Page 40: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (November 2013)

40 Maritime Reporter & Engineering News ? NOVEMBER 2013 Marine Propulsion ? The Electric BoateCraft 20 that day. ?There?s a few electric boats out there,? Constantinou said. ?But they?re smaller for the most part. We have the largest available electric/hybrid boat out there.?The Greenline 33, of which over 300 have been manufactured so far, has a range of over 700 nautical miles with a cruising speed of seven knots. Because of its specially designed ?superdisplace-ment? hull, it creates less wake. Com-bined with a solar paneled roof that can recharge the ship?s battery over the course of an entire day, the Greenline 33 offers a completely unique way to travel on the water. Constantinou weighed in on the chal-lenges electric and hybrid boats face. ?The only problem I can think of that might be an issue is for the market to see these boats as functional and reliable. When Seaway [who owns Greenline] came up with this concept in 2009, it was right at the beginning of the economic crisis.??Everybody was gun-shy. They didn?t want to consider any new products. But Seaway thought that the product was so compelling. It was something new. They placed their faith in the product and since then the boats have received over 20 international awards for innova-tion and environmental friendliness. We have now over 400 boats that have been built in the last two and a half years. It?s a great success story.? This success story that Constantinou talks about is one that?s been in the works for over 100 years now. When electric launches came on the scene in the 1880s, the promise this technology offered seemed poised to explode. ?Electrical power for river launches is now an established fact on the Thames and will probably be much improved in the coming years,? claimed ScientiÞ c American. There was talk of adding more charg- ing stations along the river to accommo-date for the increased demand of electric boats. Three years after the Þ rst launches on the river Thames, one million visitors to the 1893 Chicago World?s Fair were transported via electric boat. But it was the World?s Fair, surpris- ingly enough, that also spelled the fall of the electric boat. And, coincidentally, the rise of the internal combustion engine.A Petroleum Boat First and foremost, William Steinway was a piano craftsman. But in the 1880s, he was also the Þ nan-cier who brought the petroleum-based internal combustion engine into the limelight when he met Gottlieb Daimler on a quest to Europe for ideas. Stein-Top Across the world recharge stations appear for electric cars. Will the trend continue for electric boats? Middle The all-electric eCraft20. With 12 hours of battery life, this boat is perfect for cocktail cruising, pic- nicking and Þ shing on a small bay. Bottom If longer travel is in your plans, the Greenline 33 is the largest hybrid powerboat on the market today. MR #11 (34-41).indd 40MR #11 (34-41).indd 4011/11/2013 12:03:19 PM11/11/2013 12:03:19 PM