QUIET RIDE

Hinckley’s SilentJet diesel-electric-propulsion system is coming to its Picnic Boats

- PATRICK SCIACCA

Standing at the helm of Dasher, the first Hinckley Yachts Picnic Boat ever built, I got to experience the past at the same time that I was meeting, and driving, the boatbuilder’s future offerings.

You see, the 36-foot, 28-year-old Dasher is the testing platform for Hinckley’s new SilentJet technology, which was developed in partnership with Twin Disc. It’s a diesel-electric-hybrid system that is currently available on the Hinckley Picnic Boat 40 S, and it follows on the heels of the company’s first all-electric 29-footer, also known as Dasher, which launched in 2017. The lessons learned building the all-electric boat led to SilentJet for the larger vessels.

There are several key elements of SilentJet that make it an intriguing proposition: Working in concert with water jets and the Hinckley JetStick, the boat operates in some serious quietude around the dock, in the harbor and underway at speeds up to about 7 knots. The only sounds are water bubbling out of the jets and running under the hull. Additionally, an owner has speed when desired.