استمتع بـUnlimited مع Magzter GOLD

استمتع بـUnlimited مع Magzter GOLD

احصل على وصول غير محدود إلى أكثر من 9000 مجلة وصحيفة وقصة مميزة مقابل

$149.99
 
$74.99/سنة

يحاول ذهب - حر

Fit for the future

September 2025

|

Practical Boat Owner

Annie Means talks to the founders of BlueTree about their innovative approach to boatbuilding design and construction

Fit for the future

The term maritime innovation usually brings to mind bustling ports, sprawling factories, and urban coastal cities, rarely a quaint seaside town. Yet, nestled among the rolling cliffs of Lyme Regis, a small startup is quietly challenging 'business as usual' in the leisure marine industry, putting sustainability at the company's heart.

"What we're trying to do is not only push sustainability, but also push what's possible," says Otto Marples of BlueTree Boatbuilders.

Marples and his co-founder, Obioma Oji, met at the Lyme Regis Boat Building Academy during their boatbuilding course. They came from different backgrounds - Otto, rooted in marketing and operations, Obi, in design and academia. On paper, the two might have seemed an unlikely team. But they quickly became friends and launched their eco-conscious marine startup.

Now, three years in, Marples and Oji have unveiled Stria 5: their company's first boat, built with a deliberately progressive approach to construction and stewardship.

The Stria is a 5m vessel made from Vendia marine plywood, oak, and Douglas fir. It's powered by two high-performance 3,500Wh lithium batteries and a Torqeedo Cruise 3.0 pod drive - underscoring BlueTree's steadfast avoidance of non-biodegradable glass-reinforced plastic (GRP) and fuel-guzzling outboards.

Oji and Marples describe their business as a progressive boatbuilding company, rather than pioneering; for example, resin is still used, but it's Entropy, a bio-based epoxy resin that utilises plant-based ingredients not petroleum-derived ones.

المزيد من القصص من Practical Boat Owner

Practical Boat Owner

Practical Boat Owner

Keep your boat dry this winter

Ashore or afloat, winter cold and damp can have a detrimental effect. Jake Kavanagh looks at options for keeping condensation and moisture at bay

time to read

9 mins

November 2025

Practical Boat Owner

Practical Boat Owner

First time above the Arctic Circle

JoJo Pickering is wowed by mountains, deep anchorages, fjords and endless daylight while sailing a 48ft yacht on Norway's west coast

time to read

7 mins

November 2025

Practical Boat Owner

Practical Boat Owner

Legendary boats

Saša Fegić shares his pick of the boats that shaped sailing history and transformed the sport

time to read

13 mins

November 2025

Practical Boat Owner

Practical Boat Owner

Diesel engine fluids

The key to a smooth-running diesel engine is making sure you look the fluids, as John Panye explains

time to read

10 mins

November 2025

Practical Boat Owner

Practical Boat Owner

Dismasted off the Lizard

Richard Ayres makes his first Mayday call when his yacht is dismasted and prop fouled close to the Manacle rocks

time to read

6 mins

November 2025

Practical Boat Owner

Practical Boat Owner

Safer boarding quidance for small craft

Skippers and crew of small boats are being advised to consider boarding aids such as additional ladders, handholds, and alternative means of access, such as a tender.

time to read

1 min

November 2025

Practical Boat Owner

Practical Boat Owner

The new old navigation

You can do it with your eyes shut

time to read

3 mins

November 2025

Practical Boat Owner

Practical Boat Owner

Ex-lifeboatman's nine year solo voyage

A former Plymouth lifeboat volunteer has returned from his 30,000-mile circumnavigation on his 36ft yacht, nine years after setting off.

time to read

1 min

November 2025

Practical Boat Owner

Practical Boat Owner

Island of dreams

Modern intrusions vie with the trill of oystercatchers close to Dave's dream home

time to read

3 mins

November 2025

Practical Boat Owner

Practical Boat Owner

Ella's Arctic record attempt on pause

Ella Hibbert, who is the first British woman to sail the Northwest Passage single-handed, has halted her solo sail around the Arctic due to safety concerns ahead of attempting the Northeast Passage behind schedule, but vowed to continue again next summer.

time to read

1 min

November 2025

Listen

Translate

Share

-
+

Change font size