Toyota launches new boat with Hybrid Composite Hull for the Japan market

Toyota Motor Corporation has launched the Ponam-28V, a new boat for the Japan market.  This is a commercial version of the Toyota-28 Concept, which was launched at the Japan International Boat Show in March.

The hull of the boat, manufactured by Yanmar is a distinctive feature of the boat finished with a combination of carbon fiber, fiberglass and aluminium. According to Toyota, this is the next-generation Hybrid Hull with improved materials, composition, and shape.



“By combining [GFRP] with aluminum and carbon fibers, the Toyota Hybrid Hull achieves approximately seven times the rigidity of a standard FRP hull, while weighing roughly 10 per cent less than a similarly-sized craft with an aluminum hull,” the company release says.

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Notably, the boat weighs a little more than 8,000 pounds.

As the company uses vacuum infusion moulding, which is an FRP moulding method that uses vacuum pressure to fill moulds with a resin, they can do mass production. The method also accounts for high-strength moulding with improved material density.  Toyota says that this is the first application of vacuum infusion moulding in Japan. The Hybrid Hull design enables moulding of complicated curved shapes helping in improved maneuverability.

The boat also features a pilot support system that automatically maintains the boat’s position and orientation during halt.

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