The New Wilbur 46 from Maine Boatbuilder Wilbur Yachts

Wilbur Boats, the Maine custom yacht builder, has launched Betsy, a Wilbur 46 that brings together classic design elements of Downeast lobster boats, with some of the most advanced green energy technology available.

With a crossover-type hull that can be driven efficiently at both displacement speeds and plane at 27 knots, the Wilbur 46 you see here has a Caterpillar C-18 diesel with 1,015 hp for main propulsion. The yacht also incorporates solar panels and a fuel cell to replenish batteries. Fuel cells are often considered one of the Holy Grail clean power technologies but are still extremely rare aboard boats.  Maine Boats, Homes & Harbors magazine has a nice story about the launching here.

General Arrangement Rendering of the New Wilbur 46

And here are the main specifications:

Wilbur 46
Specifications

LOA                      46′ 1″
LWL                     44′ 8″
Beam                    14′ 7″
Draft                      4′ 6″

Builder:     Wilbur Yachts, Southwest Harbor, Maine

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Written by: Tom Tripp
Tom is the publisher of www.OceanLines.biz, a website about passagemaking boats and information. He is also a contributor to Chesapeake Bay Magazine who has been at sea aboard everything from a 17-foot homemade wooden fishing boat to a 1,000-foot-long, 96,000-ton, nuclear-powered aircraft carrier.