Meet the Boat (project codename: Gulf Guardian-class)

A self-righting, solar-and-sail powered cleanup rover designed for the Gulf of Mexico. It deploys surface booms to guide floating debris into a gentle bow intake, lifts it aboard, compacts it 5:1, and brings the bales home for recycling — all while protecting marine life.

Why this hull

Self-righting monohull with side floats.

We chose a narrow deep-V monohull for heavy-weather safety. Lightweight foam “hip sponsons” high on the shoulders add reserve buoyancy and roll damping without acting like a second hull. All heavy systems (battery keel, compactor frame) sit below the waterline to keep the center of gravity low, so if a breaking sea knocks the boat down it rights itself.

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  Storm mode: the wing sail feathers to zero thrust, a drogue anchors the bow to the waves, and watertight bays are sealed.
  
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  Crash-tolerant: UHMW rub rails and sealed compartments isolate impacts from the mission bay.
  

How it collects trash (without grabbing wildlife)

Deployable V-booms → shallow intake → slow conveyor → center compactor.

The booms fold out 20–30° to herd floating debris toward a 1.0–1.2 m wide mouth that just kisses the surface. Water is allowed to spill sideways; the conveyor runs slow so approach velocity stays gentle (≤ 0.3 m/s). A coarse grate and camera check at the lip pause the belt and open side bypass flaps if fish or turtles are detected.

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  Marine-life safeguards: shallow boom skirts, low intake velocity, angled bar rack (25–50 mm spacing), side bypass doors, vision veto, and a wet return chute.
  
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  Jams handled: the belt torque-limits and auto-reverses; a replaceable shear bar cuts nets/film sheets at the mouth.
  

Built-in compaction (carry 5× more every run)

A compact horizontal ram baler sits low on centerline. It compresses mixed plastics/foam into strap-ready bricks (about 0.5 × 0.5 × 0.6 m, ~0.15 m³ each). Slow cycles minimize power draw and eliminate violent loads. Optional continuous auger press is available for film-heavy regions.

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  Target reduction: ~5:1 volume vs. loose material
  
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  Energy per bale: ~8–17 Wh mechanical work (tiny vs. daily solar)
  
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  Storage: centerline rails hold multiple bales; CG stays low as you fill up
  

Power & propulsion

Sail first, solar always.

A single free-standing soft wing provides primary thrust and can feather to almost zero for tight maneuvers. Twin 1 kW electric pods handle station-keeping, docking, and “nudges” along windrows.

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  Solar array: ~1.0–1.3 kW on canopy + sponson “ears”
  
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  Battery: 48 V LiFePO₄, 6–10 kWh (ballast-integrated keel cassette)
  
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  Daily harvest (Gulf avg): ~6.6 kWh/day
  
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  Typical hotel loads: ~2.9 kWh/day (compute, comms, sensors)
  
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  Leftover for mission: ~3.7 kWh/day (compactor + short pod bursts)
  

Autonomy & awareness

The boat runs a conservative, COLREGS-aware stack.

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  Nav & avoidance: GNSS + IMU, AIS receiver/transmitter, compact solid-state radar, optical collision cues
  
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  Perception: forward/overhead RGB cameras for trash-line detection; optional NIR for dawn/dusk
  
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  Comms: LTE nearshore, Iridium heartbeat offshore; remote geofenced control
  
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  Behaviors: search along convergence lines, mow-the-lawn when cues are weak, storm survival mode, fail-safe return
  

Materials & maintainability

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  Structure: glass/epoxy or foam-core FRP with sealed bulkheads; sponsons are closed-cell foam with glass skins
  
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  Wet hardware: 316 stainless, HDPE/UHMW wear parts, cartridge bearings
  
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  Serviceability: the entire “wet end” (intake-to-baler) drops in as a single skid for fast swap/overhaul
  

Key specifications (pilot configuration)

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  Length overall: ~6.4 m (21 ft)
  
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  Beam (hull / overall to sponsons): 1.9 m / ~2.3 m
  
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  Draft: 0.55–0.65 m (with battery keel)
  
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  Lightship / Payload: ~750 kg / 550–650 kg
  
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  Intake mouth: 1.0–1.2 m wide; booms to 6–8 m overall spread
  
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  Throughput target: 200–400 kg/h wet debris into the mouth
  
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  Compaction: 5:1 volume; 0.15 m³ bale size (strap-ready)
  
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  Speed: 2–6 kt under sail; 2–3 kt on electric (short intervals)
  
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  Endurance: multi-week patrols (sail + solar)
  
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  Bycatch limits: intake flow ≤ 0.3 m/s; auto-pause & bypass within <300 ms on detection
  

(All figures are first-run targets; we’ll publish verified test data as pilots accumulate hours.)

What makes it different

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  Self-righting safety for real Gulf weather
  
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  Marine-life-first intake (designed to let life escape)
  
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  Onboard compaction so each trip removes far more waste
  
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  Low-carbon operations (sail + solar + electric)
  
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  Open telemetry & receipts — GPS tracks, bale counts, and weights shared publicly
  

The circular loop

Beach Boy sales help build and operate these boats. Recovered plastics are sorted and routed to recycling partners; wherever feasible, recycled material returns as parts and products — including Beach Boy components — closing the loop from sea to shelf.