Our Environmental Philisophy

Tim Loftus Boatbuilding has always tried to minimise environmental impact, well before it became corporately fashionable (Tim built his first electricity generating windmill some 25 years ago).

Timber as a base material for boat construction is already a good idea from an environmental perspective. The trees from which we build our boats have locked up atmospheric carbon and will keep it that way for the lifetime of the boat. Comparatively steel and aluminium are very energy intensive to make and the resins in fibreglass boats are made from precious oil reserves.

This on its own however, is not enough and we further reduce our environmental footprint by:

• Using locally sourced timber whenever possible
• Using FSC certified timber. www.FSC.org
• Using recycled timber whenever applicable
• Re-planting native trees to provide high grade timber for the future

We take an active pleasure in re-planting and nurturing new trees to replace those used in construction and we already grow many more native trees than are used in the building of our vessels.

On commissioning a new craft, we will automatically plant 5 trees for every one used in the construction of that boat and clients are welcome to participate in the planting and upkeep of their trees.

This we hope will guarantee a continuing supply of high quality timber for future generations of craftsmen.

In addition to re-planting we minimise waste as follows:

• Sections of timber we can't use are donated to the Bristol wood recycling project www.BWRP.org.uk
• Off cuts from the edges of logs are used for firewood
• Sawdust is used for the smoking of kippers by www.kipperman.co.uk and the excess is composted.

With advances in both motor and battery technology, electric propulsion is becoming increasingly popular. Please call us if you would like to discuss electric propulsion or diesel electric hybrid for a new or existing craft.