Any interest in a new build thread?

[Barbican]

Southerly 480 build thread

Recently signed up for a new boat (sail), so whilst I will probably produce a blog to share my experience with other potential buyers of the same boat/builder I thought I would check to see if there's any interest on the forum.

So let me know!

 

[sarabande]

Yes ! Winter is approaching....

 

[Barbican]

Yes ! Winter is approaching....

Well the build is well underway but I have been taking a pictures during the process but she should be finished during December, then rigged and launched at some point in Feb for comisioning. January will be taken up with the boat going to Dusseldorf Boot, so there is quit a lot going on..

 

[Neeves]

Other people have had 'new build' threads. Consider what the target audience is here, and on PBO - and if your yacht fits that cross section you will find people are interested. If you are building a super yacht or even a superyacht I think you will cater for dreams not reality.

So - if relevant to the membership - lots of interest, especially if its a 'popular' yacht with a 'common' construction.

Jonathan

 

[Fossil]

Yes! Lots of interest... never mind the implied snobbery, doesn't matter what type of yacht you are building/having built for you, there will be an intrigued audience for what you are doing. If it is of a type we can all relate to - what the snobs call an "AWB", it will be just as interesting - possibly more so - as a timber classic or a superyacht. And I'll still read it with interest is it is one of the latter!

Do make sure that they get the helipad in the right way up, though, otherwise I might stop reading!


It's ALL about dreaming isn't it, sailing?

 

[Barbican]

Well the boat is a Southerly 480, being built by Discovery Yacht Group in Marchwood so not big enough for a helipad but we might have room for a folding bike instead.
I will get some pics organised and post some later today

 

[Blue Sunray]

Well the boat is a Southerly 480, being built by Discovery Yacht Group in Marchwood so not big enough for a helipad but we might have room for a folding bike instead.
I will get some pics organised and post some later today

:encouragement:

 

[steveeasy]

Great,
Ill find such a thread interesting, the build process, Launching, and your early adventures.

Good Luck and have fun.

Steveeasy

 

[GHA]

:encouragement:

 

[Skylark]

I bought my new boat 5 years ago so I suspect that my buying days are over. That said. I’d love to read about the inevitable ups and downs as she evolves from her shell to become a fine seagoing vessel.

By comparison to yours, mine was bought from a supermarket so I’m interested to read how the build develops from a bespoke yard.

Many congratulations on your purchase, I’m envious already!

Looking forward to reading all about it.

 

[Barbican]

OK so as above our new girl is a Southerly 480 being built by Discovery yachts in Southampton. We have specified her quite conservatively since there are some things I think we will be able to better asses once we are using the boat. In some cases some preparation is being done for example wiring, pipework where the runs might be painful after build.

Here's a video of the hull moulding just getting under way.

https://flic.kr/p/2c7JtYe

This shows the Ral7012 grey gelcoat above the waterline and clear below the first layers of glass. The white paper area is where the keel grounding plate and keel box will be installed. The wooden lumps are the lands for hull ports

I will now try and find out how to embed videos.....

 

[Tranona]

This promises to be very different from the build of my new Bavaria in 2015. Moulded hull on a Monday, complete by Friday midday. Paperwork available next Tuesday, paid final balance same day and delivered to Hamble on following Sunday. If it had not been for Coppercoating it could have been commissioned and launched by following weekend. Actually handover (with no defects) 3 weeks later.

Hope your build goes as smoothly even if it takes longer. Does give you the chance to record it though!

 

[Barbican]

Yes Tranona - big difference in the low volume approach, still they all float at some point! This should be a bit different as well. This is the Keel and grounding plate. Actually this is from a different boat, but they are the same.



The keel is around 2tons and the grounding plate around 4.

The Keel is covered by the keel box, which looks like this

Again this is a different boat being built alongside mine - by the time I got to photograph this it was already largely hidden on my boat.

 

[Barbican]

This shows the hull some while later in the build, in this photo you can see the SSB ground plane as an orange stripe across the hull. It's one of the things Discovery have put in to save hassle later if its needed. Although it cant be seen in the layup, forward of the keel there is an extra layer of kevlar included, which I am told will help if ever I hit any underwater objects, which I hope never gets put to the test....

