Triple success at U.K. yards
Three successful small workboat builders in the U.K. have made headlines over the past month with special news and deliveries: Soutern Shipyard has delivered its second production 44 ft (13.4-m) Nelson 44 catamaran; Berthon Boar Co. delivered the first production Severn Class lifeboat to the RNLI; and Cornish yard Po Isaac started an alliance with Canadian com pany Tamarine.
Souter's delivery of Yantlet to the Port of London Authority's hydrographic survey tean was timed to coincide with a major diving project in hand on the River Thames. A high-tech replacement for the aging Havengore, Yantle, offers a high level of crew comfort, generous space due to broad beam and the inherent stability of catamaran hulls.
Powered by twin Volvo Penta TAMD 72WJ diesels, each rated at 331 kW (450 hp) at 2,600 rpm driving PP140 waterjets through Twin Disc MG 507 reversing gearboxes, she attains a top speed of almost 20 knots. To minimize noise and vibration, the main engines are flexibly mounted and have wet exhausts with GRP double chamber silencers. Berthon also placed emphasis on crew comfort aboard The Will, now at her post at Stornoway lifeboat station in Outer Hebrides in preparation for lifeboat duties in severe conditions. The Severn represents a new design and construction era for the RNLI with the introduction of the very latest building materials which combine strength with relatively low weight. Built to maintain a speed of 25 knots, she also has a bowthruster fitted for low speed manuverability. Highly complex engineering and electronic systems contribute to very strict operational safety standards allowing the vessel to self-right in the event of a capsize.
Berthon director Dominic May said, "We have revelled in the challenge of combining the RNLI's design know-how with our in-house project management expertise. As a result, our highly skilled shipwrights, engineers, plumbers and electricians have built a top quality boat." The team is now completing a second Severn due for delivery at the end of the summer with two further vessels on order.
The Canadian buy-out of Rod Baker's yard Port Isaac Workboats has brought Mr. Baker a slice of a much larger boat building concern and, as he puts it, "the benefit of increased market exposure and direct investment in helping to upgrade facilities." Port Isaac, renowned for the 35- ft. (10.5-m) and 41-ft. (12.5-m) offshore range of trihedral fishing, commercial and diving boats will now be marketed strongly in the Far East, an area where British Columbian based Tamarine has much expertise. Tamarine vice president, Nigel Horsley said "We have acquired 100 percent of Port Isaac Workboats but Rod Baker remains in charge having done a cash/share deal which gives him a share of Tamarine."
