A hi-tech Keighley company has been brought aboard to help smash the record for circumnavigating mainland Britain.

Aerovac Systems Ltd is supplying materials to help construct a pioneering boat.

The craft - known as a Rigid Inflatable Boat (RIB) - will spearhead an attempt to cut the circumnavigation record time, which stands at just under 43 hours.

Aerovac is providing Formula One-style advanced composites processing materials for the lightweight boat which will be mated to a 317hp gas turbine engine with a variable pitch propeller to produce a fast, yet smooth ride.

The materials will help mould the body of the boat, which is being constructed mainly from carbon fibre.

"The wave-piercing design of the RIB is quite revolutionary as are the materials and technology being used in its construction. We are delighted to be involved in the project," said Tony Cooper, of Aerovac, which is based in Bradford Road, Sandbeds.

A one-fifth scale model of the craft has, in tests, demonstrated high speeds and smooth running through a variety of wave patterns.

Jon Aldiss, 40, who will drive the RIB on the record attempt, and the boat's designer and builder Simon Sanderson, 45, are confident of its capabilities.

"The secret of travelling fast for extended periods at sea is to have a boat which gives minimal pounding for the crew in varying sea states," said Mr Aldiss.

"Our new design has been developed to minimise pitching, yet still exceed 100mph flat out."

The boat is being built on the north Norfolk coast and the record attempt will start and finish at Lowestoft in Suffolk in July or August. Weather conditions at the time will determine a clockwise or anti-clockwise circumnavigation.

Aerovac produces vacuum bags for a wide range of applications, including the manufacture of structural and interior furnishing components for aircraft, Formula One racing chassis and the bulk-heads of high-performance racing yachts.

It is not the first time that the company has been involved in a nautical record attempt.

Three years ago, it backed a bid by former Royal Navy pilot Trevor Jones, who was left paralysed by a skiing accident, to become the first tetraplegic to sail round the globe.

The company initially became involved in the project when it supplied the vacuum bagging materials required to modify the composite structure of Mr Jones's hi-tech trimaran called Inventure.