Kerala   

Houseboat building industry heading for a technological revolution

A. Harikumar

First state-of-the-art houseboat built in fibreglass to be launched soon

File picture of a houseboat launched in Alappuzha.

ALAPPUZHA. A technological innovation that may change the course of houseboat building industry here is all set to test waters soon. The first houseboat built in fibreglass, incorporating state-of-the-art boat building technology, would be launched shortly by an Aroor-based boat building company.

The new houseboat, which the manufacturers claim has many eco-friendly features, is being constructed under the supervision of a committee that includes representatives of the Department of Science and Technology of the Union Government and the State Tourism department. The technical in put for the project is being provided by the Indian Institutes of Technology Chennai, Mumbai and Kharagpur.

According to S. Jeevan, chairman of Samudra Shipyard Pvt. Ltd. that is building the houseboat, the joint effort by his company and various Government departments and institutions is to minimise pollution of water bodies from the wastes dumped by houseboats and to enhance their safety aspect along with increasing passenger comfort levels. The total estimated cost of the project is Rs.1.5 crores, said Mr. Jeevan.

The Department of Science and Technology is footing half of the estimated cost of the project, he said. He said the boat would have an inbuilt bio-toilet system that would treat human excreta without using chemicals. It would have an acoustic control system to minimise vibrations of the boat when the engine is working and to reduce the noise levels. In addition the boat would incorporate thermal insulation, said Mr. Jeevan.

The boat would use inboard diesel engine that would cause minimum pollution unlike the outboard engines that spill oil into the water bodies, said Mr. Jeevan.

The hull would be strong and would need little maintenance, he said. It would also have a dual air conditioning system that could work receiving power from the main engine or from an external supply line, added Mr. Jeevan.

Mr. Jeevan said the boat will have a length of 90 feet and a breadth of 15 feet. The estimated price of the boat when commercial production started would be less than Rs.40 lakhs, which is less than the price of a conventional houseboat built with wood and having all modern features, he said.

Mr. Jeevan pointed out that Anjili tree (Artocarpus hirsute), the wood of which is used for the construction of houseboats and other country boats, was becoming less available as nobody was planting the tree anywhere in the State.

The number of trees in the State was also dwindling and the price of the anjili wood had risen by more than 30 per cent in the last one year.

Mr. Jeevan said the conventional Kettuvallams that had been goods boats used to be poled by humans and when it was converted as houseboats fitting high power engines on it, a lot of problems had surfaced, which included high vibration and noise.

According to him the new boat would minimise all these problems.

Moreover, it is the first time that a houseboat was being designed scientifically and such a boat would bring in a welcome change for the industry, he said.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Stories in this Section

Sops for government staff, farmers, weaker sections
High Court verdict will go a long way in curbing hartal-related violence Caution deposit
Court verdict will go a long way in curbing hartal-related violence Discernible change
Houseboat building industry heading for a technological revolution
Mood upbeat at mahotsavam venues
Government gives its approval for setting up river authority
Outbound tourist season set to begin by mid-March
Fast-attack craft joins naval fleet
Traders seminar to discuss State's development plan
Meet to discuss power tariff issue on February 16
North Kerala neglected in Budget: Chamber
Next issue
Briefly

Copyright © 2006, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu