49.6m Conversion Project: Supply Vessel to Support Yacht

[Capital_R]

Hi Everyone!

After a lively first post, I'm back with a second. Through work, I've come into possession of a 163' fleet supply vessel, that might serve as a good fleet support vessel in the future.

I'm prepared to spend a bit of money testing that hypothesis, but it's very much an experience, and a hobby - so I'm here to ask for some guidance and some help, as we go through the journey of commissioning a first boat.....

Original Pic here....



The plan? Well - she's got a lot of fuel capacity. And so much space. So I want to use her as a mobile holiday house, and a platform to help the world, in a small way. My work, is all out in emerging markets, which opens up a lot of ways this could be out to good use.

I want something like this...



And I believe it's possible.

She's in full working order.. but needs a bit of work to take her from commercial workhorse to recreational ship.

I've owned her for a year, and have so far managed one night aboard, a dry docking, shaft haul, antifouling, anode replacement, ultrasound, and a crew of two living aboard cleaning and prepping for stage two, which is to begin a conversion.

The plan is to do as little as possible, to test out what having a boat is like. Here were the initial stage plans...



On to this...



After a very lively year at work, some lessons about what dinghies are capable of, passionate forum advice, and some custard... Then some professional naval architecture, we've moved on to this:







I guess the main question is: why the hell am I here? Well... I'm a boat owner. And part of this new millennial generation that is all about collaboration and sharing (information).

So, if I have questions, I'd love for a bunch of experts to subscribe to this post, and chip in with thoughts and perspective when I have questions about certain things. An ideal example would have been the dinghy trailer which broke in Germany... And caused epicly expensive delays.

So please stay tuned.... And join in on the adventure, if you like.

Nice to (re)-meet everyone... I hope to have a great and happy dialogue, and to make some new friends too.

Best,

Rob

 

[petem]

Well, I'm looking forward to seeing how this thread and the boat develops (in a positive way I hope)! Been a while since we've had an epic build thread.

 

[Mr Googler]

Forgive my ignorance, with a project of this size, is it not just a case of dropping it off at a boatyard capable of the work, a few bags of cash and say....”sort that”

Do you intend to project manage yourself and bring in the skills to complete different aspects?

 

[Capital_R]

Forgive my ignorance, with a project of this size, is it not just a case of dropping it off at a boatyard capable of the work, a few bags of cash and say....”sort that”

Do you intend to project manage yourself and bring in the skills to complete different aspects?

Yes... I don't want the money bags approach. I'd love to be involved. That usually means disaster... But I've got time. And I'm not after a gin palace... I want a boat that can take a storm, and family life, without being too precious...

Which is why I went for an existing double hull, that is supposedly uncommonly pleasant at sea (all ex crew say she's a lovley sea-boat), ice strengthened, and a bit battle hardened.

I may even park this on a beach, from time to time, just because it's possible....

So we'll see. It's my first boat... So I think of it like a giant learning exercise. And one that would be fun to share... Even at my slow pace.

 

[Firefly625]

well there are first boats and first ships.... this surely is the later.

 

[Portofino]

Yes... I don't want the money bags approach. I'd love to be involved. That usually means disaster... ———
So we'll see. It's my first boat... So I think of it like a giant learning exercise. And one that would be fun to share... Even at my slow pace.

You imho are gonna need an agent / project manager or both ? , to act on your behalf to oversea the conversion , make sure it conforms to current standards amongst other things .
You can still be involved setting down you own rules of engagements with them ,some times leaving them to it ,eg - nitty gritty stuff like - installing the correct spec emergency lighting etc in the new space .

Other times setting the “bar “ like it needs X number of beds , or sufficient refrigeration to feed Y people .Or this many and size tender storage ,or heli deck .If you go for a heli deck ,these guys will sort out the tech stuff particularly applicable to that ,like av gas storage for example .

What are your thoughts about a heli deck ?( I ,am not familiar with S Pacific,- except the range will have to be big ?
)From observation in the Med 50 M is a bit short , Bigger stuff discreetly have the space on the bow so,s not to compromise the functionality of the stern area .Medium size have it on top of the rear fly with drop down rails and other folding stuff ?

http://www.rina.org/en/our-services/classification/marine-technical-advisory

Yard wise Italy or Turkey I would have thought .
Looking fwd to following this thread .

 

[TwoHooter]

Rob,

This is better. I think this time it's going to be fun.

Conversions are often a recipe for huge disappointment. The biggest disappointment for most people is the loss of money - you NEVER get your money back on a project like this. But we already told you that on the old thread and you're not in it for money, so put that to one side.

