We are thrilled to present the first in a five-part video series entitled “Designing the HH44”. The all-new HH44 catamaran is a yacht with many innovations. It features 100% electric propulsion with a diesel hybrid backup, 3,190 watts of solar, built-in hydropower generation, swing helms, folding transoms, forward opening windows, 48-volt deck systems, shaft-drive folding propellers, pre-preg carbon fiber C-shaped daggerboards, and near wind-speed sailing performance (all of it standard).
In this video, we hear from Paul Hakes (CEO & Co-Founder of HH) and James Hakes (HH Naval Architect) on how they and the team at HH Catamarans developed the all-new HH44.
Something more about the HH44 catamaran
The HH44 catamaran was conceived from the ground up to work with a parallel hybrid system. The HH44’s parallel hybrid provides all the benefits of an electric boat, silent fume-free motoring, instant torque for maneuvering, and hydro-regeneration while sailing, with the reliability of a trusty diesel engine. The helms have been positioned in the aft corners which opened up the cabin top for up to 3.2kW of solar panels (+.5kW mounted on the davits) to complement the hybrid. The hydro-regeneration combined with the possibility of huge solar and excellent sailing performance in all wind strengths give the HH44 essentially infinite range.
The parallel hybrid system can operate in several different modes:
1. Standard mode – operate the diesel engines with the hybrid system disengaged, just as you would on a traditional yacht.
2. Engine mode – operate the diesel engines as you usually would, with all extra horsepower being pulled off the engines and used to charge the large battery bank.
3. Generator mode – Disengage the clutch in the prop shaft and turn the two diesel engines into two 6kW DC generators.
4. Silent mode – Disengage the electric motors from the diesel engines and use the electric motors to provide 10kW of silent propulsion power per shaft (20kW total)
5. Hydro Regen mode – while sailing, disengage the electric motors from the diesel engines, open the folding propeller and allow it to free-spin, this turns the shafts and the electric motors generating electricity for free! Regen mode is greatly enhanced by the fast sailing speeds of the HH44.