Category: Projects

New project: KB Woodcraft SUP Boards

In this project we support and advise Heiko and Micha from the startup Kremer & Baez Woodcraft. In Piraeus, Greece, the two guys develop and handcraft balancing boards and stand up paddle boards from natural materials.

After a successful crowdfunding campaign, it is time to prepare the production of their new SUP boards for the upcoming season. The new designs have to be optimized in terms of their construction, weight and a time management to ensure efficient small batch production. This also includes aspects of hydrodynamics and stability to ensure an ideal handling of the boards on water.

Project completed: AquaSpeeder

This project is about the development and construction of a prototype for a small watercraft with an electric drive for water hikes on inland waters, which, due to its low power, can also be used without a boat license.

On Saturday, October 2, 2021, we officially presented the functional prototype under the brand name AquaSpeeder to an enthusiastic audience and press representatives at the Wolfssee in Duisburg. More than fifty visitors took a test spin on the AquaSpeeder and came back beaming.

This model's special feature is that it looks like a jet ski and feels like a jet ski, but it has no jet propulsion. The AquaSpeeder runs on a propeller drive, which classifies it as a boat.

We will continue to follow the AquaSpeeder. The next steps are twofold: firstly, we will support the investor in marketing and branding development, and secondly, we will prepare for production. In this phase, the prototype will be further optimized; for example, the use of natural fibers and natural resins will be considered.

For those interested, a press release as well as a data sheet that includes all information about the size, speed, charging time, etc., are available for download.

Project completed: Treasureship

On behalf of the DST (Development Center for Ship Technology and Transport Systems e. V.) in Duisburg, we built a model of one of the treasure ships of the famous Chinese admiral Zheng He. According to Chinese sources, the treasure ships were between 120 and 125 meters long and 50 meters wide, which would make them the largest wooden ships ever built. The seaworthiness of such a ship has always been questioned by researchers.

Based on Sarah Ward’s 2006 dissertation titled “Chinese Whispers: Zheng He’s Treasure Ships in the context of Chinese Maritime Policy in the Ming Dynasty (1364-1644)” we built a model to investigate the seaworthiness of the ship.

It was built to a scale of 1:70.It was built to a scale of 1:70.

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