Denis R

Blimmin' 'eck, me too....

Poor Nicholas asks for help in a research project and appears to get what looks like rhetoric from the PR department of Exxon Mobil! For the sake of his sanity, why don't we pretend it says "in the event of sea levels rising" and fill it in from there?

Coming back round to the original post, I ended up completely befuddled by talking to perhaps too many builders. In the end I whittled it down to three who, as well as offering what I perceived as the quality I was looking for, made me feel as if they were 'of the same mind' and gave me a warm feeling. All BMF members too. I was looking to be actively invoved in the project and that's exactly what I'm getting. The builder I chose is always calling me to get me along to view progress and I'm really happy with my decision. In the end I'm sure it comes down to this 'gut feel' and personal relationship, once the technical competency boxes have been ticked....

Some clever dick obviously thought it was all a good idea at the time.... My goodness what hope have we got....

I used to work in the hydraulics industry - we used 'pigs' extensively in our test department because they really do soak up the mess - and they're very easy to dispose of afterwards. Much neater and easier than sweeping up kitty litter, but of course much more expensive. Just thinking of your aching back....

Unfortunately I'm still on dry land this Christmas - hull only just beginning to take shape in Peter Nicholls' yard. Next year though!! If it wasn't wishing a year away I'd say that I can't wait....

I think that if the purpose of the post is to use the alleged failings of an undisclosed builder as an anecdote to illustrate a 'care point', I don't have a problem with it. From Gary's original post I took away two points: 1) A seemingly robust contract might not give the level of protection you think it does 2) Assure yourself that your proposed wide-beam has a rigid enough shell to withstand craning. I didn't see it as 'avoid company A or B' or even a region in general, just 'consider this, if contemplating a wide-beam'

Aside from the point about BMF contracts and assuming the implication is that this happened during the craning operation, it's perhaps a useful 'heads up' for those contemplating wide-beam to consider the stresses on such a hull during lifting and placing? I'm not convinced that all wide-beam hulls are tolerant to imprecise positioning of the lifting strops, based on the amount of steel they contain and how their stiffening is configured.

Well, things have moved on since I posed this question. I spoke to Peter Nicholls about the boatman's cabin 'at the front' and he said he'd taken the idea from a BCN tug. To cut a long stroy short he sketched me out a design and I've signed a contract with him for a 48ft tug with the boatman's cabin forward of the galley opening out into a shallow well deck, delivery Easter 2006. At last, I've only been dreaming about it for 20 years!!

Interesting stuff! I think the tug I'm thinking of was a tunnel tug and the 'boatman's cabin' was right at the very front of the cabin area with doors opening on to the tug deck. Regarding Oak's layout, I'm sure my kids would love the idea of exiting their 'den' through an escape hatch in the roof as opposed to using doors, but that might just be a bit too 'retro' for me!!

The steering position and controls were in the conventional position. The boatman's cabin at the front had a stove/table/bed area of similar layout to that normally found at the rear. I don't know if the rear cabin was a rope store, a day cabin, a more rearward engine room or what....

Has anybody seen a narrow beam tug with the boatman's cabin at the front? I'm busily sketching fit-out schemes and have a vague recollection that when I looked at this many years ago, I saw such a layout (I think the builder was Peter Nicholls, but I'm not sure). The layout apparently reflected an original design. If the boatman's cabin was at the front, what did the rest of the layout look like and what happened at the back, where the boatman's cabin wasn't, if you see what I mean?

Do you know, I haven't a clue what its size or HP is. I'll try to find out....

Oops, sorry all. I think I've misposted here - should be in building and maintenance?

Next phase of my liveaboard feasibility study is underway. On this journey I've come across a boat with potential that's fitted with a horizontal twin cylinder Kingfisher diesel. Verdict from the friendly and seemingly open gentleman showing me round (not the owner) was (paraphrasing) that their assembly quality was very inconsistent and they either fell apart pretty much immediately, or if they were a good one, kept running without any undue drama. (I can concur with this variability - I spent 18 months helping an Indian tractor factory to totally modernise their engine production, which was previously, somewhat rudimentary...) Anybody got any experience of these engines? Would it be a 'throw it away and start again' job or are they fit for purpose? Spares available? Your expereinces and anecdotes invited....

Matt & Amy, I'm doing a similar feasibility study myself at the moment. I've been dabbling with this for nigh on twenty years and am now in a position to do something about it. I've spent a fair amount of time on short term hire boats and generally had lousy weather - horizontal rain, sleet, snow and I believe once in a while, a bit of sun. I have to say the 'out of season' boating and bad weather hasn't detracted from the experience for me. Give it a go! Regarding 'bio-diesel' - you'll need an engine that's specifically configured to run on 'bio diesel' as it causes chaos in conventional diesel injection systems. In addition, some varieties of bio-diesel react aggressively with copper and it's a good idea to have an all stainless fuel system. Good luck with your endeavours!

Well, BWML have burst into life. Before I got round to chasing them up, I got a friendly reply to my e-mail enquiry asking for some more information, so the dialogue's started. Also, as a result of a visit to their stand at Crick and a conversation with a very affable young lady, I got myself on the waiting list with BW Southern which they've confirmed, so things are moving on....