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Sail Greener Resource Page

Many companies and organizations offer products or services that promote sustainable sailing and healthy oceans. Below are links to those we think are particularly helpful. Contact us if you have suggestions or recommendations you think we should add to the Sail Greener Resource Page. 

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Boats and Motors

  • Elco: An American company that has manufactured electric motors for more than 125 years. The company manufactures outboard and inboard electric and hybrid propulsion systems. Elco states that it considers “pioneering sustainability for the marine industry its obligation to ensure future generations have the opportunity to experience the joy provided by our fresh bodies of water.”
  • ePropulsion: A manufacturer of electric outboards suitable for daysailers, small cruising sailboats, dinghies, inflatable boats, and tender boats. The young and fast-growing company produces a range of electric motors, including small outboards and pod drives. ePropulsion also supports hydrogenation and solar charging. 
  • Oceanvolt: A global leader in electric propulsion for boats, including monohull and multihull sailboats. Oceanvolt offers hybrid and electric systems in partnership with many leading boat builders. The Oceanvolt Configurator allows prospective clients to get suggestions for suitable power solutions. 
  • Torqeedo: A leading manufacturer of marine electric motors. The company advertises that their drive systems operate with high overall efficiency. The company manufactures outboards and inboards, electric motors and hybrid drive systems ranging from 0,5 to 100 kW on motor level (up to 200 kW on system level). Torqeedo also manufactures accessories, including lithium batteries, solar charging equipment, and smartphone apps.
 

  • Alva Yachts: A new builder of luxury solar power yachts that offers the Ocean series of eco-powered yachts and sailing yachts. The company evolved from Pica Yachts. The company's eco-powered yachts include fully electric-solar cruisers and catamarans from 50 feet (15.20 meters) to 90 feet (27.5 meters)

  • Arcona Yachts: A Swedish yacht builder that manufactures the  Arcona 415, which the company advertises as the first yacht with zero emission propulsion as a standard feature. Electric propulsion is available across the entire Arcona fleet. 

  • Elan Yachts: The company has a seven decade pedigree of innovation and award-winning boat building. The company builds three boat lines: The E-Line, Impression-Line, and GT Line. The E6 model is available with twin Oceanvolt SailDrives.

  • Hanse Yachts AG: The second largest sailing yacht manufacturer in the world, the company prides itself on its emphasis on sustainability at every stage of the value chain. The company works to enhance the efficiency and eco-friendliness of the engines it installs, and the company's production facilities emphasize environmental sustainability.  The portfolio of HanseYachts AG features three sailboat brands:  Hanse, the Group’s founding brand; Dehler, which includes sports sailboats and performance cruisers; and Moody, which specializes in deck saloon yachts and aft cockpit yachts. The Group also produces PRIVILÈGE catamarans. 

  • Salona Yachts: A Croatian boatbuilder that produces, among its diverse models, the Salona 46, a fast, comfortable, and luxurious electric yacht and winner of the Best Green Boat Award at the Newport International Boat Show. 

  • Sunreef Yachts Eco: A global leader in manufacturing luxury bespoke multihulls. Sunreef Yachts Eco catamarans are equipped with composite-integrated solar panel systems and lightweight batteries for energy efficiency and environmentally-conscious luxury cruising.

  • X-Yachts: An established boat builder launching a new electric-powered sailboat model in 2022. The company has demonstrated corporate environmental sustainability commitments by becoming the main sponsor of the Race For Oceans Foundation, an organization whose target is to protect the oceans from plastic.

  • Zen Yachts: A new company established in 2021, Zen states it wants to design and build the world's most eco-friendly luxury performance yachts.  The Zen50 is reportedly the world's first series production catamaran equipped with a wingsail.
 

Products and Gear

  • Helly Hansen: Founded in Norway in 1877, Helly Hansen has grown to become one of the largest and most respected outdoor clothing manufacturers. The company's sailing gear is worn by world-class sailors and the company partners with and participate in some of the world's most iconic regattas and sailing associations. The company has a long history of respecting, protecting, and promoting ethical values, human rights and the environment. Helly Hansen states it is committed to advocating for the responsible use and enjoyment of the oceans, mountains, and the greater outdoors. 
  • Henri-Lloyd International: Founded in 1963, Henri-Lloyd is a company that specializes in designing and manufacturing innovative sailing clothing to protect sailors, explorers, and pioneers from extreme weather. Sir Ben Ainslie is the company's Chief Technical Officer.  The company advertises that the oceans and environment have always played a part of what they do, and that they strive to support sustainability by trying to make decisions to reduce their environmental impact. 
  • Nautica: The company's stated goal is to create clothing of exceptional quality while remaining environmentally conscious. Nautica believes that by being more mindful about how they produce clothes the company can help create a more sustainable world. The company sells a line of “Sustainably Crafted” clothing.
  • Patagonia: The company is one of the world's most progressive large outdoor clothing manufacturers. Patagonia has a self-imposed “Earth tax”, 1% for the Planet, which provides support for environmental organizations working to defend healthy air, land, and water around the world. The company is focused less on water sports than some of our other listed companies, but they are world beaters when it comes to corporate social and environmental activism and responsibility. 
  • Zhik: The Australian company was formed soon after the 2004 Athens Olympics to address a perceived gap in the dinghy sailing market. Today the company is one of the dominant brand in performance dinghy sailing.  Zhik states that it is working towards a more sustainable and eco friendly future for clothing and our packaging by replacing non-biodegradable oil based neoprene with natural plant based alternatives. The company has redesigned much of its packaging to limit or remove single use plastic and has a goal to be packaging plastic free.  
 

