Research: Bio-boats from the Schlei

Boat builder Jan Brügge Boatbuilding and the Eberswalde University for Sustainable Development have joined forces and launched the project "Boats made from bio-based materials: development of new composite materials and production techniques to increase efficiency in bio-based boat and yacht construction" - BioBasedBoats for short. The collaboration came about through the Maritime Cluster Northern Germany (MCN), a network that supports innovation and cooperation in the maritime industry.

"Sailors are often convinced that the power of the wind is a particularly sustainable way of travelling. However, a closer look at the ecological footprint of yachts and boats reveals significant potential for improvement." According to the developers. In particular, the production and completely unresolved end-of-life management of recreational boats would have a high environmental impact. More and more water sports enthusiasts are becoming aware of this, and the desire for more sustainability in the industry is growing louder.

Boats made from renewable raw materials

In their project description, the project developers explain: "In the search for a suitable renewable raw material, one material is obvious: wood. As one of the oldest traditional building materials used in boat building, it impresses with its easy workability, low density and good mechanical properties. Compared to the production of boats made of plastic or aluminium, however, the still predominantly manual production of wooden boats is very time-consuming, material-intensive and therefore costly.

Jan Brügge has found a partner in Professor Pfriem's Chemistry and Physics of Wood working group to research innovative and time-saving construction methods for wooden boats. Although the working group at the Eberswalde University for Sustainable Development is not exactly on the water's edge, it shares the shipyard's enthusiasm for wood as a material and the goal of giving wood its special properties and thus making it even more usable for new and, above all, special applications."

First performance in autumn

The plan is to build a boat from renewable raw materials for series production. The current status is the development and testing of the material to be used. The first renderings of the type of boat to be built are to be presented in September.