan, by the sea on the hull and by the straightening load of the bulb, eliminating creaking, doors that struggle to close in navigation and cracks that form over time, making the boat immune to deformations and twists in any sea and wind conditions.

Solaris 60 - photo © Solaris Yachts

Monolithic structural solidity that makes Solaris boats unique

The result of this monolithic structural solidity is obtained through the use of a single material, fiberglass, without filler and silicone, and without counter-molds for the assembly of the five key points of the boat: main bulkhead; chain plates; floors and spars; mast base; keel coupling. All these hidden qualities, combined with the obsessive attention to detail, are the elements that make Solaris boats unique in the field of performance cruisers.