Supply chains
While not strictly related to building in wood, Spirit Yachts has applied the same approach to much of the rest of its supply chains. Raw materials and parts are sourced as locally as possible, from electrical switch panels and solar panels – all made in the UK – and recycled materials, such as recycled PVC cable ducting, are used wherever possible. Waste from both the boats and the general yard, whether it’s wiring offcuts, toilet rolls or food waste, are separated, reused, donated (such as old sails and ropes to local schools for projects), or recycled. Plastic is minimised with cardboard and brown paper sheeting used for protecting boats being worked on rather than single-use plastic sheeting, and paint trays, previously single-use plastic, are now sourced in biodegradable cane sugar pulp, which are also reusable rather than single-use. The net result is a significant reduction in landfill waste – six years ago Spirit Yachts had a skip collection once a week, now it’s once every three weeks.
Of course, some of this costs more, but it isn’t always more expensive, explained Gooderham: ‘Sourcing materials locally saves on shipping and delivery costs. The parts we fit also hopefully last longer, both as a way of avoiding replacement costs and reducing the boat’s lifespan carbon footprint. For example, high-quality tinned cables are more corrosion resistant; we’ve worked hard to remove metal from seawater systems to eliminate the waste of damaged parts, and we’ve switched from zinc to aluminium anodes. Push-fit technology has eliminated leaks of antifreeze from aircon systems, and all of the engines and generators we fit are now certified and warranted to run on HVO.’
At RM Yachts, suppliers are as local to the yard as possible. ‘Strategically, our supply chain and logistics are done in a very small circle,’ explains Dohy. ‘We have our major suppliers within 80 miles of the yard, such as the plywood manufacturer, sailmaker, mast maker, upholsterer, plumbing, resins, etc. It certainly has a big impact on our boat building process.
‘Ongoing investment enables us to reduce the environmental impact of production and maintain long-term jobs and the economic activity needed in the local area. Manufacturing by-products are recovered in the form of fuel (wood-fired boilers) which provide the energy needed for the manufacturing process. This is the “zero non-recovered waste” approach.’
Swallow Yachts similarly uses waste material to create energy for the boatyard. Each workshop is heated with a sawdust burner which is fired from in-house waste, saved in a large shipping container in the summer then burned in winter. ‘This year we got to mid February before we had to buy more firewood,’ said Newland.
DEMAND
So are wooden boats the future?
It all depends on prospective buyers, says Spirit Yacht’s Gooderham.
‘To a large extent, the sustainability of boat-building is based on customer demand. We can’t upscale much more at the site we’re currently at, but if there’s demand, then other companies might see an opportunity in building in wood. We certainly feel that our approach is much more sustainable than massproduction GRP building.
‘Our customers come to us because they are looking for something that is a bit different and not built in GRP,’ Gooderham continues. ‘It helps that our boats are beautiful and have some soul to them. We are always striving to find ways to build boats that are as easy to maintain as fibreglass, so there is no additional burden to owning a wooden boat.’