Sweden Yachts... back again?

The website recently changed to the above image. There's also the following article published on IBI News:

Sweden Yachts reconstruction on its way

By IBI Magazine/Lars-Åke Redéen

After filing for bankruptcy last year, Sweden Yachts is under reconstruction with three well-known persons in the lead. The goal is to keep production in Sweden and continue to produce high-quality boats with top handicraft.

"We will not make any official information about our plans until everything is set for the new company. For the moment we're going through a capitalising and reconstruction phase," says Lars Åhrén, marine consultant and chairman of the newly established company 'Europa till sjöss' (Europe at sea). This name will change to Sweden Yachts if everything goes according to plans.

"We will start production again with the strategy to keep our base at Stenungsund in Bohuslän on the Swedish west coast and build high quality boats with good craftsmanship."

Besides Lars Åhrén, the trio behind Sweden Yachts' future includes yacht designer Peter Norlin and Sven Enoch, former owner and managing director of the yard.

Sweden Yachts was founded in 1976 with the construction of Sverige for the America's Cup. Since then, the company has become one of the world's leading producers of high quality sailing yachts.

Before the bankruptcy, which involved one of the group's companies, Sweden Yachts built boats from 12m-24m (40ft-80ft).

Another argument for smaller boats

I was marina shopping at Southampton boat show this weekend. On the stand of one marina chain they were advertising a berth for a 10 meter yacht at £3700 per year. When we got the quote for our 10.9 meter yacht it was over £5100. Talking about this discrepancy revealed that it's because there's a tiered pricing structure. One rate for boats less than 10 metres and another for boats over 10 metres. This is standard practice and on the face of it is reasonable on the grounds that bigger boats tend to need deeper water and wider berths than smaller ones. 

However this presents a case for those considering buying for the first time or thinking of changing their boat that it's worth considering this difference when weighing up the options. For example: a buyer choosing between these two cruiser racers should consider the extra annual running costs even before a single mile has passed under their keels

Model	Sigma 33	Fastnet 34
Year	1985	1977
Asking Price	£22,000	£22,000
LOA:	9.88M	LOA: 10.4M
Marina Fees	£3,700 per annum	£5,100 per annum

That's a difference of £1400 every year, which you could think of in terms of taking a pay cut of £2200 per annum from your salary.

I'm clearly not advocating a buying a boat like buying a bag of veg ("I'll have 10M of of generic boat please") rather than selecting based on rich set of criteria (and emotions). I'm merely suggesting  to add it into the mix as another cost to consider.

Yacht steering wheel hide covering

When we bought our boat three years ago, the elk hide grip on the wheel was already well past its best. It was a bit green in places, some of the stitching was missing and the leather had started to harden. I've been meaning to get round to replacing it for a while, but hadn't stumbled across where to get this done.

Option 1: DIY Kit - Clyde Marine Leather
You tell them the dimensions of the wheel and they send you a kit:

"Our kits do not include the spats for covering the spokes but we can supply them at £2.50 each

I need the diameter of the wheel and the diameter of the outer rim to get the correct wheel cover size.

A measurement of the spokes diameter helps also

The kits come in a choice of silver or tan marine suede and have full instructions needle and thread."

Small - wheels up to 77cm (30") diameter	£81.50
Medium - wheels up to 111cm (44") diameterr	£87.50
Large - wheels up to 178cm (70") diameter	£98.50

This option is great if you're very price sensitive. For our 36'' wheel, the cost would be £87.50 + 6 spokes @ £2.50 = £102.50. From a price comparison standpoint I got a quote from someone else a while back and it was in the €250 ballpark, making this very competitive.

The only real detractor of this option is the question of how good a job you're going to make of it. It's such a prominent feature of your boat, that a bad fitting of the kit could really impact on your ability to enjoy a drink in the cockpit... I know it would bother my OCD. :)

Option 2: Complete service - Hawke House

I stumbled across this option at the Southampton boat show this weekend.

Hawkes house are best known for Westerly headlining kits. They offer a complete service: You give them your wheel and you get it back a couple of weeks later looking like it just left the factory:

24" Diameter	£111.60
30" Diameter	£117.60
36" Diameter	£138.00
40" Diameter	£153.60
42" Diameter	£162.00

Apparently the "turk's head" (the little white knot applied at the centre position) is extra as are the spoke coverings at £5.40 each. So again, for our 36" wheel, we'd be looking at:
 £138 + 6 spokes @ £5.40 + Turks head at £5.40 = £175.80. 

If you compare that to the kit price, there's really only £80 charge for the labour, which given the potential for mistake feels like a bargain to me.

Option 3: New Wheel

This is semi-tongue-in-cheek suggestion, but it's worth keeping an eye on. The last two years at Beulieu boat jumble I've seen people leaving with brand new wheels. This year I asked one woman how much she paid and she said "Amazing...£80... less than the cost of getting the old one recovered."

I've scoured the internet for option 3... and think I'm unlikely to beat the initial stampede as the gates open at Beulieu next year, so I'm going to go with option 2. The big issue is finding a 3 week window when I don't want to use the boat. I'll report on the finished product when it's done.

