South Coast & Green Tech Boat Show 2023 confirms Innovation Hub lineup

The Innovation Hub is returning to this year’s South Coast & Green Tech Boat Show (21-23 April 2023), at MDL’s Ocean Village Marina.

Show organiser MDL Marinas has confirmed further details about the lineup of speakers and events to expect at the Innovation Hub, which aims to introduce show visitors to eco-friendly products with boating experts and marine entrepreneurs on hand to simplify the complexities of green technologies.

Kicking off the schedule of talks and demonstrations is Dr Stephen Weatherley from Archipelago Yachts. He’ll be discussing the future of marine fuels, focusing on methanol and its conversion to hydrogen via reforming technology to help decarbonise the marine industry.

Wilf Chaplin, from sailmaker One Sails, will be discussing sustainable sails and how, with appropriate planning, maintenance and use, you can minimise the cost and environmental impact of your sail wardrobe over the life of your boat ownership.

Visitors to the show can also hear from celebrated yacht designer Nigel Irens. Having spent his life designing high-performance racing yachts, including Ellen MacArthur’s trimaran, Nigel has turned his attention to building the low emissions eight-metre CLARA Boat which he will introduce at the show.

Committed to building eco-friendly watercraft that are as sustainable as possible, Charlie Hall from Pixii Electric Boats will take to the Innovation Hub stage to highlight the company’s first boat, the SP800. Built using recycled materials, the firm says it has been designed to deliver a unique on-water experience, while minimising its impact on the environment.

Following three years of development, Optima Projects will be launching a prototype of its ten-metre ultra-efficient electric cruising boat, designed for use over an extended range. Founder, David Kendall, says: “I’m delighted to be able to present our new prototype at the South Coast & Green Tech Boat Show. The show, and specifically the Innovation Hub, offers us the unique opportunity to reach people who are actively seeking greener options, as well as capture a wider boating audience who may not yet be aware of the alternatives available to them.”

Kendall will also present details of future projects, including larger leisure boats and a fleet of electric water taxis to cover the whole of the Solent region.

For those wanting to make their boating activities as sustainable as possible, The Green Blue’s Kate Fortnam will be asking people to join her for two interesting and informative talks.

Delivered as part of the Life Recreation Project and led by Natural England, ‘Protecting our Marine Habitats: Anchoring & Mooring with Care’ will focus on the Solent Maritime site and the seagrass meadow that exists there. Boaters can find out how to protect this fragile ecosystem through the use of eco-friendly anchoring methods and the installation of Advanced Mooring Systems.

‘The Green Blue Boating Pledge – Respecting, Protecting and Enjoying our Waters’ will introduce the Boating Pledge to visitors and share some of the environmental best practices any boat owner can adopt to protect our waters.

CEO of RS Electric Boats, Jon Partridge, will be presenting RS Electric Boats’ future plans before opening the floor to a Q&A on what people are looking for in an electric-powered vessel.

The full lineup of speakers and the daily timetable is available online.

Meanwhile, Partridge and Fortnam will also form part of the team of experts for the new Future of Boating panel discussion, taking place in the Innovation Hub at 12.00pm on Friday 21 April. Joining Jon and Kate will be Tim Mayer from MDL Marinas and Jamie Marley from Marine Electrification Solutions.

“Marine decarbonisation has begun, but in order for it to meet net-zero targets we must collaborate, and share experiences and knowledge,” says Marley. “In this way, we’ll future-proof the marine industry to ride out the ultimate storm, climate change. I’m delighted to be taking part in this panel discussion which brings together a variety of industry experts, who have the environment and the marine industry at their hearts.”

The winner of the second Green Innovator Award will be announced on Saturday 22 April at 12.35pm in the Innovation Hub. Nominations are still open for the award, which aims to distinguish products and services that are pioneering in sustainability, innovation and design.

Tickets to the South Coast & Green Tech Boat Show are free and can be booked via the MDL Marinas website. Appointments to view specific boats or meet with individual exhibitors can also be arranged via a booking portal on the website.

Exhibitor space at the show is now limited. Companies interested in exhibiting at the South Coast & Green Tech Boat Show in April should email Tim Mayer.