HDPE Canal boat

[magnetman]

It may also be worth asking whether building boats from plastics is appropriate going forwards. 

 

In theory the best materials for boat construction are steel and aluminium because they are recyclable. 

 

If the energy intensive part of the process was timed to coincide with excess production of renewable energy it could end up being quite an economical arrangement. 

 

Is HDPE recyclable? What happens at the end of life? These sorts of questions will only get more relevant.

[Tony Brooks]

3 minutes ago, mrsmelly said:

Reported

 

Why? It seems informative and has engendered discussion. If he had put a link to a selling website then I could understand, but he has simply put an invitation to ask him more questions and an ordinary email address to allow this.

4 minutes ago, magnetman said:

Is HDPE recyclable? What happens at the end of life?

 

I think it gets fed into a large shredding machine and the results are pelleted for reuse. Definitely much more recyclable than GRP, and arguably recyclable with lower energy inputs than steel/aluminium.

[David Mack]

2 hours ago, shaun15124 said:

HDPE Boats are almost maintenance free: HDPE is not a corrosive material. Oxygen, salt and water have no effect on HDPE. There is no need for anti-foiling, painting, wintering, dry docking etc. 

In a canal environment there will be frequent rubbing against the sides at locks and bridges, and some (unplanned) impacts with fixed infrastructure and other craft, as well as rubbing of the chine angle in shallow water, and contact with underwater items such as shopping trolleys and lumps of masonry.  How robust is HDPE against abrasion and impact? Would a canal craft need metal rubbing strips in the most vulnerable areas?

[mrsmelly]

14 minutes ago, Tony Brooks said:

 

Why? It seems informative and has engendered discussion. If he had put a link to a selling website then I could understand, but he has simply put an invitation to ask him more questions and an ordinary email address to allow this.

 

 

Realy!! Its an advert, the email address is simply a way of ordering a boat. One of the great things about this forum is there are no adverts, thin end of the wedge springs to mind.

[magnetman]

It is an interesting idea. 

 

Why was a wide beam chosen for this? I would have thought doing a narrow would have been better initially. 

 

A 20ft narrow boat to be powered by an outboard motor would have been easier to finish into an actual boat and would be a good proof of concept. 

[shaun15124]

thank you all for your comments

 

I appreciate everyone's feedback 

 

let me try to answer a few and apologies if I haven't made things clear 

 

this boat was made as proof that it can be done we are still working on this boat in regards to other issues and I have taken all your feedback in

as you may see there are no windows etc 

 

we are actually going to take this back to the workshop in 2 weeks to fix or tweak another issue which I will share with everyone,

 

the biggest HDPE boat that I have found is actually made in turkey which is the size of 

 

Length, overall: 16,00 m       
Length, waterline: 13,8 m       (+1A5 L2 PATROL BOAT)
Beam, moulded: 4,95 m 
Depth, moulded: 2.19 m  
Draught: 0,82 m 
Speed:  32,5 Kts

 

 

in regard to HDPE yes this is fully recyclable 

With the appropriate machine, the film can be cut down into flakes. These flakes can then be dried, melted, and repurposed for a wide variety of products. They are also put through intense levels of cleaning to ensure that they are not contaminated. This guarantees that they do retain the value to ensure that they provide the greatest benefits. The flakes form pellets can be used for a variety of purposes. They can also be combined with virgin HDPE. This ensures that the HDPE plastic provides a higher level of strength and stability. It makes it more useful when it is repurposed

 

 

 

[David Mack]

1 hour ago, Tony Brooks said:

Good point, will anything stick to it? That is a bit important for fitting out. If, as I suspect, the answer is "not very well", then what provision is made for attaching things to the hull like cabin lining, battery trays and such like.

Nothing much will stick to HDPE. So would need HDPE 'tangs' welding to the inside which can then be screwed to wooden battens to support hull and cabin linings and likewise fitments in engine spaces for supporting pipes and cables etc.

[magnetman]

The Turkish boat is designed to do 32 knots. For this you want something light and buoyant. For canals you actually want boats to be as heavy as possible. 

 

I still think the basic problem is going to be getting it down in the water. 

 

What are you thinking of using to do this? 

[David Mack]

1 hour ago, shaun15124 said:

The most exciting advantages of HDPE is ...

and very easy to repair.

Reparable by an appropriate specialist such as the OP, but in practice is repair something which could be handled by the average canal boatyard or a capable DIYer?

[shaun15124]

this is not me trying to get someone to order a boat actually, this is me try to expose the fact 

 

I work for a company that has made this but there has been some publicity on this I am trying to get more 

 

I understand that this is a completely new (desgin)  hence why I am expecting a lot of questions to it 

 

in regards to the Turkish one I was merely trying to say I researched somewhere that had built a bigger HDPE boat and i completely agree that we would need to be heavier 

 

 

 

[magnetman]

It could be a good option for a static houseboat. Lots of boats do remain moored for the vast majority of the time. Nice to not have the rusting to worry about. 

