Boat builder's daughter to research eco-boat for the future
An exciting and innovative project to develop a Broads eco-boat for the future is being initiated by the Norfolk and Suffolk Boatbuilders Association.
The NSBA have commissioned the Department of Marine Science and Technology at Newcastle University to carry out research into the design, technology and systems for an eco-friendly boat for the Broads.
The £44,000 first phase of the project, ‘Eco-Boat, Boats for a Sustainable Future,” is being financed by £15,000 from the Broads Authority’s Sustainable Development Fund, and £29,000 from the European funded LEADER+ fund.
The work is being carried out by 25 year - old Melanie Landamore, whose family is one of the major boatbuilders on the Broads. Melanie, who gained a First Class Masters degree in Small Craft Technology at the School of Marine Science and Technology at Newcastle, is the great granddaughter of the founder of E.C. Landamore & Co of Hoveton.
She is researching new opportunities in sustainable boat design adapted to the delicate ecology of the Broads. This includes looking at:
- renewable energy
- reducing carbon emissions through the use of biodiesel
- electric motors, fuel cells and solar/PV systems,
- on board waste disposal,
- water treatment,
- waste and discharge reduction,
- using biocidal agents,
- domestic systems designed to support sustainable living
- increased recycling.
Melanie recently spent seven months delivering yachts around the world, worked at the Royal Ocean Racing Club office developing a new international offshore racing rule for yachts, as a naval architect developing marine design software and hopes to take up a career in development and research within the marine business.
“This is a really exciting challenge,” she said. “It’s looking at brand new design ideas and the whole life cycle of the boat with completely new approaches. Boatbuilding on the Broads is a unique local industry and it’s a chance to progress something positive for both the Broads and the industry. The end result could end up being very useful to the industry as a whole.”
Melanie, who is a member of Norfolk Broads Yacht Club and has sailed on the Broads all her life, explained she would be having discussions with local boat builders and pooling national and international information from other industries, particularly the car industry, to see how the technology can be adapted to boating. She would then do a life cycle analysis and environmental impact assessment before assessing whether this would be acceptable and financially viable on the Broads.
“I will be talking to boat builders, Broads users and the Broads Authority to come up with a definitive set of ideas of what we think will work,” she said.
At the end of the research phase, The Norfolk and Suffolk Boatbuilders plan to set up a working group to pool the information and consider the design of a boat to meet stringent environmental constraints and to look for significant funding. It will culminate in a high-profile conference to disseminate all the information and elicit support from the industry and Government.
The next stage would be to build one or two demonstration craft and the final stage would be to lease these craft to hire companies for evaluation.
Peter Howe, the NSBA Project Manager, who is Principal of the Norfolk Broads School of Sailing at Upton, has been working on the project for over two years. He said:
“The information gathered will be used to encourage boatbuilders and operators to consider the implication of sustainable boating on their enterprises and adopt these principles to enhance profitability."
21/12/2004
