Nautican Under New Ownership
Canadian entrepreneur Elizabeth Boyd has purchased Nautican, a manufacturer of high-performance integrated propulsion units and hydralift skegs. Ms. Boyd is a naval architect and engineer and has worked with many marine industry service providers. Founded in 1972 by Josip Gruzling, Nautican pioneered the use of hydrofoils to increase efficiency, and conducted groundbreaking research in hydrodynamics, naval architecture and computing. The company holds multiple patents for Gruzling’s unique designs, which included high-efficiency nozzles for boats and hydralift skegs for barges. Nautican, under Boyd’s leadership, said it has reimagined its brand with hopes of bringing the Nautican systems to a larger market.
Sname Technical Program: 2004 SNAME Technical Program
(All information is current as of July 30, 2004. A1(D16) - Shipboard Routing Assistance – Decision Making Support for the Operation of Container Ships in Heavy Seas by Hans G. B1(D40) - Development and Investigation of the Ballast-Free Ship Concept, by Miltiadis Kotinis, Michael G. A2(D26) - Criteria for Parametric Roll of Large Containerships in Longitudinal Seas by Y.S. Shin, V.L. Belenky, J.R. Paulling, K.M. Weems, W.M. B2(D39) - Computational Fluid Dynamics Study of the Effectiveness of Flow-Through Ballast Exchange by Christopher P. Kent, Michael G. B3(D13) - Compressed Natural Gas Carrier Development – The Knutsen PNG Concept by Sverre Valsgård, Kim J. A5(D42) - U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Maneuverability by R. Sheinberg, P. Minnick, J.
Obituary: Josip Gruzling, Nozzle Expert, 1943-2007
Josip Gruzling, P.Eng., President of NautiCAN R&D Ltd., passed away Monday, September 10. Josip was a pioneer in the use of hydrofoils to increase the efficiency of tugs and barges. He used his inventiveness and determination to develop two types of devices: the High Efficiency Nozzles and Hydralift Skegs for barges, receiving nine patents for his efforts. Over 100 High Efficiency Nozzles have been built and over 40 Hydralift skegs have been installed worldwide. Josip got his start in 1968 working for Robert Allan Ltd., going on to found NautiCAN in 1972 to develop his ideas. Hydralift Skegs provide directional stability to barges with much less resistance than standard skegs, typically between a 35 to 50% improvement.
