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Are there efforts to design and manufacture
environmentally friendly boats to replace gas-guzzlers?
The United States has been regulating fuel economy
and emissions in cars and trucks for decades but got a late start
addressing similar issues with boats. In 1996, though, recognizing a
growing problem of boat engine pollution, the Environmental Protection
Agency issued new rules to “bring forth a new generation of marine
engines featuring cleaner technology and providing better engine
performance to boat owners.”
Even small quantities of fuel and exhaust discharged
by boats can disrupt the balance of nutrients, oxygen, and clean water in
both freshwater and marine ecosystems. Indeed, the cumulative effect of
millions of inefficient motorboats plying our waterways has been
devastating to marine life and our water supplies. Under the new EPA
regulations, which will be phased in over the next 30 years, new marine
engines will burn gas much more efficiently and generate much less
pollution than most models out on the water today. According to the EPA, traditional two-stroke boat
engines waste significant amounts of gasoline and oil, spilling as much as
30 percent of their fuel into the water and air either
unburned or partially unburned. In the water, unburned hydrocarbons
increase concentrations of benzene, methyl tertiary-butyl ether, or MBTE,
and other toxic substances that pollute water ecosystems. In the air, they
help form smog, which causes a host of health problems and disrupts
visibility everywhere from our cities to our national parks. Those looking to buy a boat today should choose one
with a four-stroke or direct-fuel-injection two-stroke engine. These
pollute about 75 percent less than their traditional two-stroke
predecessors and use as much as 50 percent less gas and oil. They cost more
than traditional two-stroke engines, but owners soon make up the difference
in fuel and oil savings. They are also easier to start and maintain and are
quieter. New generations of electric boat motors are also
coming online and promise to significantly cut pollution if adopted widely.
Wooden, sport, and leisure boats are now all available with electric
engines that are quite comparable to traditional engines in performance and
looks. They are also nonpolluting and quiet and can cruise where gas motors
are not permitted. Some leading makers include Beckman, Budsin, Cobalt
Marine, Electric Launch, Duffy, ElectraCraft, Griffin Leisure, Pender
Harbour, and Spincraft. The only catch is that the energy that powers the
batteries for electric boats most likely comes from a coal-burning power
plant that spews mercury, carbon dioxide, and other pollutants into the
skies and waterways. A handful of manufacturers — such as
Australia’s Solar Sailor and Canada’s Tamarack Lake — now
make solar-powered or solar-assisted electric boats to help overcome this
environmental hurdle.
Of course, the ultimate energy source for any
recreational activity is elbow grease. But for those who need more than a
canoe or kayak to get around, Nauticraft hybrid boats employ human pedal
power to augment a small electric motor. And the Italian-made Shuttle Bike
puts a new spin on the pedal boat: Owners affix two inflatable pontoons to
their mountain bikes and can then pedal around their local lake or harbor.
For more information:
EPA: Shipshape Shores and Waters: A Handbook for Marina Operators and
Recreational Boaters, www.epa.gov/owow/nps/marinashdbk2003.pdf
Send questions to Earth Talk, care of E/The Environmental Magazine,
P.O. Box 5098, Westport, CT 06881 or e-mail earthtalk@emagazine.com.
This article appears in Mar 8-14, 2007.
