A team from Penobscot East Resource Center and Maine Maritime Academy have successfully tested a new lobster boat design they say increases fuel efficiency 20 to 25 percent.

The boat utilizes a threehull, or “trimaran,” design to cut down on drag.

Doug Read — a naval architect and professor at Maine Maritime Academy, who was contracted by PERC to design and test the boat — said it can be understood by imagining a boat’s wake.

“Up to half of your engine is dedicated to the energy to make those waves,” he said. “The way the trimaran saves fuel is by drastically reducing the proportion of energy … making those waves.”

First contacted in 2010, Read held eetings with lobstermen, talking about challenges and what they’d like in a new boat design.

While the boat maxes out at around 25 percent increased fuel efficiency, that’s not applicable at all speeds. The trimaran reaches peak efficiency between 12 and 18 knots. Around 25 knots, traditional boats become more efficient.

While fuel consumption varies by size of the boat, the motor and where the traps are set, Brewer said the average this time of year is about 30 to 50 gallons per day.

At $3.80 per gallon, that’s $2,280 to $3,800 per month, assuming five days per week.

Robin Alden, executive director of PERC, said that while fishermen were supportive, they had another concern: “It’s got to be pretty.”

“The traditional lobster boat means a lot to people,” she said. “That aesthetic, it’s iconic. Nobody wants to be on some square boat”

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