THE YARD
The venture started in the 70s in Aquileia, on the shores of the Venetian Lagoon, where first the Romans and then the Serenissima Republic left their important seafaring heritage taken up by Solaris Yachts, manufacturer of Solaris.
With a total area of 26,000 sqm, including 6,000 sqm under cover, besides building “custom” yachts, the yard has refitted and restored yachts up to 100 feet.
With forty years of dedicated boat building and refitting experience, and a unique know-how, the technical department and the skilled workers of Solaris design and build top quality sailing yachts, combining technology and strength with the traditional manufacture of the incomparable wood interiors.
2018 - A new era dawns for Solaris Yachts. The historic headquarters in Aquileia have been extended to facilitate the production of each new Solaris to the optimum standards.
CRAFTMANSHIP AND EXCELLENCE
The quality and the finish of the interior joinery are distinctive features of Solaris, renowned and appreciated all over the world.
The refined selection of fine woods combines with the skilled handmade care of the details.
The craftsmanship is a necessity for the target that Solaris has set itself: excellence.
The final result is a byword for unique and unmistakable fittings that are designed to be functional, comfortable at sea and ultimately durable.
THE DOUBLE UNIQUENESS OF SOLARIS
There are two main characteristics which, when combined together, distinguish Solaris Yachts and make it unique among European boatyards:
• the 35 years experience in refitting sailing yachts of all types and sizes;
• the location of the yard by the sea, allowing sea trials to refine every design solution before commencing production and the team of tradesmen boasting a continuous sailing experience.
Since its founding, Solaris has always had a specialized department for the repair and refit of custom and mass production yachts from boatyards all over world.
Experience and tests at sea have demonstrated that most sailing yachts, suffer from the effects of the wind and the sea, resulting in movement and deformation.
Creaking, doors that do not close during navigation and cracks that develop over time are proof of this.
For this reason, from the outset, the priority for designers and engineers was the non-deformation of the yacht derived through structural continuity, what we call “monolith” and that for decades has been a characteristic for all Solaris yachts, as described in the chapter “STRENGTH AND SAFETY”.
The main difference between Solaris and most other boatyards is that Solaris use one material only with only one mechanical characteristic: fiberglass.
Moreover Solaris use only composite, and not wooden, bulkheads and laminate them to the hull and most importantly of all to the deck and build composite chainplates (instead of steel) creating the “monolith” or “cage” where everything is firmly connected with a unique characteristic: composite bulkhead laminated to hull and deck, fibreglass hull-to-deck connection, longitudinal and transversal structure (girders and floors), composite chainplates. This is the cage made of a single material which supports and receives all the major loads coming from mast, chainplates and keel.
Other yards use 5 materials with 5 different mechanical characteristics such as: deck in fiberglass, filler to bond the inner moulding of the headlining to the deck, silicone to bond the bulkhead to the inner headlining, wooden bulkheads.
The engineers have also been able to verify which, among the other construction techniques and materials utilized by other yards, are the most appropriate and effective options. The sea is the ultimate judge and it is thanks to the sea that we are able to improve by practicing the technique of continuous development in the company.
The quality of Solaris goes beyond the structural components, and is evident in the entire yacht, using only that which works better and lasts longer; because of this continuous and precise work of selection and research of the best materials and equipment, it is possible to create such unique yachts.
Thanks to its uniqueness, Solaris has achieved a tangible quality that is almost impossible to replicate for the mass production yards. To understand why our used boats maintain such a high residual, just see what a Solaris built 35 years ago looks like today.
STRENGTH AND SAFETY
World sailor Enrico Tettamanti, with over 100,000 ocean miles and 7 roundings of Cape Horn to his name and having witnessed how the yacht was built, has chosen the Solaris 72 and named Kamana to fulfill his next challenge that will see him circumnavigate the world in 5 years, far away from the conventional routes through the Arctic seas.
