Man who built solar-powered yacht that can run forever adds new upgrade to it to improve stability
Published on May 31, 2026 at 4:08 AM (UTC+4)
by Ben Thompson
Last updated on May 31, 2026 at 4:08 AM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Mason Jones
The man who built a solar-powered yacht that could run forever has added in a new upgrade which is set to improve its stability.
Helios 11 was designed to be a practical yacht that lived on sunlight and could keep moving without the need for marinas or fuel stops along the way.
It took Lukas Sjoman 200 days to get this vessel ready for the water.
Now, he’s added a new upgrade which will take things to the next level.
It took this man 200 days to build this solar-powered yacht, but he’s still not completely finished
The Helios 11 had gotten a king’s share of coverage over recent months, from its ability to overtake boats three times its size to its maiden voyage on the frozen canals of France.
Sjoman has been more than willing to divulge details about the project.
He recently revealed the build guide, detailing how he created the roof, the hull, and everything in between.
Based on the work he’s done, you’d think that Helios 11 would be a done deal, right?
Well, not quite.
Sjoman is still adding to his masterpiece, as his latest video proved.
Adding outrigger pontoons, he hoped to give the boat more stability.
The pontoons weren’t what he’d hoped for.
“The pontoons are tiny. They are absolutely not what I wanted to have there, but I’ve been limited in both materials and tools being here in Spain,” he explained.
Despite them being small – at only 25 liters of buoyancy each – they worked wonders on the boat, making it roughly 50 percent more stable.
But how did this affect the boat’s speed?
In calm conditions, the Helios 11 was just as fast it was before, because the pontoons barely touched the water.
However, in rougher waters, the boat slowed down slightly because the water submerged the pontoons.
What’s next for this remarkable project?
Going forward, he planned to add foam to the pontoons to double their buoyancy and increase stability even further.
Adding flat planks was also a potential option.
But beyond that, he had a larger task at hand – cleaning up the hull.
The bottom of the boat had become overgrown and without anti-fouling paint, it wasn’t going to get better.
A seafarer’s work is never done, it seems.
Following stints at LadBible, The Sun, The New York Post, and the Daily Mail, Ben joined the team full-time in February 2025. In his role as Senior Content Writer, his sparkling copy, the ability to sniff out a good story at 100 paces, and a GSOH quickly led to him becoming an integral and invaluable member of the writing staff.