How to get an 80' mast under a 65' bridge

Product of the Boatshow: Boat Box

I wondered around Southampton boat show today and was struck by how samey everything was... it felt just like all the other years. I did spot this product though...

It's a combined hard tender and car roof box. The price seemed OK to me too at £595.

Got thrown out of MDL Marinas stand at SIBs today

So I wondered into MDL Marinas booth at Southampton boatshow today. I picked up a brochure and looked at it for a second when someone came over and said that I'd have to leave as they were expecting a royal visitor to walk past their booth in the next 10 minutes or so, but I could come back later if I wanted.

/sigh

Worst nightmare...

Continuing my last post.... I spotted this thread.

"Was down below when there was a big crash, SWMBO say's "Must be the bin men", I said "I don't think so" & walked up the pontoon to look & found this sorry site: "


Apparently it was just put up in a cradle, which gave way underneath it... This is the boat: http://www.bigspiritadventures.com/


Best comment that was in the thread: "Looks like she is an ex challenge boat so it should just buff out!" by Guapa


Geoff Collins

Mishaps and Memories: crikey, that was close!

This blog posting tells of one of my big boat owning worries - to return to the pontoon and just find a mast where a boat should be... Lucky chap.

Mishaps and Memories: crikey, that was close!: Phone call at lunchtime..... "Hello... I think your boat is sinking!" Eek.... Guy in the yard spotted that she looked a little bit stern d...

Android App: Marina Codes

I've just published my first app - It's called Marina Codes.

Forgotten the gate code? Marina Codes remembers all your boat yard codes.

A simple app to help you remember all the codes that you need when you're in and around the boat yard. I often end up at the showers with no idea what the code is, then have to go back to the harbour office to be reminded. 

It's in the Android Market, so available on phones from manufacturers such as Samsung, HTC, Motorola and Sony Ericsson. Get it here

Geoff

Watcha cock | The Ships Bell | Cruising | RYA

Watcha cock | The Ships Bell | Cruising | RYA

Excellent article on the RYA website on seacocks

Watcha cock

Advice on buying new seacocks and keeping them in good working order through regular maintenance.

The RYA strongly recommends that, when buying replacement sea-cocks and through-hull fittings, you only buy fittings that comply with ISO 9093-1.

The difficulty is that many of the less expensive sea-cocks and through-hull fittings currently available in chandleries and over the internet are not built to this standard. So many yachts in which the sea-cocks and through-hull fittings have been replaced may now be fitted with sub-standard fittings.

International standard

The international standard specified in the Recreational Craft Directive for metallic sea-cocks and other through-hull fittings is ISO 9093-1:1998.

This requires sea-cocks and other through-hull fittings to be made of a material that does not display any defect within five years of service that would impair its watertight integrity.

This does not mean that components need only have a service life of five years but rather that components must function for at least five years without displaying any defect.

As far as the RYA is aware, since this standard was introduced in the late 1990s there has been no evidence of widespread failures of sea-cocks and through-hull fittings that met this standard.

Regualr maintenance is key

Hidden deep in the murky depths of the bilge, often covered by floorboards seacocks often go unnoticed from year to year.

They tirelessly let water in and out of the boat, whilst being a first line defence should a pipe fail. Its main function to close the hole in the hull when required or when there’s a leak.

If they fail they could allow your boat to sink. On a day to day basis, they also feed the engine with cooling water. Should the engine overheat, often the engine seacock requires closing to clean the strainer and this cannot be done if the seacock is seized.

Neglect or seacock abuse, often finds them seized up and unable to do their ‘turn’, when required.

Poor maintenance on the increase

When inspecting boats or running some own boat tuition, I’m finding more and more seized seacocks. Quite often the boats are under five years old and have so called ‘maintenance free’ seacocks. Worryingly, when trying to move the seacock handle either the handle starts bending or the valve itself is in danger of breaking or moving the skin-fitting within the hull.

Maintaianing seacocks

There are many types of seacock; some require servicing annually whilst others claim to be maintenance free. Whatever the type, including those that are maintenance free, they all need to be exercised regularly so that they do not corrode or foul up in the open or closed position.

Seacock safety

Hoses attached to seacocks and skin fittings should be double clipped so that they are secure. Double clipping increases the surface area of the clipped pipe so there is less chance of the pipe coming off.

Seacocks should be made out of materials resistant to seawater corrosion including bronze, DZR (Dezincification Resistant Brass) or fibre reinforced nylon.

Ideally the handle should operate through 90ᵒ, so that it is easy to identify when a seacock is open or shut.

Bungs

Should a seacock fail, a softwood bung can be placed in the hole. Bungs should be taped or tied to the seacock or pipe so they are readily available in an emergency.

Location

If you have different crew sailing on your boat, construct a plan identifying where the holes are in the boat. Then, in the event of water suddenly coming in, it will be easier for anyone to check the seacocks. Consider labelling seacocks in a compartment, so that their use is readily apparent.

Something for the weekend...?

So this weekend I implore you, dig deep into your lockers, search them out and stop the abuse; turn them on and off a few times and set them free. They’ll love you for it.

Simon Jinks – RYA Yachtmaster Instructor at SeaRegs Training and Stuart Carruthers, RYA Cruising Manager