Our candid answer is: probably not for daily cruising, and you may still want one aboard for emergencies. We’d rather tell you that plainly than sell you a fantasy of a boat that never needs a backup.
Start with what the trial showed. Over 1,000 nautical miles the array harvested more energy than the motor consumed — the 48 V bank never fell below 50%. On most days, in most conditions, at sensible speeds, the sun and the bank carried the boat with reserve to spare. For that kind of cruising, a generator sits idle.
The edges are where the honesty lives. Push hard against a six-knot chop with three knots of current setting against you, or string together short grey days with no chance to recharge, and you can outrun what solar replaces. Those are real conditions, and a small generator — carried purely for emergencies or for the day you choose to push through — is a perfectly rational thing to keep aboard. That’s a candid yes, not a hedge.
So the truthful framing isn’t “never plug in, never carry backup.” It’s: on the great majority of days you won’t reach for one, and we’ll show you exactly where the exceptions are before you commit. Run your own boat and cruising ground through the configurator and you’ll see how often, if ever, the backup actually earns its keep.