Part 1: Damisela’s Concept, Construction, and Cruise to Puerto Rico

March 17, 2021

The Tropical Seaweed Farm Project Team needed an efficient and economic vessel that could be used to install and seed seaweed farms, while also serving as a platform for additional research activities like SCUBA diving and testing mechanized harvesting. The vessel also needed to be shippable.

We selected an aluminum catamaran configuration to achieve these goals. This design provided the needed anchor-handling capacity along with unique line handling capabilities. The handling anchors can occur between the two pontoons, directly under the gantry frame with a 5,000-pound-capacity electric winch. Removable deck panels fit in the four-foot gap between the pontoons, providing flexibility for different tasks. For example, the deck panels can be removed during seeding and harvesting so that the growlines can be pulled up between the hulls.

Bill Lincoln of Response Marine in Newburyport, MA turned the concept drawings into construction drawings and plate cut files. The pre-cut aluminum parts were delivered to Wilson Welding in Salisbury, MA where Dan “Brother” Wilson did the assembly and welding. According to Cliff Goudey, who led the boat’s development: “The 19’ 6” boat seems to fill the needs quite well. It’s pretty zippy with just a couple people aboard, but slower when weighed down. The widely spaced outboards give good maneuverability”.

This spring we moved the Damisela from its temporary home in Woods Hole, MA to La Parguera, Puerto Rico. A team from WHOI and C.A. Goudey & Associates disassembled the vessel and loaded the two pontoons along with its one-piece gantry into a 20-foot shipping container which was transported to Puerto Rico on a cargo ship. Once the container was delivered to La Parguera, a team from C.A. Goudey & Associates and CARICOOS assembled the vessel and floated it to the University of Puerto Rico lab on Magueyes Island. Once at the island, the team outfitted and installed the two 25 hp outboard motors.

Dr. Loretta Roberson, Lead PI on the Tropical Seaweed Farm Project, believes that Damisela’s design will greatly facilitate seaweed farming research. She explains, “Damisela is a nice size for coastal and estuarine projects. The aluminum construction will allow for durability and easy modifications if needed.” Given the Damisela’s key advantages of efficiency, good stability, and the ability to work on lines between the hulls, we may soon see integrated farming companies, cooperatives, or ‘equipment-as-a-service’ business models calling on vessels like Damisela to service commercial-sized farms in offshore locations.

We intend to provide more details regarding the vessel’s naming and operation in the field – so check back soon! In the meantime, please enjoy this video of the Damisela’s maiden voyage near La Parguera, Puerto Rico. Photos and video: Domenic Manganelli