Greenline hybrid.

[Bouba]

Just chiming in. In addition to learning much about these boats (among others, as I get ready to buy a boat for myself) I've been conversing with folks who own Greenline 40 (Diesel) and Greenline 40 Hybrid boats; here's one of the key things I've learned:

To think of the Solar and Electric assist capabilities as a fuel- or cost-saving measure is to mistake what the boat's hybrid design does for you. (Though they will save you some fuel, it won't make up for the cost difference when buying a new boat; second-hand pricing shows very little difference between the standard and hybrid versions.) But...

...the boat does a number of things no other production boat in this class really does:

1. Silent, zero-fuel day-trips, harbor tours, local excursions, etc.; if under 20 miles, full electric at 5.9kts. Silent, no fumes, normal conversation among passengers, no disruption to nature, no emissions. Switch to the diesel engines for two hours or so (at normal speeds) and the batteries will fully recharge. Or as noted, cruise at trolling speeds all day. No need for wind. A mast & sail-free sailboat, if you will.​

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2. Reduce the accumulation of idle-speed hours on your diesels, reducing a lot of wear and tear on the engines. All your 'no-wake' zone, locking, station-holding, marina maneuvering etc. can be done as above: Silent, no fumes, normal conversation among passengers, no disruption to nature, no emissions.​

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3. Long periods on the hook with NO generator running. Enough power for all your appliances including climate control, lighting, big fridge/freezer, cooktop, etc. Again: Silent, no fumes, normal conversation among passengers, no disruption to nature, no emissions. If you love being in nature to experience it--rather than dominate it--this is the heart of the hybrid's value to me.​

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4. No need to pay for dockside power, metered or otherwise--unless you're in the arctic circle in the winter.*​

Again, I don't rep for GL, nor any other outfit. I'm just an enthusiast. But I 'get' how this boat works, and I just wanted to emphasize that the electric motive power of the hybrid version is NOT intended to replace the diesels for getting from point A to point B. They're intended to save the diesels from idle-speed torture and provide a better quality of experience for sightseeing/anchoring & mooring.



*Which you won't be unless something goes really, really wrong. ;-)

I don’t know what constitutes typical use here, but speaking personally, a 20 mile range at nearly six knots would cover 95% of my use. So I definitely see the upside of a Greenline hybride. Mind you, because that is typical, my fuel use is a negligible part of my boating cost. As for engine hours, yes they build up, but I still would service annually. What I would appreciate, as a single engine boater, is that spare system of propulsion. But, in truth, I’d get a twin engine boat if that was a real concern.
The Greenline itself is an attractive boat, that is very light and airy inside, and features such as the drop down swim platform mean you save a meter of costs in port fees. And that can add up in the SoF. Some people have suggested that it’s yacht like hull might be susceptible to rolling, you would have to ask an owner if that were true. Also there is the future cost of battery replacement but most of face that to some degree

 

[Bouba]

One extra point, that is minor, with a diesel it needs warming up before use, but with electricity you go immediately

 

[Greg2]

One extra point, that is minor, with a diesel it needs warming up before use, but with electricity you go immediately

Interesting - we don’t warm the engines and usually start up when we are ready to go. This is based on our understanding that warming up at tick over is not necessary with diesels and can actually be detrimental, although opening the taps should be left until the oil has warmed a little. I resorted to Google and found this. Only one source of course so may not be definitive.
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[Bouba]

Interesting - we don’t warm the engines and usually start up when we are ready to go. This is based on our understanding that warming up at tick over is not necessary with diesels and can actually be detrimental, although opening the taps should be left until the oil has warmed a little. I resorted to Google and found this. Only one source of course so may not be definitive.
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I don’t warm up to temperature but you still have to start the engine and then organise the lines, turn on the chart plotter etc so it takes a few minutes

 

[rallison]

[...]
Some people have suggested that it’s yacht like hull might be susceptible to rolling, you would have to ask an owner if that were true. Also there is the future cost of battery replacement but most of face that to some degree.

The owners with whom I have spoken--and some of the review videos--agree that low-speed stability is less than what you get with a skeg-equipped trawler & a more traditional hull form. But they note that, at mid (8+kts) and high speeds (up to 20+kts, depending on engines), the external, passive fins provide a more stable ride than the traditional arrangement. Plus you get a very shallow draft of .85m / 2'9". My brief sea trial experience on the 40' hybrid occurred on a calm day, so there was very little rolling to assess; but a 180-deg. turn at speed was kept tight and remarkably close to level by those fins.

As for the batts: the current (sorry for the pun) generation apparently uses the same cells as the BMW i3 and the Tesla line. So the replacement supply seems likely to be secure/plentiful.

More importantly: for new owners, sensible battery level management should keep them healthy for 10+ years. (I had a second-generation Honda Insight hybrid car, purchased after some extensive research into the battery packs; testing showed properly managed lithium batteries would only lose 1-3% of capacity over that period of time.) Don't run them to empty, don't keep them at 100% full--or do as I think Honda did and make sure the instrumentation reports 'empty' at 20% remaining, and full at 80% of capacity--to leave a margin and avoid stressing the cells.

I do think anyone considering purchasing one of these second-hand should ensure their pre-purchase marine survey includes an evaluation of the state of the main batteries--capacity, charge rate, and discharge rate under load, at least--from a qualified specialist, as it will require knowledge and tools/instrumentation not part of the ordinary marine survey skillset. As with any other equipment, the batteries' value will vary from one boat to the next depending on how the prior owners treated theirs.

 

[Whippersnapper]

I still think hybrid boats are mostly the answer to a question no one asked. You can make a case for them but the arguments seem weak.

diesels are quiet at 6 knots and just sip fuel, few people are worried about idling diesels wearing the motor when in close quarters and you can put Li batteries with solar panels in any boat to get the no generator benefits.

I still quite like the look and layout of them but would get one with the bigger yanmar engines than the hybrid system. Numerous reviews have mentioned a rocking motion which I’d want to make sure I’d be ok with too.

However as bouba said if you do just want to go a short distance at a slow speed then that makes some sense. Obviously buy whatever you like that works for you ??

 

[Mr Chips]

Berniebob: Try this site-- https://download.cnet.com/ios/morftec/3260-20_4-10067665-1.html. I'm not at all sure that has what you need, but it appears to. As to whether it will function under the current version(s) of iOS is another issue, too.

FYI, I was at the Chicago Boat Show a few weeks back looking at the Greenline 40. The sales reps indicated Greenline now uses 'ConnectedBoat' ConnectedBoat as their remote systems monitoring app. Not sure it's as full-featured as the GreenPad concept.

Finally: As a potential owner, I'm very interested in learning about your Greenline purchase and ownership experience. I'll PM you. (Unless you prefer to start a thread -- there has been some interest on this forum in the past, but you're the first GL owner to show up here that I can find. It could be useful information for others.)

I am looking for a Greenline 39/40 hyrbrid and would be interested to hear how you have got on.