Interview with Matt. Greenline 40

"When it’s under electric power, it’s just amazing". Interview with Matt, owner of Greenline 40

Join us for an intimate conversation with Matt Edgar, owner of the Greenline 40 Hybrid. Matt shared with us the pros and cons of owning a hybrid yacht, the impressive electric range he’s achieved, and why the Greenline gets a lot of attention at every marina he visits:)

“When I found out about Greenline, it changed my mind about getting a powerboat instead of a sailboat.”

Matt, Greenline, 40

How long have you had this boat, and have you had any other vessels before?

I’ve had this boat since August 2022, so not quite a year. Before this, I had mostly sailboats and actually grew up on the water. Starting at about age 10, I was on sailboats, so between my father and myself, we’ve been involved with about five or six different boats over time.

Why hybrid?

I am a sailboat person. I like the idea of the extra room in a powerboat, but I refused to buy a boat that ran solely on diesel. I didn’t want a gas guzzler that burned a lot of fuel, which I didn’t think was good for the environment or cost-wise.

When I found out about Greenline, it changed my mind about getting a powerboat instead of a sailboat.

So, this would have been the only powerboat I would have bought. I was looking for about a 50-foot sailboat and then I saw this with my wife, and we decided to give this a shot.

How's your experience? What are the pros and cons of having the hybrid?

The experience so far has been really good. I’ve really enjoyed it. The advantages of being quiet on the water, running under electric power, are very much like a sailing experience. So, you just don’t have the constant sound of a motor, which really enhances the experience.

I’m used to going 7 knots on a sailboat, so I don’t mind going at that speed. It helps me enjoy the scenery more rather than going fast, making it a more pleasant experience going slower.

When it’s under electric power, it’s just amazing. It’s very unusual and provides a nice experience on the water.

There are really no cons with it because you have the motors as well, so you can always turn on the diesels and go as fast as you want.

I don’t really think there’s a con to it. It’s an expensive boat compared to other non-hybrid boats in the same class. So, you just have to wrap your head around the expense. Also, there is a lot of technology on the boat, including a lot of computer systems. Understanding how all that works is important. There are many readouts, numbers, and extra things that you wouldn’t find on a normal powerboat. But if you get to know that, I don’t think it’s a problem. The thing for me down the road will be how reliable all those systems are. If they’re not reliable, it’s more stuff to break down and maintain. So, hopefully, they’re reliable. If they are, it’ll be a great experience.

Hybrid or electric?

I think hybrid is the best. I own hybrid cars. I’m not interested in an all-electric one because I don’t want range anxiety.

What do you think about lithium batteries? We recently spoke with Chris, owner of a GL 40, and he said he would buy 2 more.

Well, I have 4, the maximum number for this boat. They’re expensive, about $40,000 each. The boat comes with two, and I added two more. I would recommend that anyone going for the hybrid option maximizes the number of lithium batteries. I track all my data on every one of my trips and I kind of know what all my ranges are. If you go faster in a diesel boat, you burn way more fuel. In this boat the same, if I go at 50 amps, it’ll go for 8 hours. But if I go at 300 amps, it’ll only go for an hour and a half. So, it’ll burn through the electricity much faster. I’ve only had it since August and I’m still figuring out the best throttle RPM to give me a combination of distance and speed. So again, why I’d recommend people Max out on the batteries. Just make it the best you can and enjoy your experience.

And I believe I mentioned earlier that these boats attract an enormous amount of attention. I was surprised by this.

Whenever we visit places like Roche Harbor or Lopez, I encounter around 10 different groups of people who are curious about the boat. They want to know all about the boat, understand its design and why it was created that way. Initially drawn in by the design, they become intrigued by the hybrid part and end up spending around 45 minutes asking a multitude of questions. And I even said Caroline that I wanted to write a little letter and stick on the side of the boat. Joking, but that’s true. It’s eye-catching.

And do you know what is the most popular question? What’s the range? How far will that go?

Have you already tried sailing without a diesel engine?

Yes, one of the proudest things I did last year was to test how far I could go from my Marina. I went from Oak Bay Marina to Lopez Resort, then charged up overnight and went from Lopez to Friday. I went from Friday to Orcas and charged up and went from Orcas to Roche. Then I went from Roche Harbor back to Oak Bay without starting the engines even once. That was a big deal.

That sounds amazing!

Yeah, that was a test for me. It was a goal to go to all my favorite destinations that I’ve gone to ever since I was a kid. I’m going to spend 6-7 nights out on the water with my wife and not one time am I going to start the motors. So, like leaving the dock, docking, mooring, transiting, everything. Not one time that I started up the motors. So that’s something pretty cool, yeah.

Was there any problem finding a spot to charge your boat?

No, because all the marinas we go to have 30 amp and 50 amp power. It goes from pretty low, around 20%, to 100%. I think it takes around 10 to 12 hours to fully charged, so easily overnight at 100% and ready to go. I plan on doing a lot of that, seeing how far I can go, and that’s why the range is so important to me.

How does look like your perfect day on the water? And what's your favorite destination?

My favorite destinations are the San Juan Islands. That’s where we spend 75-80% of our time. So, we always go to Roche Harbor, Lopez Resort, and Orcas Island. In fact, we call that our loop. Often, we’ll do a long weekend or a week and stop at each of those destinations. And then a perfect day on the water would probably be traveling between destinations in the San Juan Islands in some of the quieter channels with just the electric motor going at 6-7 knots. With all the windows open, all you hear is the water rushing by the hull. It’s just amazing. That would be a perfect day.

Interested in a Greenline Hybrid 40?

To find out more about Greenline 40, book a call with our team or schedule a viewing, follow the link below.