Graeme Hawksley: inventiveness and realism combined

It’s definitely a double edged sword; the same ability to follow up ideas got him an MSc and a senior position with a Texas microelectronics company, but it also prompted him to quit in 1997 in order to go sailing, a ‘subtext’ he’d been nurturing for awhile. “The final straw was when they offered me a promotion, he said. “I gave up the job, sold the house, got into the boat I’d learned to sail in, and off I went to New Zealand.”

He spent over four years ‘living the dream’ on the boat, but “babies meant coming back to responsible parenthood in the UK”. Once settled on the Isle of Wight the seeds from a chance conversation about tying together the two disparate elements of boats and electronics finally sprouted, warmed by a bit of pressure from financial necessity, and Hybrid Marine was born.

Costing was a tricky issue as the market “is pretty conservative” he says. “I knew any hybrid had to sell for a realistic price, the same or less as a small generator making it a ‘break-even’ for the customer.” However, the idea started to gain traction, and a number of joint ventures with Beta Marine resulted in almost wildly diverse projects including tourist launches, waterway live-aboards, seagoing catamarans and even a floating cinema.

Despite this, attention isn’t always an unmitigated blessing. “Sometimes you have to survive the interest, says Mr Hawksley, “and it’s important to be honest about what a hybrid can and can’t do.”

He is talking about the explosion of hybrid design activity just a few years ago that was followed by a predictable lull. “When new technology comes along it tends to draw huge expectations. Then there’s a crash when the realisation dawns that it won’t change the world. If you survive this phase, the market bounces back up to a realistic level. That’s where we are now.”

He admits there are pressures, but the work has its satisfactions. “Every single build is important, especially the early ones, as you are working with people who are willing to take on something different. After all, hybrids are not simply an ‘add-on’, as they need to be designed in from the start. You learn along the way and there are inevitably teething problems, but you have an ongoing relationship and these people become your ambassadors.”

Building up the company over the last ten years has been a slow process, but right now it seems to be picking up speed, with Hybrid Marine gaining both an international reputation and, just as importantly for Mr Hawksley, its first apprentice.

“A whole generation of us grew up and learned our trade through apprenticeships, it underpinned British engineering. It’s something I am still passionate about, so being able to take my place in continuing the tradition is something I am proud of.”