HYBRID HALFBOARD
How many methods of powered marine propulsion are in regular use today? Other than H a handful of oddities, the vast majority of them are either inboard (linked to a shaft, pod, jet, surface or sterndrive system) or outboard.
UK company Mathwall Marine, however, has recently patented a technology that’s neither of the above. Named the Halfboard due to its half inboard and half outboard nature, it aims to combine the versatility and ease of replacement of an outboard with the more generous engine space and neater looks of an inboard. The reason this could prove invaluable to boat builders is because of the extra space needed for complex hybrid and multi-fuel engines.
The CHAMP Project (Clean Hybrid Alternative Marine Powertrains), led by Mathwall Marine and funded by Innovate UK as part of the Government’s clean marine competition, led to the development of the Halfboard. Effectively the engine, electric motor and all its ancillaries are housed inside a watertight box that is then attached to the back of the boat in much the same way as an outboard engine.
However, rather than having a one-size-fits-all engine casing hanging off the transom, the bottom of the Halfboard’s housing is shaped to follow the hull’s existing lines so that it becomes an extension of the planing surface with its own internal buoyancy. A Mercury sterndrive leg is already bolted onto the halfboard’s own ‘transom’ to transmit power into the water.
The advantage of the Halfboard solution is that it allows room for much larger, more complex drivetrains than could ever fit inside a standard outboard engine housing. The first Halfboard prototype has
