Marine industry faces major retooling
In a quest to clean up the air, government regulators in Europe and the United States are working on ways to reduce or eliminate certain types of hazardous air pollutants, most notably styrene, from the manufacture of fiberglass boats.
By James Denn
The enormous task will have a direct impact on every fiberglass boat manufacturer. Styrene, and a host of other volatile organic compounds (VOCs), are a major byproduct of the manufacturing process. To eliminate such compounds means a major revamping of the way boats are made.
Currently, 98 percent of all fiberglass boats are made in an open mold, a manufacturing process that has drawn the most criticism from environmental regulators.
In the very near future, boat manufacturers must decide whether to abandon open molding for another type of manufacturing process, such as closed molding, or hope manufacturers will be able to find a way to make a resin and gel coat without VOCs.
But no matter what option boatbuilders choose, it will require an investment of time and money-lots of it. It also will mean some boatbuilders will not be able to afford being in business.
The new air quality emission standards being debated could lead to the creation of a whole new niche within the recreational marine business-the "super hull center". That alone could mean a complete restructuring of the marine business as it has been known.
WORLDWIDE