The objective of Solaris is the pursuit of perfection even where you can’t see it. Every model in the Solaris range, unlike other mass production yachts on the market, is built in accordance with the strict standard rules of the Maxi Ocean Yachts. Yet it is principally at a structural level that Solaris boasts a unique feature that makes the yacht stiff, solid and stress-resistant: the main and the other structural bulkheads are built in composite, with a minimum of 40mm thickness and are fully laminated not only to the hull, but also and most importantly of all to the deck, thereby avoiding the mass-production method of silicone bonding.
The particular method of connecting hull and deck is virtually unique in the boat building world, due to the high cost and fact that it cannot be executed on a mass production basis, and delivers superior stiffness to the entire yacht. The main bulkhead and the main connecting reinforcing structures behave as a unique “structural cage” that bears the local loads of a yacht such as the stresses of the mast, chainplates and keel. In this way the yacht is unaffected by any deformation and torsion in all sea and wind conditions.
Moreover, the fact that there are no inner mouldings facilitates inspection of the yachts structural heart and other vital organs. Even the joinery, being laminated to the hull, becomes a structural fitting of the yacht.
The chainplates are not made in steel (see photo at page 7) and are made of 28 vacuum bonded layers of uni and bidirectional fibres. The keel, provided with a stainless steel flange plate, AISI 316, with a thickness of 30mm and size according to the yacht’s dimensions, is connected to the hull backing plate by means of no. 12 stainless steel bolts of at least 30 mm.
The reason why Solaris adopt the most marine and safe solution for every single component of the yacht is to ensure comfort and safety at sea even in extreme weather conditions and is the result of a combination of factors:
• the in-house design department with engineers who boast over 35 years of experience in building high quality yachts from 36 to 80 ft;
• the team work closely with the designer, aided by the most modern and sophisticated design software (3D, FEA: Finite Element Analysis, VPP: Velocity Prediction Programs);
• the laboratory and sea tests in order to verify the loads and the resistance over time; • the careful and continuous quality control of plywood, laminates, adhesives and resins;
• the passion for quality of all the Solaris team.
Kamana around the world
“Our videos are our simple way to show the beauty of our planet – one that is strongly connected to the human impact we have on it,”
Enrico Tettamanti
Kamana Owner
VIDEO Kamana in Greenland
VIDEO Kamana in Indonesia
VIDEO Kamana 2011 - 2016
THE SOLARIS CONSTRUCTION
Why Solaris are sturdy and stiff.
On all Solaris the many critical points for the loads that a sailing yacht is subjected to at sea are built with considerable safety margins.
A sailing boat, in all her complexity, must exploit and support the forces generated by the flow of the two elements of differing density in which she is immersed: air and water.
These forces can reach considerable intensity in proportion to the size of the yacht: for example the compression load of the mast is equal to the weight of the boat.
Confronted with such stresses, Solaris set itself the primary objective of ensuring the non-deformation of the yacht and has identified the crucial points ensuring stiffness and non-deformation.
In particular, the connection point between keel and hull and the mast base and the chainplates are the areas where stresses equal to the weight of the boat are concentrated.
Solaris then sized and structured with a proper safety margin so that all the loads are discharged into the main structures of the yacht. The floors and the bottom and side girders of the yacht are not an inner moulding construction, but they are fully laminated and resin bonded to the hull without inner moulding.
The composite bulkheads, not made in wood, they are completely laminated to the hull and most importantly of all to the deck.
This interconnection, together with the hull-to-deck connection, creates a proper “structural cage”, where all the single elements are made of fibreglass and have therefore one mechanical characteristic only.
