Merlin will be a wooden boat renewed and redesigned by Van Dam Custom Boats in Boyne City, Michigan. 
Merlin will be powered by twin diesel engines, each equipped with a hydrogen induction device that will supply each engine’s air intake with a 6% hydrogen solution.  Extensive testing indicates a 28% increase in fuel efficiency, with the added benefit of greatly reduced emissions using standard diesel fuel and near zero emissions with bio-diesel fuel.  A solar water purifier, designed and constructed by Joseph Novitsky, Merlin’s Science and Technology Director, will turn water scooped from the waterways into potable water, at the rate of one gallon per minute, for use by both the crew and the hydrogen infuser. While the vessel will be constructed with traditional materials using traditional methods, the Merlin will also feature the latest in navigation technology as well as an onboard laboratory for water sampling and testing.