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became an adjunct professor at SUNY Maritime College, where
he lectures onboat design. He has publishedover 400 articles on
boats and boat design, and is the author of Propeller Handbook,
The Elements of Boat Strength, The Nature of Boats, and Boat
Mechanical Systems Handbook, all published by International
Marine/McGraw-Hill.
Gerr Marine’s projects and designs have ranged from 10-
foot nesting canoes to luxury motor yachts to consulting on
the Virginia Class (SSN 774) nuclear attack submarines; and
designing: the aluminum Kanter 57; the fleet of unique ultra-
shoal, beachable, tunnel-drive cruisers built by Covey Island
Boatworks, (from 42 to 50 feet); and the magnificent 76-
foot tunnel drive aluminum motor yacht Walrus, built at St.
Augustine Marine.
Local Fabrication – Along the Historic Rondout Creek in
Downtown Kingston at the Riverport Wooden Boat School in
the Hudson River Maritime Museum
Bids for building the Solar Sal 44 were received in late 2016
by The Bortons, who live in Troy, NY. The winning bid went to
the Hudson River Maritime Museum, which has a wonderful
collection of artifacts and history of the Hudson River as well as
its newly created Riverport Wooden Boat School.
Kingston is one end of the Delaware and Hudson Canal and has
been a center of boatbuilding and transportation for centuries.
Besides coal and general cargo Kingston produced and shipped
cement for construction up and down the east coast.
The Erie Canal, starting at the Hudson’s headwaters of
navigation in Troy, connected Buffalo, the Great Lakes and
the Midwest to a small port on Manhattan turning it into the
shipping and financial center of the whole state. The story of
the canal systems in NewYork, powered by mules and horses, is
best learned traveling along the canals in solar powered boats.
The Boat School provides both educational opportunities
for both youth and adults, along with professional wooden
boatbuilding and restoration. The Hudson River sloop
Clearwater; the Onrust, a replica of the Dutch Captain and
explorer Adriaen Block’s 1614 yacht – the first yacht and fur
trading vessel built in the New World -- after Block’s vessel, the
Tyger burned in New York Bay; and the Beacon Sloop Club’s
Woody Guthrie have all wintered-over and undergone repair
and maintenance at the boat school.
Behold – the Solar Sal 44
This new longer boat maximizes the potential of Borton’s
concept, with the large battery capacity and optimization of
the solar-panel configuration. In addition, a live-aboard cabin-
cruiser version of the Solar Sal 44—the Solar Sal Cruiser—will
follow shortly. This will be the first cruising powerboat that
won’t require any fuel.
A Much Lower Carbon Footprint – As Green As Possible!
The Solar Sal 44 not only uses no fuel, but also has a wooden hull –
of wood-epoxy/strip-plank construction sheathed with glass. This
construction has maintenance and longevity characteristics equal
to that of conventional fiberglass, meaning that 95% of the hull
structure is from the renewable and low-carbon material – wood.
Other boatbuilding materials such as fiberglass, aluminum, steel
and even ferro-cement (a type of highly versatile, thin reinforced
concrete with small diameter wire meshes throughout the cross
section) have much higher carbon footprints.
Traditional Styling and Name to Fit Local History – 21st Century
Technology meets 19th Century-Inspired Launch Design.
The celestial “soleil” or Sun provides the “solar” part of the launch.
The name “Sal” refers back to the old Erie-Canal Song, written by
Thomas S. Allen in 1905, heralding the faithful old mule “Sal” who
was both a pal and a good worker.
During the late 19th Century, the internal combustion engines
were heavy, low-powered and their hulls had to be very efficient.
Launches of this type were often found in the waters of the Hudson
River as well as the Mohawk, Champlain and Erie Canal system.
The Solar Sal 44’s Arrangement
Boarding is from a ladder to starboard, with an optional wet bar
to port. Forward, to starboard, is the helm station, and forward
below is a fully private head compartment.
The twenty-eight 8-D batteries are all easily accessible directly
below four large battery hatches. Twin 4-kW electric Torqeedo
outboards are set in an enclosed outboard well aft, with a hatch
over them to make them even quieter. In fact—like most electric
boats—the Solar Sal 44 whispers across the water, making almost
no sound and leaving almost no wake.
On top of the awning roof are sixteen SunPower solar panels.
This provides a nearly horizontal and unobstructed surface to
maximize exposure to the sun on the panels. Headroom under the
awning roof is a minimum of 6-foot, 9-inches (206 cm).
The Solar Sal 44 is fitted with a 55-gallon (208 l) black-water tank
to starboard and a 55-gallon (208 l) grey-water tank to port. Aft
are a pair of fresh-water tanks, with a total capacity of 60-gallons.
Multiple hatches ensure good access to the bilge, and to wiring
and plumbing.
In bad weather, the fully open cockpit sides are closed with roll-
down Eisenglass curtains. Combined with the forward cabin/
windscreen, the entire cockpit is protected from the elements. In
fair weather, the Eisenglass curtains roll up andmost of the forward
windscreen windows open for optimum airflow.