  • For more on companies that produce more environmentally-friendly clothing for sailors, and how you can reduce your exposure to toxic substances and risks to your health and the health of the environment, see The Sail Greener Guide to Healthy Sailing.

  • Defend our Health: The organization has a mission to create a world where all people are thriving, with equal access to safe food and drinking water, healthy homes, and products that are toxic-free and climate-friendly. The organization works to build grassroots movements and to change policy to drive toxic chemicals out of food, water, and products. 
  • Environmental Working Group:  EWG is a leader in publishing information about toxic substances and healthy alternatives. The organization has a mission to empower people with breakthrough research to make informed choices and live a healthy life in a healthy environment.
  • PFASCentral.org: The organization provides curated information about PFAS, including press, peer-reviewed scientific articles, meetings, job listings, and consumer information. The content is provided through a partnership between the Green Science Policy Institute and the Social Science Environmental Health Research Institute at Northeastern University. 
 

Oceans and Environment

  • Oceana: The world’s largest international advocacy organization focused solely on ocean conservation, Oceana’s mission is to make our oceans more biodiverse and abundant by winning policy victories in the countries that govern much of the world's marine life. Oceana works on campaigns to protecting marine habitat, reduce marine bycatch, protecting marine wildlife, ending single-use plastics. 
  • Mission Blue:   Led by legendary oceanographer Dr. Sylvia Earle, Mission Blue inspires action to explore and protect the ocean. The organization implements communications campaigns to support a worldwide network of marine protected areas identified as “Hope Spots”. Mission Blue has a vision of 30% protection of the ocean by the year 2030, and the Mission Blue alliance includes more than 200 ocean conservation groups and other organizations and companies. 
  • The Ocean Conservancy:  For nearly five decades, The Ocean Conservancy has brought people, science, and policy together to champion innovative solutions and fight for a sustainable ocean.  The organization is focused on solving some of the greatest threats facing our oceans. 
  • Blue Frontier: Founded in 2003 by award-winning author and journalist David Helvarg, Blue Frontier uses solution-oriented citizen engagement to protect oceans, coasts and the communities, for people and nature. 
  • Sea Shepherd Conservation Society: One of the boldest of the major ocean conservation organizations, the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society has a mission to protect defenseless marine wildlife and end the destruction of habitat in the world’s oceans.  Sea Shepherd engages in direct action campaigns to defend wildlife and conserve and protect the world’s oceans from illegal exploitation and environmental destruction. 

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  • For more organizations and descriptions of the work of the world's leading ocean science and conservation organizations, see our Sail Greener article on The Best Ocean Conservation Organizations. 

Charter and Travel

  • Boatbooking.com: Among the large yacht charter and boat share companies, Boatbooking.com provides among the most information about sustainability, including carbon offsets, low carbon chartering opportunities, and helpful blog posts about sustainable sailing. 

  • Boatsetter: The company reports it has approximately 200 electric boats for rent on its website, with the most in Washington D.C., Seattle, Chicago, and Los Angeles. The company reports that these are now regularly sold out. The company was among the first to develop a strategy for helping the victims from Hurricane Dorian in the Bahamas.

  • We Are on A Boat Sustainable Boating: The name says it all!  The company bills itself as a community marketplace to promote and rent electric, wind, or solar eco-friendly boats.  The company says it also wants to motivate people to share their boats while meeting new, interesting people and build constructive and meaningful relations. The company focuses on electric yachts and boats, batteries, motors, and service. 

  • For more on boat charter companies and finding those that support sustainability, see our Sail Greener article on the Best Yacht Charter and Boat Share Companies for Sustainable Sailing. 

Other Resources

  • Cruising World:  The magazine is well known in the sailing community as a source for its how-to articles about all things cruising. They have a helpful Sail Green page with suggestions for sustainable sailing. 
  • Green Yachts: Green Yachts is one of the few web pages dedicated to supporting the electric boating community on the water by selling, servicing, and advocating electric powered sailboats. An excellent resource for anyone thinking about sustainable sailing. 
  • Plugboats.com: Plugboats offers a number of useful resources. It maintains what it describes as “…the most complete guide to electric saildrive and pod boat motors.” This list includes details on more than 150 individual motors that users can sort by power range, style and usage. Plugboats also offers a comprehensive Guide to Electric Boat Batteries. 
  • Royal Yachting Association (RYA): RYA is the national governing body for dinghy, yacht, and motor cruising, all forms of sail racing, RIBs and sports boats, windsurfing and personal watercraft, and a leading representative for inland waterways cruising in the U.K. The organization includes an Environment and Sustainability resource page. RYA published its Carbon Pathway to Zero document in 2021, which outlines the organization's vision for a zero carbon recreational boating sector by 2050. 
  • Sailors for the Sea: The organization is “Powered by Oceana” and describes itself as the “only ocean conservation organization that engages, educates and activates the sailing and boating community toward restoring ocean health.” The organization has an excellent Green Boating Guide to help sailors prevent pollution, reduce waste, protect wildlife, and reduce environmental impact of boating. The Clean Regattas Program is a leading leading sustainability certification program for water-related events. The program has reached over 750,000 sailors and attendees in over 49 countries. The program provides a free, self-assessment tool and certification program. 
  • US Sailing:  This organization and Foundation has a vision to launch the sport of sailing into the future. The have an Environmental Stewardship page with information about green products, ocean science, and the environment. 
 

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