UMaine Launches 3Dirigo X: A 3D-Printed 30-Foot Boat

A boat built in layers, not molds

The University of Maine launched 3Dirigo X, a 30-foot 3D-printed boat that reaches near 40 knots and handles open-water conditions. Built at the Advanced Structures and Composites Center, the vessel shows how large-scale additive manufacturing is moving from lab demonstrations to practical shipbuilding tools.

3Dirigo X improves on the original 3Dirigo from 2019, which set three Guinness World Records. The new version prints faster, withstands more stress, and can be redesigned digitally without new molds. Habib Dagher, executive director of the center, said the team has raised the deposition rate from roughly 20 pounds per hour at the start of the program to about 500 pounds per hour today.

Defense and commercial applications

The boat was developed under the federally funded Accelerated Rapid Prototyping initiative. Officials see uses beyond commercial boats: unmanned vessels, patrol craft, logistics ships, sensor platforms, and replacement parts. Because designs are digital, hulls and components can be modified quickly for different missions without retooling.

Keith DeVries, Manufacturing Technology Director at the Office of the Secretary of Defense, called digital manufacturing a feedback loop. Each build creates a digital twin that improves the next copy. He stressed the launch is another test stage, not the finish line. The boat will be evaluated in Atlantic waters over time.

Workforce pipeline

The program also trains students. More than 3,000 interns have worked at the center, gaining skills in advanced manufacturing, materials science, and AI. UMaine is opening a 55,000-square-foot Factory of the Future in the GEM facility, with a target deposition rate of 1,000 pounds per hour.

Other maritime additive efforts are advancing too. Hawaii-based Voltage Vessels submitted a 3D-printed basalt-fiber hull for Navy evaluation, and Blue Ops is teaming with HADDY on robotic, AI-guided 3D printing for unmanned surface vessels. Together, these projects point to a future where naval and commercial boats are built closer to where they operate, and faster than traditional shipyards allow.