The second big disappointment is outright failure. Conversion projects often never get finished. Everyone always underestimates how much work is involved. Always. You keep thinking you're nearly there, but you aren't, and it just goes on, and on, and on. Often for years. Until the money or the enthusiasm dry up.

How do you stop that happening? Same as with any project really:

• Define Goals: Performance (what you want it to do), Time, and Cost. Once you've decided what you want the boat to do, do not change your mind. If you keep changing your mind about what you want the boat to do you should think about a career change to military procurement.
• Do the design - Anyone can design a pretty hull. Much harder to make all the machinery and services work.
• Do a budget and create a system to manage the money (then double the budget and call it the contingency fund)
• Do a critical path analysis and guess how long it's going to take (then double the timeline and call it the float).

I happen to know you enjoy building teams. For this project you need a very good team. If I were you I would want the following:

• Team Leader - a proven project manager who knows enough about boats to prevent the specialists baffling them with bulls**t. Reports directly to you. Big bonus for achieving agreed quality/time/cost goals.
• Chief Engineer - whose job will be to not only make sure the thing works but also that it is maintainable.
• Designer/Naval Architect - you need to keep this member on a very tight leash.
• Cost Accountant - who will try to stop you being robbed (and you will be robbed if you're not careful, you may think banksters are bad but that's only because you haven't spent much time in boatyards yet)
• Insurer - choose one who has insured conversion projects before.
• Independent Surveyor - who will develop an inspection and record-keeping system as the project progresses (you'll need that for certification and insurance).
• Secretary - this project is going to generate mountains of data, you need someone who can control that (preferably someone who is expert at digitising and maintaining digital records, ideally you want to end up with all the ship's paperwork digital, right down to the instruction book for the dishwasher). They also need to be a good co-ordinator and meeting organiser/minute-taker

Have I missed anyone?

At this stage the boat's almost irrelevant. It's the team you need to build first.

PS: don't buy anything until you are ready to use it unless you can agree with the supplier that the warranty starts from the installation date.

 

[OceanSprint]

Nice new thread!

We have sold a vessel of this age. Good strong hull, But new owners ripped out the inards (engine, motor (she was diesel electric), electrics, wiring, hydraulics etc). I think machinery of this vintage is often obsolete? Parts impossible to get and more and more problems arising?

 

[Capital_R]

Nice new thread!

We have sold a vessel of this age. Good strong hull, But new owners ripped out the inards (engine, motor (she was diesel electric), electrics, wiring, hydraulics etc). I think machinery of this vintage is often obsolete? Parts impossible to get and more and more problems arising?

Our hope, is that this one lasts 2-5 years. The machinery appears to be in exceptional condition, and the demands or expectations we have are not huge. It needs to not decay for 10 months a year, and preform well for 2-3 weeks.... So the older machinery appealed. Less electronics to go wrong... And I can fix diesels.

The engineers love this ... We hope we do too.

 

[Seastoke]

if you take it to Sweden for the work ,so can look for a 50 meter berth while you are there

 

[Capital_R]

if you take it to Sweden for the work ,so can look for a 50 meter berth while you are there

She's in Norway at present. The yard she's in, is scoping the work of the Naval Architect, so unfortunately Sweden won't work out. I read this amazing thread about a 50m yacht intending to go there. Not sure I have the time for that...!

 

[Capital_R]

Rob,

This is better. I think this time it's going to be fun.

Conversions are often a recipe for huge disappointment. The biggest disappointment for most people is the loss of money - you NEVER get your money back on a project like this. But we already told you that on the old thread and you're not in it for money, so put that to one side.

The second big disappointment is outright failure. Conversion projects often never get finished. Everyone always underestimates how much work is involved. Always. You keep thinking you're nearly there, but you aren't, and it just goes on, and on, and on. Often for years. Until the money or the enthusiasm dry up.

How do you stop that happening? Same as with any project really:

• Define Goals: Performance (what you want it to do), Time, and Cost. Once you've decided what you want the boat to do, do not change your mind. If you keep changing your mind about what you want the boat to do you should think about a career change to military procurement.
• Do the design - Anyone can design a pretty hull. Much harder to make all the machinery and services work.
• Do a budget and create a system to manage the money (then double the budget and call it the contingency fund)
• Do a critical path analysis and guess how long it's going to take (then double the timeline and call it the float).

