Sunreef 50 Eco
- Type: Sailing catamaran (Eco electric)
- LOA: 15.2 m (50 ft)
- Beam: 9.1 m
- Living space: around 167 sq m
- Solar: around 67 sq m of composite-integrated panels
- Propulsion: twin electric motors, hydrogeneration under sail
- Guests: up to 10 in a five cabin layout
- Construction: composite, first launched around 2019
Where the electric catamaran grew up
The Sunreef 50 Eco sits at the compact end of the yard's sailing range, and it carries the full weight of the Eco programme in a hull measuring 15.2 metres. A catamaran gives you two slim hulls and a wide bridgedeck between them, which means living space that a monohull of similar length cannot match. Sunreef used that platform to house a solar and battery system without cramping the accommodation. The result reads as a proper family cruiser that happens to run quietly.
For Sunreef this size matters because it opens the electric idea to owners who want something they can handle with a small crew. The wide beam of 9.1 metres steadies the boat at anchor and under way, so the solar surfaces stay productive and the ride stays flat. Buyers came to the model looking for silent nights on the hook and clean tenders in quiet bays. The 50 Eco answered that without asking them to move up to a superyacht.
Space that comes from the beam
The 50 Eco offers around 167 square metres of living area, a figure that comes straight from the catamaran layout. The main deck runs flush from the saloon out to the cockpit, so the two spaces read as one continuous room. Owners can specify a five cabin plan that sleeps up to ten guests, or open the interior into fewer and larger suites. Each hull holds the cabins and the heads while the bridgedeck carries the social rooms.
Outside, the flybridge adds a second helm and a sun deck above the coachroof, which keeps the main cockpit clear for guests. The mainsail runs to about 80 square metres and the self tacking genoa to about 79, a rig sized for easy handling rather than racing. Sunreef builds the hull in composite, which keeps weight down and helps the electric range. Owners tend to praise how much of the boat they can reach without help from crew.
A 15 metre catamaran that can hold its lights and air conditioning through a silent night at anchor.
An interior built around the batteries
Inside, the yard offers the bespoke joinery that made its name, so the woods and the finishes follow the owner rather than a catalogue. The 50 Eco carries a smart lithium battery pack that can run the house loads and the air conditioning for around 24 hours with no generator turning. That single figure changes how the boat feels at anchor, because the fridges and the lights stay on in silence. The interior climate holds steady through the night.
Air conditioning is the load that usually forces a generator to run through the night, and Sunreef aimed the whole Eco concept at removing that noise. Shore power options and the battery bank cover the gap when the sun drops. The living space stays cool and quiet, which is the point of the exercise for most owners. Storage and tankage sit low in the hulls, with water capacity around 800 litres for extended time away from a dock.
Solar skin and hydrogeneration
The 50 Eco wears about 67 square metres of solar panels, laminated into the mast, the boom, the hull sides, the superstructure and the bimini. Sunreef developed this composite integrated approach so the cells follow the curves of the boat rather than sitting on flat frames. Twin electric motors drive the propellers, and under sail those same propellers spin to recover energy through hydrogeneration. Wind generators can add to the mix when conditions allow.
The energy from the solar panels and the hydrogenerators feeds ultralight battery banks engineered for the Eco range. That storage is what lets the boat sail through a night on the hook without a diesel note breaking the quiet. Range under power depends on the battery draw and the speed asked of the motors, and the yard frames the 50 Eco as a sailing catamaran first. The engine is there for harbours and calms rather than long passages under power alone.
Who takes the 50 Eco
This is the Sunreef for the owner who wants the yard's design language and its electric thinking without the running costs of a larger boat. It suits a couple or a family who cruise themselves or run with one or two crew. The five cabin option makes it work for charter, where silent nights and a clean wake carry real weight with guests. First launched around 2019, the model proved the Eco idea at a size people could actually use.
Against production catamarans of the same length, the 50 Eco sits well above them on price and on finish, which places it with committed buyers rather than first timers. Owners choosing it tend to value the quiet and the custom interior over raw sail performance. Resale interest has followed the wider appetite for electric yachts, though the market for boats at this price stays small. For the right owner the trade reads as fair.
Design
- Exterior: Sunreef Yachts (in-house design studio)
- Naval architecture: Sunreef Yachts
Who it is for: Couples and families who want Sunreef design and near-silent electric cruising in a boat a small crew can run.