Great pics Graham
I might have missed it, but how many of these did you build? How many a year could you get through?
I think I did mention it some where James, but from memory I think in total, we built 27 or 28 complete hulls of varying sizes / spec.s.
Plus we did several cut and shuts, where we extended peoples craft with inserted extensions
... some of which were a real nightmare, as some were some interesting shapes, only really visible, once you'd cut the damned things in half - out of square / shape / true / dimensionally different from side to side / rhomboidal even
..... one in particular had a twist in its length and was an inch taller one side than the other - that bugger did take some getting to look right
... but it did, eventually and couldn't see the joins/insert, by the time we'd tweaked it about ... was a particular bitch though
as I said in there, when the Poles started importing 'em over here, the arse completely fell out of the market and I turned our attentions more to repairs/re-bottoming the tubs that were all in dire need of attention - and there were a lot
.... I'd have to look at my records to see how many we did, but we usually had a couple in the yard awaiting attention and almost constantly one in the shop getting done. As said, that and the cut & shuts are a whole other thread TBH ...... would need to search out the pix
three tubs in the yard, Jan. 2010
nearest one's been done BTLs
and this one
just the centre one awaiting its turn
as for build numbers ..... really depended on what else we had on .... regular work/customers always came first and commissions were taken on the understanding that
it'd take as long as it took ..... and regular clients had priority on our time - the only real issues were the hirers who wanted 'em A.S.A.P. and being repeat customers they did get a speedier job than others did.
we did do two in one hit once, simultaneously ..... but that really filled the shop
Only one I didn't design, (in conjunction with the customer), was the restaurant boat, but there was a hell of a lot mod.s and alterations done to make it feasible/do-able/achievable, along the way
that and a few of the trip-ers/public use boats, were all MSA (
marines services agency) supervised/overseen and some serious hoops jumped through with them on yer case .....
you'd think they were crossing the atlantic!!
Mostly diesel propelled, but the one hirer specialised in electric propulsion and built several for him, with large battery compartments, sealed off and vented to atmosphere ... they could be 'interesting'
....
especially his electric trip boat, with the MSA involved in that
.
where's the head in hands emoji
Think the most done in a year, once, was three .... along with everything else
... as said - as and when
... they paid, but no better than anything else
.... my money was in complex structural for the timber frame boys, mostly