I happen to know you enjoy building teams. For this project you need a very good team. If I were you I would want the following:

• Team Leader - a proven project manager who knows enough about boats to prevent the specialists baffling them with bulls**t. Reports directly to you. Big bonus for achieving agreed quality/time/cost goals.
• Chief Engineer - whose job will be to not only make sure the thing works but also that it is maintainable.
• Designer/Naval Architect - you need to keep this member on a very tight leash.
• Cost Accountant - who will try to stop you being robbed (and you will be robbed if you're not careful, you may think banksters are bad but that's only because you haven't spent much time in boatyards yet)
• Insurer - choose one who has insured conversion projects before.
• Independent Surveyor - who will develop an inspection and record-keeping system as the project progresses (you'll need that for certification and insurance).
• Secretary - this project is going to generate mountains of data, you need someone who can control that (preferably someone who is expert at digitising and maintaining digital records, ideally you want to end up with all the ship's paperwork digital, right down to the instruction book for the dishwasher). They also need to be a good co-ordinator and meeting organiser/minute-taker

Have I missed anyone?

At this stage the boat's almost irrelevant. It's the team you need to build first.

PS: don't buy anything until you are ready to use it unless you can agree with the supplier that the warranty starts from the installation date.

Great advice.

We've got two guys ex alloy yachts, one ex Dubois naval architect (Dubois were my go-to team for the Williamsburg feasibility study) and 4 others involved.

I want to take this slow, and be involved too... So I dont want to outsource too much.

And my goals are for maximum functionality, minimum fuss, zero utilisation on the charter market, and a whole lot of relaxation.

So we'll see how it goes.

 

[mm42]

She looks fantastic, my kind of ship. Good luck with the project and let me know if you need crew!

 

[TwoHooter]

With your goals you could find that a lot of the time you spend on board is at anchor, and most of your actual boating will be in the tender exploring lagoons and coves and beaches. That's how we use our boat. Could your boat have two tenders - one big and fast (you know, 2,000nm range, 90 knots, that sort of thing ) and posh enough for ferrying VIPs (and forumites :encouragement out to the big boat for dinner, and one very lightweight which can be pulled up above the tideline on a beach? A friend of mine inherited a super Williams tender when he bought his boat but he sold it and replaced it with a lighter RIB because he and his wife couldn't pull the Williams up a beach, it was just too heavy, and they only had space for one tender. Another couple I know have a main RIB and an inflatable micro-tender for that reason but I don't think an inflatable would be right on your boat! You could even have a sailing dinghy, or perhaps a Hobie cat. And a couple of Jetskis....

Is it going to have a new name?

 

[benjenbav]

How old is the vessel? An early concern would be whether it is stuffed full of asbestos which may well be encapsulated but which will cost zillions to manage away as soon as any attempt is made to change anything?

 

[Nautorius]

Hope you make it to Gib before the winter. It would be great to see her in the flesh. As soon as you know rough dates let me know. I will bring out a very small flotilla to welcome you.

I followed the build/story on the other thread and thought it was wonderful!

Have fun and hope you get some progress soon, let me know if you need contacts in Gib.

N.

 

[MrB]

With your goals you could find that a lot of the time you spend on board is at anchor, and most of your actual boating will be in the tender exploring lagoons and coves and beaches. That's how we use our boat. Could your boat have two tenders - one big and fast (you know, 2,000nm range, 90 knots, that sort of thing ) and posh enough for ferrying VIPs (and forumites :encouragement out to the big boat for dinner, and one very lightweight which can be pulled up above the tideline on a beach? A friend of mine inherited a super Williams tender when he bought his boat but he sold it and replaced it with a lighter RIB because he and his wife couldn't pull the Williams up a beach, it was just too heavy, and they only had space for one tender. Another couple I know have a main RIB and an inflatable micro-tender for that reason but I don't think an inflatable would be right on your boat! You could even have a sailing dinghy, or perhaps a Hobie cat. And a couple of Jetskis....

Is it going to have a new name?

I don't think he needs to worry about the size of the tender/s or toys, it's a ship! I guess he could ditch the Helicopter for a hobbie cat, inflatable micro-tender and a jetski or two at a push lol.

 

[MrB]

How old is the vessel? An early concern would be whether it is stuffed full of asbestos which may well be encapsulated but which will cost zillions to manage away as soon as any attempt is made to change anything?

1973

 

[MapisM]

you may think banksters are bad but that's only because you haven't spent much time in boatyards yet.
...
Have I missed anyone?

Having had a bit of experience with both bankers and boatyards, I'm afraid it's actually the other way round, TH: if you think that boatyards are bad, you haven't spent much time with banksters yet.
If nothing else, the former do something that is not just useful for themselves - as opposed to the latter...

Ref. your last question, I'd suggest the captain: I'd rather have him/her involved as early as possible, in a project of this scale.

 

[MrB]

To get that boat up to charter spec (post 12) and for it to look like the last pics in post 1 will cost millions. Maybe ask Eddy Jordan for Blush's plans would be cheaper?? About the same size?