With an underlying environmental motive, the construction methods and materials need consideration in a holistic approach. Aluminum, or ‘solid electricity’, even though it is a desirable material and is fully recyclable, aluminum has heavy embodied energy, in opposition the unerlying intent of a low energy prototype. Steel was considered as a
possibility, but it is very heavy both in terms of weight and embodied energy. So the choice of using lightweight strip planked timber, sheathed in fiberglass and epoxy, with patches of carbon fiber, seems to be the best method of building in materials that are renewable, with low in embodied energy, where the boat is easily duplicated in the developing economies of Asia.
Nonetheless, the hull could be built in Australia. It would be more expensive. This boat is not a likley contract for a heavy ship building industry, at under 50 tonnes. It is more likely, if built in Australia, that Trybrid would be built by a yacht builder. Whilst heavy shipyards need Australian contracts, most yacht builders are pretty flat out, and the political argument saying save Aussie shipbuilders jobs, does not apply to the sector of the boat building market where this hull would be built, if built in Australia. Another political issue is at play here. Its simple. If it is possible, for a technically advanced boat, to be built is a simple Asian yard, then it means it will be easy to reproduce, and as the boat is partly about aid work, and partly about climate change, there is another argument saying the project should be global in availability.
There are thousands of hours in hull fairing using non molded boats, and as such, the first Trybrid built suits the simplicity of epoxy glass, and Asian boat yards. If the idea we promote can be easily duplicated in unsophisticated environments, the take up of the idea will advance the idea globally.
Some foam core may well be used in areas where the timber strip planking is unsuited, but the impact resistance and cost benefit of some of the rarer, plantation grown, super light Asian timbers, makes strip planking more attractive than the expensive petrochemical foam cores.
Affordable construction in timber and epoxy glass suits the Asian boat building parameters, based simply on the vast difference between the wages in Asia and the westernized countries.
The ethics of building with cheap labour in Asia also warrants a careful eye from owner, through builder, to workers, where the project is planned to only work with builders who treat their workers as well as their clients. Nusa Dua Marine in Bali is a good example of a smiling workplace, with years of loyalty built between employers and employees, and composite builders like this set good examples of the type of yard where the first Trybrid will be built, even if the yards themselves are not sophisticated.
At 33.5m, or around 110ft, the Trybrid will be assembled on temporary frames requiring a long, straight foundation bed, and whilst Asian humidity is an issue, its management within acceptable parameters makes available about 70% of the year for suitable lay up conditions.
West System epoxy products, and or their equivalent, will be imported into Asia to insure the integrity of key bonding material.
The epoxy glass fairing creates a simple gloss finish both inside and out. Using degradable biofuels where we can, the cleanliness implication is that any bilge spillage won’t be anywhere near as black and greasy as with the fossil fuel, diesel, so with clean bilges, a lot of ventilation, and smooth gloss finishes inside and out, the boat is designed to remain clean and fresh in all corners. For Trybrid’s use in potential health work, it would be better if the boat is easily kept clean, particularly the 4 side cabins, which will be designed to be ‘hose-out’.