First narrowboat with Hybrid Marine drive, but not first with hybrid drive

Over the last few months Dave McInerney has been writing a great blog about a serious refit to his narrowboat Chelonian, centered on a powerful and quiet diesel-electric drive from Hybrid Marine, being installed at Reading Marine. 

Until the refit Chelonian had the same engine as Granny Buttons – a BMC 1.8 – so I was really interested to hear what he's doing.

That's barely half of the refit, but it's the most unusual and striking half.   Dave's done a good and literate job of explaining how he's going about it – one of the best refit blogs I've seen, albeit without many pictures.

The main Chelonian website (chelonian.co.uk) also has some goodies – including the smart use of Google Calendar to let you know of his cruising plans, and a good explanation of his new Artel wood-pellet stove - but I prefer the blog.

There's a good explanation of diesel-electric hybrids on Hybrid Marine's site, explaining simply the three basic types.

Interest in 'hybrids' is fast-growing.   They've been made for narrowboats for years – I remember Reading Marine's  'Switched Off'  being introduced at the Braunston Show in 1998 (or was it 99?) and I was madly jealous. 

A year or so later, when I was looking for my own boat, I saw a lovely one with an HFL diesel-electric drive that ABNB was selling (I couldn't afford it, not even second-hand).

Braidbar Boats is fitting out a 60ft narrowboat called Felonious Mongoose with one of the Hybrid Marine units too, and owner Charley Johnston calls them 'seriously quiet'.  I suppose hybrids will appeal to those who like birdsong, but there's something about the heartbeat of a traditional engine that relaxes many of us.

Reading Marine pioneered the groundbreaking Pangea narrowboat about seven years ago, powered by fuel cells.  It proved an abortive trip to the future – it was later converted to diesel (or diesel-electric) drive. 

This latest hybrid technology isn't new either – the first boat using it was built over a century ago in Germany - but its time might just have come.  

Appropriately, for a technology that's taken a hundred years to arrive, Chelonia is the Linnaean name for the tortoise and turtle family.

Update: On the subject of quiet boat engines, Halfie (below) reminds us of the recent post by Sarah of Warrior, "A different kind of quiet". 

Comments

[Charley]

I entirely agree with Andrew - I think the sound of a traditional engine is just great. What I am not keen on is the sound of the (very efficient) modern diesels - and I didn't want to give up the space that the traditional diesels take up.
When on Dave's "Chelonian", there was more noise from the computer fans in the control box than there was from the electric motor - that is what I meant by "seriously quiet".
Meanwhile Granny Buttons shows just how much I still need to learn about making a decent website!! Thank you.
Charley

[Erik]

Great blog Andrew with excellent links and tidbits of information. As I'm considering a narrowboat life here in Ireland, your blog is certainly helping to light up the way!
Cheers
Erik

[Dave Baynham]

Sorry I did mean 1200 not 12rpm. LOL 12rpm would take a year and a half to get across my marina to fill up :-)

[Dave Baynham]

I actually don't mind the sound of the Barrus Shire 45. It can be a little noisey, but to be honest I dont tend to go much above 12rpm so its not that loud.

I think I would like an electric propulsion, only so it would be silent and that would mean seeing more wildlife.

[Halfie]

Sarah of NB Warrior blogs about "a different kind of quiet" here: http://nbwarrior.blogspot.com/2009/01/different-kind-of-quiet.html

[Simon]

Interesting - the one thing I don't like about my own Chelonidae (the name I nearly chose for my blog) is standing over a BMC engine with only 18mm of ply between us to limit the noise, so I'm always interested in any form of electric propulsion.