Sustainable boat project: 55-foot catamaran made from recycled aluminium

The research and planning have been going on for years, but now things are getting concrete. The design has been finalised, the detailed construction plans are currently being drawn up and contracts are being drawn up with shipyards. Once completed, the visionary wants to live on his dream ship, sail, go on expeditions and make films.

It will be built from recyclable materials, most of which have already been recycled. The hull material used is aluminium, which was specially developed for this project and consists of 90 percent aluminium scrap. Below deck, aluminium, natural fibres and wood will be used. Even a vertical garden is planned.

The 55-foot cat is also designed to be energy self-sufficient. To achieve this, almost the entire deck is fitted with solar panels. Electric motors are installed in the hull for propulsion in calm conditions and in the harbour. Cooking is also done electrically.

Despite many alternative approaches, Roesner does not want to do without comfort entirely. A freezer is planned, as is a washing machine - but the water sports enthusiast is considering a special model that can be operated using muscle power.

Inspiration from the house building and automotive sectors

Roesner's dream of future-oriented boat building began with his passion for surfing. Almost ten years ago, he began experimenting with sustainable materials, making surfboards from them and eventually completed a mould making apprenticeship. Even back then, his question was: How alternative can you really build? His boards convinced him on the water and the plan to build a large sailing catamaran was finalised.

In the time that followed, he repeatedly gathered inspiration and ideas at trade fairs, including in the areas of house building and automotive. He also sought dialogue with companies and manufacturers. Other boat projects with sustainability aspirations also served as a source of inspiration. For example, the "Energy Observer", the catamaran on which new propulsion and energy generation technologies are being trialled. "It's not like I'm trying to reinvent the wheel," explains the 39-year-old, who has already refitted an old 55-tonne houseboat and lived on it. "I'm just taking lots of puzzle pieces that already exist and putting them together." And he is determined to do so.

Further topics in the sustainability special:

• 25 tips to help you sail more environmentally friendly
• These projects are available for marine conservation
• Sailing yacht vs. motorboat: which model is more sustainable?
• Boatbuilding ecolution: These shipyards are working on sustainable concepts
• Shipyard portrait Greenboats: Boats made of flax and components for Boris Herrmann
• Sustainable fashion: oilskins and other functional clothing - the best products
• Boat recycling: the never-ending story of GRP
• Sail recycling: not just stylish bags - what happens to old cloth
• "Losing is not an option" - Boris Herrmann on sustainability in motorsport
• Sustainable management: Wooden boats in charter operations
• Equipment: Every sailor should reach for these green alternatives
• Drinking water on board: you can filter water correctly using these methods
• Baltic Sea: How does a harbour become sustainable?
• Research yachts: Climate protectors under sail
• Pallets, bottles, flip-flops: creative recycling ideas in boatbuilding
• Monsoon 31: Greenfit instead of refit, what does that mean for the 50-year-old Hallberg-Rassy?
• "Nomade des Mers": a catamaran as a low-tech laboratory
• Self-build yacht "Ya": Totally self-sufficient on a trip around the world
• The Schwörer family and the "Pachamama": on a long voyage for climate protection
• Nike Steiger on her recycling project