1 – Brief description of your organisation and your main responsibility in the project
Founded in 1916, Astondoa Shipyard is one of Spain’s longest-established yacht builders, with more than a century of experience in the design and construction of recreational boats and yachts.
Now in its fourth generation as a family-run company, Astondoa combines traditional craftsmanship with advanced engineering, design and manufacturing technologies. Over its history, the shipyard has built more than 3,000 vessels and has established a strong presence in both the Spanish and international recreational boating markets.
Headquartered in Santa Pola, Alicante, Astondoa operates specialised production facilities covering the different stages of yacht construction. Its capabilities include composite manufacturing, carpentry, mechanical and metalwork, upholstery, finishing and refit activities. This high level of vertical integration enables the company to maintain close control over the production process and to adapt each yacht to the technical and individual requirements of its owner.
Innovation has been an important part of Astondoa’s industrial development. The shipyard uses advanced technologies such as CAD-CAM design, five-axis machining, 3D printing and vacuum-infusion composite manufacturing. Its engineering and production teams have also worked on the development and application of lighter and more efficient composite structures, with the objective of reducing vessel weight, improving performance and lowering fuel consumption while maintaining structural strength and durability.
Within TEcoNaut, Astondoa contributes the perspective of an established European boatbuilder operating in a real industrial environment. Its participation provides an important link between the research, training and development activities of the project and the practical requirements of yacht manufacturing.
Astondoa’s facilities also provide an environment in which students, trainers, researchers and technology providers can gain first-hand knowledge of industrial boatbuilding processes and explore the practical application of innovative and more sustainable materials and technologies. TEcoNaut activities hosted at the shipyard, including skills-shadowing workshops, support the exchange of knowledge between industry, education and technology providers.
Through its participation in the project, Astondoa contributes to ensuring that the skills, training programmes and technological solutions developed within TEcoNaut respond to the actual needs and constraints of the recreational boatbuilding industry.
2 – Brief words about why you think this project is necessary
The transition towards more sustainable boatbuilding requires not only the development of new materials and technologies, but also the ability to integrate them effectively into real design and production processes.
For an established shipyard such as Astondoa, this transition depends on professionals who understand both conventional boatbuilding techniques and emerging technologies, including advanced and sustainable composites, circularity, life-cycle considerations and more resource-efficient manufacturing processes.
TEcoNaut provides an important bridge between education, research and industry, helping to ensure that the next generation of boatbuilding professionals develops the technical and practical skills required by an evolving recreational boating sector.
By bringing together shipyards, material specialists, universities, vocational education centres and industry organisations, the project creates an effective environment for transferring innovation into industrial practice and supporting the long-term ecological transition of European boatbuilding.