5 minutes ago, shaun15124 said:

this is not me trying to get someone to order a boat actually, this is me try to expose the fact 

 

I work for a company that has made this but there has been some publicity on this I am trying to get more 

 

I understand that this is a completely new (desgin)  hence why I am expecting a lot of questions to it 

 

in regards to the Turkish one I was merely trying to say I researched somewhere that had built a bigger HDPE boat and i completely agree that we would need to be heavier 

 

 

 

Do you know what the overall weight of the boat is? 

 

I'm thinking as a shell. Is there any interior bracing. 

 

Point is that a steel boat of the same specifications would be about 8 times heavier because steel is 7800kg/cu.metre. from your post "The density of HDPE can range from 930 to 970 kg/m³."

 

So if we knew the weight we could estimate how much extra the steel boat weighs and add that to the ballasting requirement for the plastic boat. 

 

This is going to be very light. It will bob about like a cork.

Edited January 31, 2023 by magnetman

[shaun15124]

yes certain repairs could be done by a capable diyer 

 

the best explanation I can give of extrusion welding is very similar to metal welding but instead of using gas you are using hot air

 

[MtB]

8 minutes ago, magnetman said:

I still think the basic problem is going to be getting it down in the water. 

 

 

Same here.

 

Otherwise a propeller say 16" in diameter would be a fan, not a propeller. 

 

What provision does this boat have for propulsion?

 

 

 

 

[Ray T]

41 minutes ago, shaun15124 said:

this is not me trying to get someone to order a boat actually, this is me try to expose the fact 

 

I work for a company that has made this but there has been some publicity on this I am trying to get more 

 

I understand that this is a completely new (desgin)  hence why I am expecting a lot of questions to it 

 

in regards to the Turkish one I was merely trying to say I researched somewhere that had built a bigger HDPE boat and i completely agree that we would need to be heavier 

 

 

 

 

@shaun15124 Get a stand at the forthcoming boat show at the NEC, if it is not too late?

 

BoatLife - 2023 Live Show (boatlifeevents.com)

 

Edited January 31, 2023 by Ray T

[peterboat]

Let's be honest our biggest gripe on here is rust, blacking and Painting! This would remove all those! However would a sharp underwater obstacle slice it open? I find it fascinating and little power would be needed to move it.

Maybe a small keel to keep it going straight and a pod at the rear for steering job done

[shaun15124]

i must Correct something i said The size is 

 

40ft x10ft (not 12ft)

 

this is built using 20mm for the base 15mm for the sides and 12mm for the upper sections 

[magnetman]

Why did you do a wide beam and not a narrow boat? 40x10 is actually a great size for a boat but the challenges involved in making it into a boat are magnified the larger it gets. 

[shaun15124]

 

When we initially did this the conversation we had with our designer( we had help from a boat designer  ) at the time was about making a wide beam and so we agreed 

that we would make this 

 

however, looking back we should have stuck with a narrow boat rather than the wide beam size

 

as most canals are more designed for a narrow boat rather than a wide beam I think if and when we do another one it will be more narrowboat etc size 

[rusty69]

4 hours ago, shaun15124 said:

i must Correct something i said The size is 

 

40ft x10ft (not 12ft)

 

this is built using 20mm for the base 15mm for the sides and 12mm for the upper sections 

That's what I was trying to tell you earlier. 😂

[magnetman]

It may have been metric feet.

[Phoenix_V]

Canoes nowadays seem to be made of polythene (not sure if hdpe) rather than the previously popular glass fibre and seem to stand up to the rough and tumble of going over rocks etc so maybe this is an idea that could fly. Given the current state of canals a shallower draft might have advantages.

[Momac]

Others are using the same material  for work boats 

[MtB]

3 hours ago, shaun15124 said:

 

When we initially did this the conversation we had with our designer( we had help from a boat designer  ) at the time was about making a wide beam and so we agreed 

that we would make this 

 

however, looking back we should have stuck with a narrow boat rather than the wide beam size

 

as most canals are more designed for a narrow boat rather than a wide beam I think if and when we do another one it will be more narrowboat etc size 

 

 

Would you mind outlining the propulsion system you installed please? I seem to be the only one interested!

 

Many thanks...

 

 

 

 

[Ewan123]

23 minutes ago, Phoenix_V said:

Canoes nowadays seem to be made of polythene (not sure if hdpe) rather than the previously popular glass fibre and seem to stand up to the rough and tumble of going over rocks etc so maybe this is an idea that could fly. Given the current state of canals a shallower draft might have advantages.

True, though the HDPE boat and potentially colliding steel boat will weigh many tons more, so the impact/ scratch etc. would presumably be much more significant.

Edited January 31, 2023 by Ewan123

[rusty69]

12 minutes ago, MtB said:

 

 

Would you mind outlining the propulsion system you installed please? I seem to be the only one interested!

 

Many thanks...

 

 

 

 

Quote

if anyone would like to know more please email me on 

 

shaun@formationplastics.co.uk