Navatek’s Collaboration with the Advanced Structures and Composites Center

The Advanced Structures and Composites Center at the University of Maine and Navatek are working together in developing advanced boat hull designs using new materials. While Navatek is based in Hawaii, it opened an office in Portland in order to be closer to UMaine.

Navatek is a world leader in designing and analyzing ship hull forms, ocean structures, underwater lifting bodies, and coupled hydrodynamic systems using its expertise in computational fluid dynamics and complex engineered systems.

The MAKO craft being tested

Prior to this collaboration, the Center had worked on projects regarding boats, the most prominent of which being the improved MAKO craft. Due to the weight of the MAKO craft’s aluminum hull causing injuries to its occupants, the Center was asked to use a different material for its hull. The Center replaced the aluminum with a composite material and solved the problem.

Recently, Navatek has received an $8 million Navy contract which will allow them to expand their Portland office. Additionally, this contract will allow Navatek and the Center to further their work in designing materials for prototypes of boat hulls.

Of the 22 employees at Navatek’s Portland branch, 12 are mechanical engineering graduates from the University of Maine. Navatek has also made it known that they want to hire electrical engineering students from UMaine.