Latest Articles, Superyachts
Published on Sep 08, 2026 at 7:10 PM (UTC+4)
by Alessandro Renesis
Last updated on Sep 08, 2026 at 8:09 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by Henry Kelsall
The guy who built his own DIY solar-powered yacht that can run on zero fuel finally reached Portugal.
It may sound like just another step in his journey, but it isn’t.
And that’s for a good reason.
But now comes the hard part.
Lukas, the YouTuber behind the True North channel, built his own DIY solar-powered yacht.
The idea was to build a yacht that can run using no fuel at all and using nothing but solar energy.
He named the yacht Helios 11, and it’s been going well.
Obviously, a few things need tweaking.
The entrance to the yacht is too narrow, he had to switch between rigid and flexible solar panels more than one, and he’s not 100 percent satisfied with the way he designed the aft deck.
But, other than that, the situation is pretty rosy.
“One year ago, I lived in a cabin in Finland. And this is much better. I do not need to worry about pyramids. I do not need to chop firewood,” he said in the video.
After leaving Finland, he reached Ibiza, and then sailed back northbound to the southern coast of Spain.
Now, he’s reached Portugal.
The trip covered around 5,000 km in total, which is crazy when you remember he did that with no fuel at all.
However, this was still the hardest part.
Navigating a lightweight, low-profile boat in the Mediterranean or the Baltic Sea is one thing.
But navigating the open waters of the Atlantic Ocean, well, that’s a completely different ballgame.
At one point, it got so bad the waves actually damaged the flexible solar panels.
But, fortunately, the damage was minor,r and he managed to finish the journey and reach Portugal.
In fact, the YouTuber noted that dealing with the waves was mostly a problem for him, not the boat.
“It’s mostly about how I can handle it. I could go in much larger waves uh for a short period of time, but uh for longer periods of time uh it’s not a test of the boat. It’s a test of me,” he said.
So far, so good, but the creator has decided to go one step further: after building his DIY solar-powered yacht, he wants to build a DIY solar-powered catamaran.
For technical reasons, building a solar-powered catamaran will be much harder than building a yacht.
It’ll be more difficult to fit the solar panels, and it’ll be harder to figure out the layout for the cabin.
He’s only just getting started, though.
So stay tuned for more.
# Tags – Finland, Portugal, Solar-powered, Solar-powered yachts, spain, superyacht, Yachts
Alessandro is an automotive journalist with 10 years of experience covering supercars, automotive history, emerging vehicle technology, and luxury transportation. He wrote the first article published on SupercarBlondie.com when the website launched in 2022 and has since built a reputation for insightful reporting across the automotive and transportation industries. His expertise is grounded in hands-on experience. Alessandro has driven every Tesla model ever produced, from the original Roadster to the Cybertruck, and regularly covers the latest developments in electric vehicles and automotive innovation. His passion for transportation extends beyond cars, he has even flown a Boeing 787 Dreamliner simulator in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. His reporting spans everything from classic American muscle cars and rare automotive discoveries to luxury yachts, private aircraft, high-end watches, and cutting-edge vehicle technology. Known for his deep knowledge of automotive history and ability to uncover the stories behind iconic vehicles, Alessandro brings readers a blend of historical context, technical expertise, and first-hand experience.
Supercar Blondie finds and covers the coolest cars, tech, luxury and gaming in the world.
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