Pioneer Yachts has released the first interior images of Pioneer One, the inaugural PY60 solar-electric catamaran built at its Stralsund yard in Germany.
The 60ft vessel is an owner's version configured for founder Mike Frank's cruising habits, which the builder describes as approximately 200 nautical miles weekly among islands in Croatia, Greece or the Balearics. The layout emphasises indoor-outdoor flow, with the main saloon opening directly onto foredeck and aft deck spaces. Separate areas include aft dining and seating, foredeck loungers, and modular flybridge furniture that converts between sofa and sunbed. Headroom is specified at 2.1m throughout the saloon and lower deck, with saloon finishes combining warm wood and dark blue pinstriped walls.
Micheletti + Partners designed the main saloon, while Cossutti & Ganz handled naval architecture and exterior design. Other interior spaces involved Pioneer Yachts' team and an unnamed Berlin architecture studio selected by the owner.
The vessel carries 16.7 kWp of solar capacity and 246 kWh of battery storage, managed through an integrated energy system coordinating generation, storage, propulsion and electrical demand. Pioneer claims summer solar generation can reach 100 kWh daily, with a watermaker output of 100 litres per hour. Frank states that under favourable conditions—strong sunshine, relatively flat seas and speeds of five to seven knots—the boat can cruise while replenishing its battery. It should be noted this describes Frank's experience rather than independently verified performance, and continuous solar autonomy is not established. Earlier Go Boating coverage identified a fuelled range extender aboard the PY60, though its specification was not detailed in the November release.
A second PY60 is under construction with completion targeted for Northern Hemisphere summer 2027, with a charter version also in development. Future builds are planned with 288 kWh batteries. Frank has stated an ambition of four boats annually.
The PY60 was first presented at Cannes Yaching Festival 2026 as the German builder's debut solar-electric design. Frank founded Pioneer Yachts after being unable to find an existing boat that met his requirements.
| Specification | Details |
|---|---|
| Length | 18.30 m |
| Beam | 8.88 m |
| Draught | 0.80 m |
| Lightship displacement | 30 tonnes |
| Gross tonnage | 62 GT |
| Electrical architecture | 48 V |
| Propulsion | 2 × 50 kW |
| Bow thrusters | 2 × 7.3 kW |
| Solar capacity | 16.7 kWp |
| Battery, minimum configuration | 246 kWh LFP |
| Auxiliary power units, minimum configuration | 2 × 11 kW |
| Eco cruising speed | 5 knots |
| Recommended cruising speed | 6 knots |
| Optimal passage speed | 7 knots |
| Maximum speed | 11 knots |
| Electric range at 5 knots | 150 nautical miles |
| Hybrid range at 5 knots | 5,000 nautical miles |
| Fuel capacity | 2 × 736 litres |
| Freshwater capacity | 2 × 300 litres |
| Watermaker output | 105 litres/hour |
| Exterior design and naval architecture | Cossutti & Ganz, Pioneer Yachts |
| Interior design | Micheletti + Partners, Pioneer Yachts |
| Production | An der Werft 1, 18439 Stralsund, Germany |
| CE certification | A:8 (Ocean) |
Source: Pioneer Yachts, PY60 specification sheet. Manufacturer performance figures use measured, empirical and/or calculated values. Actual performance may vary with sunshine hours, speed, wind conditions and current. Design credits above reproduce the specification sheet; the accompanying release credits Micheletti + Partners specifically with Pioneer One’s main saloon.