You can also see the bulkhead woodwork has a horizontally arranged grain, in this case it is crown cut Light Walnut, its such a light boat when it's outside I think we can get away with not having a light finish

This is the aft cabin, on the left are the ends of the engine bearers, and the first bits of the floor grid. The rubbish bag on the right is actually covering the stern thruster tunnel which ends up under the bed.

 

[XDC]

I’m not rude enough to ask the final cost (not bothered actually) so I don’t feel I’m being intrusive if I ask could you give details of the stage payment percentages? And who owns that money, is it in escrow?

Looking at Tranonas example I imagine there would have been a large lump sum payment up front with a percentage held back until satisfied.

Thanks

 

[matt1]

This promises to be very different from the build of my new Bavaria in 2015. Moulded hull on a Monday, complete by Friday midday. Paperwork available next Tuesday, paid final balance same day and delivered to Hamble on following Sunday. If it had not been for Coppercoating it could have been commissioned and launched by following weekend. Actually handover (with no defects) 3 weeks later.

Hope your build goes as smoothly even if it takes longer. Does give you the chance to record it though!

Hi Tranona - Did you get to see her in build? I'm intrigued about curing, as the Bavaria factory video (I think from circa 2015) shows loads of new boats outside the yard awaiting delivery. Which made me wonder whether they were stored there for curing, else why wouldn't you just get your boat collected asap once she emerged from the factory gates? Could you literally tension the rig up and launch the following week?

 

[Barbican]

I’m not rude enough to ask the final cost (not bothered actually) so I don’t feel I’m being intrusive if I ask could you give details of the stage payment percentages? And who owns that money, is it in escrow?

Looking at Tranonas example I imagine there would have been a large lump sum payment up front with a percentage held back until satisfied.

Thanks

I will look them up for you, just been called for dinner, so a couple of hours.....

 

[Dave100456]

An interesting thread, love to hear your thoughts/ decisions on elec energy, solar, genset, batts, etc.

What date do you have for hand-over?

 

[Barbican]

Hand over will be end of Feb I expect, although she will be largely complete in December, she is expected to be in Dusseldorf in Jan, so rigging and comisioning after that.

Will start to cover the spec soon as I catch up with the build progress, Im a bit behind but the main decisions are to go with 24v system with MV lithium batteries, charging through a second 24v 75 amp alternator (the standard 12v alt will just charge the engine/generator start batt) and an Onan genset charging through a MV Ultra Combi with 100amp charger (and 3500watt inverter). The options around Solar/Hydro we have provided for, but will not actually install until we have some time on board to determine the exact requirement. I tried to pre determine usage last time and got it mostly wrong.

Other decisions have been to use Raymarine electronics and as much water tankage as we can fit (around 200gals) hoping to avoid adding a watermaker until later on in our travels, although space and some preparation is being done. We haven't fitted aircon at this stage, but the genset is man enough to run it if required, and the installation spaces for units in three cabins has been left available/accessible.

We have also chosen synthetic decks in an effort to eliminate any exterior wood, to reduce the time spent looking after it and as such we have chosen a fairly light silver/grey colour rather than trying to emulate teak which is the standard fit.

Selden aluminium spars Furlex for the double headsails and inmast for the main which is standard on the 480. Sails will be Vectran cloth

So she will be quite a simple spec from compared to what the builders are used to, but doubtless she will get more grafted on as we go....

Will go into a bit more of the rationale as these things turn up in the build sequence...

 

[Tranona]

Hi Tranona - Did you get to see her in build? I'm intrigued about curing, as the Bavaria factory video (I think from circa 2015) shows loads of new boats outside the yard awaiting delivery. Which made me wonder whether they were stored there for curing, else why wouldn't you just get your boat collected asap once she emerged from the factory gates? Could you literally tension the rig up and launch the following week?

That video was in the days when the boats outside would have been about a week's production. Moat of the smaller boats only take a week to build - the hulls are moulded and cured (in an oven) in a day and then filled with all the other bits in the next 4 days!. Clearly bigger boats take longer, but principle is the same. Hull moulding may be different now as later hulls are resin infusion moulded.

You have to remember the factory is about as far from the sea as you can get in Europe so boats have 3-5 days to get to the commissioning location. My previous boat (in 2001) was commissioned in Slovenia and the time scales were much the same.

I had almost all the "extras" factory fit so the boat could have been sailed 2 days after the Coppercoat was cured, although weather and commitments elsewhere meant a 10 day gap before sea trial and handover.