Luca Rose-McMath

2025 | Trade - Boat Builder

In Honour of all Little Brothers

"I aim to shape a sustainable future in boat building by blending traditional craftsmanship with eco-friendly practices. Through recycling, restoration, and learning from leaders like Riva, I hope to reduce waste and protect our oceans while advancing Australian boatbuilding."

I have a keen interest for my trade and its history. I’m also fascinated about the future of the trade and I feel a responsibility to introduce more sustainable practices to the future of boat building and repairing in Australia.

My goal is to understand the new technology and sustainable construction methods European manufacturers are using. I want to travel to Italy to visit the most prestigious boat builders in the world, one of which being Riva, who have released their fully electric El Esio model, a big step in the transition to electric vessels. Riva also maximise their use of sustainable materials such as natural paints, ecologically sourced and reclaimed timbers, and are experimenting with composite recycling. Achieving sustainability in producing a vessel using such a wide range of materials is truly an accomplishment. It is my intention to learn how to do the same, and bring this learning back to Australia.

“Their commitment to sustainability is based around one company. I think they have the potential to explore more aspects in their industry and given the right opportunity it could teach them more valuable things regarding sustainable practices in their industry. I think that’s what this scholarship is also about, to not go in with lots of knowledge, but to come back to Australia with more passion, excitement and goals to change the world for better.”

– Assessor Panel