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Do you have an Eco-hull?

Coelum Ruat

By Coelum Ruat
in General Boating

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Coelum Ruat Contributor

Coelum Ruat

Posted
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Do you have a boat with an eco-hull?

 

A number were made at Alvechurch some years ago, with a slightly bulbous bow. I am trying to find an owner who would be kind enough to let me have a look and take a few measurements, purely for research purposes.

 

If you do own such a boat, or know someone who does, I would be very grateful for any information you can give me.

Or if you have any opinions on eco-hulls, those would also help.

 

Paul

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RLWP Veteran II

RLWP

Posted
Posted

Well, Alvechurch built a few, then stopped, and the ones they did build are now being sold off. Based on that, I would say it wasn't worth it. Hire boats probably cover the most mileage of all canal craft. If it wasn't making a significant difference to Alvechurch, it probably isn't going to make a difference to a private boater

 

There has been a thread about them before: http://www.canalworld.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=46953

 

ecohull.jpg

 

Richard

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RLWP Veteran II

RLWP

Posted
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How much of that "oxygen bottle" is for hydrodynamics and not to house advanced sensing technology?

 

All of the first, none of the second. It's a pretty standard hull shape for a modern ocean going vessel running in deep water

 

Richard

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mango Experienced

mango

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I posted this recently when the topic cropped up.

 

Some of the Alvechurch hire fleet were built with an eco-hull, on the basis of research at the University of Glasgow. Though it did decrease wash, users just went faster. From an IWAC report that can be found on the IWA website.

Alvechurch Boat Centre Eco-Hulls Case Study

Around ten years ago, the Alvechurch Boat Centre, one of the leading English Hire Boat operators, undertook some research in conjunction with British Waterways and the University of Glasgow to investigate the development of an eco-hull design for the replacement of their hire boat fleet.

Following this research, some 14 craft were constructed and entered into service. The costs in fabricating the hulls, which included the provision of a bulbous underwater bow and changes to the stern to allow the propeller to get a more efficient “ grip” of the water, resulted in an additional average cost of £1,000 per boat.

Research carried out on these craft demonstrated that the eco-hull design resulted in a 15 -30% reduction in bow wave, a 5-10% reduction in the stern wave and up to 40% less pressure disturbance on the canal bed - thereby also diminishing the environmental impacts on plant, fish and animal life within the canal waters.

Given the above results, it was anticipated that there would be an annual saving in fuel costs which would, in turn, justify the extra investment over the operating life of the hull. However, the craft were in fact driven faster - so the breaking wash was the same as before, and fuel consumption increased accordingly.

As a consequence when the craft were due to be replaced again, tradition hulls were fabricated. Eco hulls are still available and are constructed by the Alvechurch Boat Builders but only as one-off orders.

Source: Alvechurch Boat Company (personal communication, 2009)

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Keeping Up Veteran II

Keeping UpDonate to Canal World

Posted
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I have my doubts whether it did in fact reduce wash on shallow canals, as my post in the previous thread that on the Llangollen we caught up with one who waved us past saying that he'd been letting people by all day because they could go faster than him without creating a wash.

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Kendal Community Regular

Kendal

Posted
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very odd. What benefit does this shape bring?

 

MtB

I have wondered that for a while too. From Wickipedia (so it must be true wink.png ):

A bulbous bow is a protruding bulb at the bow (or front) of a ship just below the waterline. The bulb modifies the way the water flows around the hull, reducing drag and thus increasing speed, range, fuel efficiency, and stability. Large ships with bulbous bows generally have a twelve to fifteen percent better fuel efficiency than similar vessels without them.[1] A bulbous bow also increases the buoyancy of the forward part and hence reduces the pitching of the ship to a small degree.

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RLWP Veteran II

RLWP

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I have wondered that for a while too. From Wickipedia (so it must be true wink.png ):

A bulbous bow is a protruding bulb at the bow (or front) of a ship just below the waterline. The bulb modifies the way the water flows around the hull, reducing drag and thus increasing speed, range, fuel efficiency, and stability. Large ships with bulbous bows generally have a twelve to fifteen percent better fuel efficiency than similar vessels without them.[1] A bulbous bow also increases the buoyancy of the forward part and hence reduces the pitching of the ship to a small degree.

 

I nearly linked to that, then wondered if Mike was asking about the Eco-Hull

 

Richard

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RLWP Veteran II

RLWP

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I am a lecturer in a university engineering department, with a final year student hoping to do a project on eco-hulls, some computations etc.

 

 

Paul

 

Excellent, so you have some companies they can talk to, some papers to look into so they have a set of references and quotes for a dissertation and some modelling work. Should be a nice little project

 

Richard

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The Pipe Rising Star

The Pipe

Posted
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I am a lecturer in a university engineering department, with a final year student hoping to do a project on eco-hulls, some computations etc.

 

 

Paul

I would suggest you look to Holland and the inland commercial boats loads of work done on those including channel following systems, low wash hulls, etc. All designed for shallow water performance. A big industry in Holland.
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Arthur Brown Influencer

Arthur Brown

Posted
Posted

One issue is that few canal boats actually have a speed log, the driver just has to have a feel for the bow wave they are accepting/expecting. If that bow wave happens at a faster speed then they go faster. The aim with the marine bulbous bow is that the underwater bit makes a bow wave 180degrees out of phase with the waterline bow so they fill in, then the boat can ride flat water rather than try to climb it's own bow wave all the time, when these ships do inches to the gallon then a few percent fuel saving as worth big money!

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BruceinSanity Influencer

BruceinSanityDonate to Canal World

Posted
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There is a boat with this type of hull, or something very similar, moored at Mercia Marina (pontoon G3). I have never met the owner so cannot tell you more.

We used to moor on G4, so know the boat you mean. It's Water Emerald, formerly of the BW hire fleet. It's owner told us that performance was improved on deep water, but not on canals. It was also an enthusiastic picker up of unconsidered trifles round the prop.

 

The stern is also a curiosity, being half a semitrad and half a cruiser behind the raised sides.

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