Six solutions for boat owners wishing to make the switch to greener options

 

It’s an ‘electric’ line up of boats at 2021 Green Tech Boat Show. Brand new for 2021, The Green Tech Boat Show will take place on 19 to 20 June at Queen Anne’s Battery, Plymouth. The event presents sustainable yachting solutions in a practical way, showcased next to other green technologies. This will allow consumers to understand what the total offering could be, and how they can help the environment by investing in green technology today.

The show is specifically designed for boat owners wishing to make the switch to greener options, and prospective owners who’d like to start their boating journey in the most environmentally friendly way possible. Visitors can also enjoy live music, trips around the harbour in an electrically powered ferry, and delicious food and beverage on-site.

Catamaran builder Broadblue, which launched its first electric drive model in 2009, is displaying its new Broadblue 346 ECO, featuring the Fischer Panda drive system and the latest in battery and charging solutions from Victron.

Fischer Panda UK Ltd’s electric drive system and generators are currently powering the Mayflower Autonomous Ship (MAS) on its historic maiden voyage across the Atlantic. On course to arrive in the US in early July after setting sail on 15th June, the world’s first fully automated vessel is equipped with a Fischer Panda hybrid-electric propulsion system. The company are also exhibiting at this weekend’s Green Tech Boat Show at Queen Anne’s Battery, Plymouth.

Pixii, which says it aims to become the world’s first 100% carbon neutral marine company, is showcasing its 100% electric, zero emissions SP800. With a fully recyclable aluminium hull and state-of-the-art waterjet drives, it’s said, to offer near silent propulsion.

“It’s our first release and the first of its kind. Although there are now a few electric boats on the market, none share our vision of using recyclable materials and having a focus on the whole lifecycle of the boat.” – Charles Hall, Founder of Pixii Ltd.

Next up is the Pulse 63 from RS Electric Boats, which the company says is the world’s first RIB with fully integrated electric drive. This eco-friendly, zero emissions 100% electric RIB is made using sustainable materials.

“So far, the feedback from anyone that’s got onboard the Pulse is they love it,” says Jon Partridge from RS Electric Boats. “It offers a dry and stable ride and is a completely different feeling to your traditional RIB. You transition between displacement and planing mode in a very different way, where it just glides between the two. The fact that you have zero noise has a big impact as well, it’s so quiet.”

Joining these sustainable boating brands is Plymouth Boat Trips’ recently launched e-Voyager, a green ferry designed and developed to create a cleaner and more sustainable future for the marine industry.

Highlighting how boat owners can switch to cleaner, greener options on a boat they already own, no matter what the age, are the 1984 Contessa 34, Nazca, and 1980s Oyster 35 Muhuhu, both converted from diesel power to electric by North Devon Marine.

“Nazca uses only the renewable resources available to her with an auxiliary electric motor, sailing diesel free to combat negative impact and test emerging technologies,” says George Symes-Davidson from North Devon Marine. “She is demonstrating a new era of marine power and is equipped for self-sufficiency offshore.

“Muhuhu was converted from diesel to electric propulsion over winter 2020, and is now an ideal platform for data collection, wildlife observation and exploration.”

Bounty’s End, a replica of the 23ft wooden boat used by Captain Bligh following the mutiny on the Bounty, swells this eclectic line up. Professional yachtsman, Conrad Humphreys, launched the Bounty Project in 2017 after recreating Bligh’s incredible 4000-mile voyage of survival with 18 of his crew members. The voyage was part of a five-part series produced for Channel 4.

In 2018, Bounty’s End was fitted with an 8kw Lynch regenerative electric motor that recharges under sail, making it the first commercially coded electric passenger boat in Plymouth, with no noise and no pollution.

The ePropulsion stand at 2021 Green Tech Boat Show is an opportunity to discover the latest electric outboards and POD Drive inboard propulsion options, complete with a demonstration Spirit 1.0 Plus outboard in a water tank, charged with an Efoy Fuel Cell.