GREENLINE 45 FLY HYBRID

Alex Smith spends the night on board Greenline's latest generation hybrid cruiser...

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Here at MBY, we spend a lot of time on boats. But while the average press trip tends to involve an intensive spell at sea followed by an Uber back to the airport, this is one of those rare occasions when we get the chance to spend the night.

Thanks to the guys at Argo Yachting in Mallorca, the plan is to jump on board the new 45 Fly Hybrid and go for a cruise, before finding a quiet anchorage to spend the night away from shore power. We can then run all the systems we require for an evening of entertainment and a comfortable night's sleep before heading off again the next day. In other words, our job is to use the boat exactly as a keen cruiser might and see how Greenline’s 6th-generation hybrid system copes.

THE HYBRID CONCEPT

While the standard Greenline 45 Fly uses a pair of Yanmar diesel engines hooked up to V Drives, this hybrid model positions a small 25kW eMotor on each shaft between the diesel engine and the gearbox. That's powered by a remarkably compact row of lithium-polymer battery boxes, each with 11.1kWh of capacity. Three is standard but the test boat has four and there is the option for six (as well as plenty of space for eight) so 66, or potentially even 88kWh, looks like a very real possibility.

The use of the eMotors does of course lengthen the upper shaft, so the diesel engines have to be shifted back a touch, beneath the moulding for the aft storage compartment. But that’s not a problem because a handy lift-out tray in the base of the toys locker gives you quick and easy access whenever you need it.