The Solaris structural continuity
All the Solaris yachts are built following the construction standards of the oceanic maxi-yachts, in fact there is structural continuity of the main elements: mast, main bulkhead, chainplates and keel attachment. On all the Solaris One line the main and forward bulkheads are made in composite sandwich with a thickness from 25 to 40 mm, the bulkheads are not resin bonded to the inner moulding of the ceiling, but they directly resin bonded to the deck. The chainplates are made of unidirectional and bidirectional fibers, vacuum glued and resin bonded to the hull. The advantage in using materials with the same mechanical characteristics is evident over time. The junction between steel chainplates and GRP (used in virtually all production yachts) has involved problems of infiltration of water and galvanic currents. All our keels have the fin made in cast iron and the bulb in lead. The choice of the two materials gives the possibility to have the fin with less weight in the upper part, because it has lower specific weight, and to increase the weight in the bulb, so a bigger righting moment and less immersed volume; the final result is better sailing performance and comfort. The junction between hull and keel is made using a recessed flange plate, this enables transverse weight distribution to the attached 20mm keel bolts and reduces stress to the hull.
Hull windows.
Using tempered crystal instead Plexiglas is an expensive but durable and safe choice: On the entire One line the lateral and hull windows are constructed using double tem- pered crystal. The advantages are important: the crystal is not subjected to volume changes, so water infiltration is avoided over time; the glass is also easy to clean with- out the streaks commonly visible on Plexiglas windows. The double layer provides additional safety from the hull impacts. An important feature to underline is lateral portholes on the coachroof. The Solaris choice is about safety: we do not use port- holes that open outwards; we do not consider them to be safe as they are an obstacle on deck and can interfere with sheets and general sail handling.
Opening Transom Door.
Every Solaris has an opening transom door/bathing platform. The opening mechanism is electro-hydraulic to avoid fastidious manual mechanisms, which are difficult to man- age. On the Solaris One 48, 54 and One 60 the transom door also provides access to the tender storage garage. The construction method of the transom doors provide a watertight and proper storage solution for an inflatable rib.
Deck equipment.
The steamhead fitting is electro-welded stainless steel plate which completely covers the stem and includes an anchor fairlead with a balance mechanism. The strength of the fitting is necessary for absorbing the loads when the yacht is at anchor and the balance is useful to raise the anchor easily when you have to weigh anchor quickly. All running rigging is in spectra and where necessary fitted with a shackle. The steer- ing binnacles are recessed and mounted flush with the cockpit sole and do not flex under the weight of the helmsman in rough conditions. The coachroof handrails are stainless steel and guarantee a safe hold for going forward on deck. On the One 44, 48 and 60 there is an indispensable foredeck sail locker for the stowage of sails and other equipment, and on the One 37 there is a wide storage locker aft for the stow- age of sails and other equipment. The recess for the sprayhood is not only a charac- teristic of our yachts, but also provides protection during sailing and helps to keep the cockpit dry. The hatches are constructed with a GRP integrated drainage system and are completely flush with the deck and not deck mounted with aluminum frame.
Interior equipment.
For more than 35 years Solaris has been renowned for precision and craftsmanship. The One line is characterized by a modern interior design, but which also embodies the Solaris tradition. The fiddles in the galley and in the chart area have a linear ap- pearance but are also designed to function as handrails. The fridges have a concealed door in stainless steel. There is a division between the galley and dinette to avoid coo- king from spoiling the upholstery. The floorboards are simply placed on have a con- stant gap to enable easy lifting when sailing (no trapped dirt). Every accessible area is, as per Solaris tradition, used as locker space. There is a white-red navigation light at the chart table and courtesy light in the dinette. The soundproofing of the engine room is built with high quality sound insulation material and white painted perforated aluminum panels. The antiskid finish of the companionway steps is applied with trans- parent varnish to avoid the adhesive stripes!
Electrical system.
The electrical system is designed to guarantee the functionality of the yacht even under extreme use of all the systems. The engine batteries are completely separate from the domestic system, ensuring there is no interference with the engine battery charge. The batteries are specified for their use, the service batteries are 6 V in series to obtain 12 or 24 V and then placed in parallel. The choice of AGM batteries guarantees stabile output and fast recharge. The system provides an alternator and a battery charger us- ing Mastervolt as standard.
THE SOLARIS CONSTRUCTION
SOLARIS MILESTONES
