Ciara Lurshay

糖心原创 > Engineering > Departments > Mechanical, Materials and Manufacturing Engineering > PDM Exhibitions > 2023 > BEng students > Ciara Lurshay

A day hire boat for lakes and rivers in the UK that caters to wheelchair users and non-wheelchair users.

I am a keen BEng Product Design and Manufacture student at the 糖心原创 who is a sociable and hard-working individual. Design affects us all in our everyday lives and I believe quality designs can make a significant difference to society. I have a particular passion for accessible design, which solves problems to make society more inclusive with products designed to serve a wider variety of users.

Outside of Product Design, I also have an interest in theatre. During my time at Nottingham, I have contributed to the student run theatre ‘Nottingham New Theatre.’ Notably, I was the Costume Designer for a production of ‘Punk Rock’ by Simon Stevens, and the Set Designer for a student written spin-off of ‘Jekyll and Hyde’ which involved directing the set construction. Fortunately, I also had time to perform with ‘Musicality’ the musical theatre society in several showcases and productions.

During my time at Nottingham, I was also thrilled to be elected as 2021-2022 Head of Illustrations for ‘Impact’ the official university magazine. My duty was to oversee a team of illustrators and provide some of the illustrations for Impact. This roll was particularly fulfilling as I collaborated with a wonderful design team to create a magazine with cohesive illustrations, graphics and photographs.

Ciara Lurshay, BEng Product Design and Manufacture

Accessible Day Hire Boat

Day hire boats are extremely popular in the United Kingdom. However, there is a lack of accessible day hire boats with easy access that have been tailored to wheelchair users being used. My project is focused on designing a day hire boat for lakes and rivers in the UK, that caters to wheelchair users and non-wheelchair users, therefore increasing the popularity of accessible day hire boats. My key focuses were ensuring that the boat would be comfortable, spacious, and hassle free to board for wheelchair users.

My design ‘Nectar’ is a 5.6m inboard motorboat with a dining area and helm designed to be comfortable for both wheelchair users and non-wheelchair users. The deck and hull are both made from fibreglass to ensure a tough body to withstand frequent use. Nectar has a hexagonal shaped back which slots into modular hexagonal shaped floating dock pieces. When the boat and dock are fitted together, a flat surface is created for the wheelchair user to board the boat without the need of a ramp. To avoid needing a lip around the door which would be an obstruction, the door is sealed to be watertight by adding downward pressure to a rubber seal using a clamp.

The helm of the boat has been designed around the dimensions of wheelchair users to ensure that it is comfortable and easy to use. I also decided to add only the most necessary dials to the dash to make it intuitive for first time boat drivers. The steering wheel has been designed for users with low grip mobility by adding TPE covered knobs in a classic nautical design around the edges to make it easier to steer. For standing users, there is a rail to hold onto for support whilst driving.

The seating area is partially built into the deck with fibreglass benches. However, the part of the bench that goes beyond the edge of the table is made of oak suspended by stainless steel supports leaving a large gap underneath for space for a wheelchair user to tuck their feet under. This adds more space to turn around and reduces obstruction. This part of the bench is also unobstructed by furniture and therefore easy for a wheelchair user to sit on. Due to distance from the central table, this bench is also near a cooling insulated storage box which can also be used as a side table. The central table has been designed to be easy for wheelchair users to tuck underneath. It has also been designed with enough space from the benches for low mobility users to comfortably walk around. Therefore, the table folds out over their laps, so they do not have to lean to reach the table.

The perimeter of the boat includes handrails with both vertical and horizontal rails for support in different directions.

Overall, Nectar is a robust and easy to use boat that has been designed for both the users and the owner who will be maintaining it.