Any interest in a new build thread?

Barbican

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I am enjoying the updates watching how it all takes shape and fittes together. Thank you for sharing.

Glad you're enjoying it. The detail thats been missed because components get wrapped for protection will hopefully be covered when the commissioning process takes place and everything is tested before handover.
 

E39mad

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I think they have sold 9 but I'm not absolutely sure. I remember looking at the first Vancouver 34 which would have been back in your day, and seeing those 50ft cats being commissioned. We had a V27F which although Pheon built would have been moulded at Havant.

Thanks for reading the thread, and very pleased to hear you enjoyed it.

That's a good number for the size of yacht and outlay. I suppose there is not much British built competition for yachts of this size with Oyster being the only obvious candidate to mind - but still no lifting keel!

Yes the Freebird 50 catamaran was the Northshore built multihull - well ahead of it's time being a monocoque structure and sailed superbly - completely changed my view on cats (that are designed correctly) having been a staunch mono sailor for years. Shame the boat is no longer available. The V34 was a favourite of mine - beautifully balanced boat. I left Northshore at the age of 27 being the primary Southerly salesman, I was frustrated at that time with the lack of direction of the Southerly brand - the 100/115 were in desperate need of replacement and I could not see a long term future there at that time. Shame as I loved the brands and the place.

Looking forward to seeing your 480 progress.
 

Barbican

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Well another week goes by, and so another visit to see the progress on the build. Lots of work has been done, with more head/side linings installed and with the LED light units going in at the same time. Here's the fore-cabin area above the desk area showing a couple of the Quick Lighting units, and the head linings in place. In the very top left you can just see one of the overhead deck hatches, which have now got their surrounds in place, and integral fly screens and blinds installed.

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Underneath this area the first elements of the stainless steel trim were being installed in the fiddle rails, Here are some installed above the desk cupboards, with a couple of sections waiting to be installed at the base of the adjacent cupboards. At the lower left a couple of power sockets are being installed.

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And some more along the shelf beside the fore-cabin berth.

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The heads compartments are now very nearly complete with the shower door and mixer tap installed (with some festive tinsel) in this shot

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On deck stanchion bases, rubbing strakes and the aft pulpit have been installed, in this photo the bow sections are being cleaned up and inspected for any imperfections. The cove line is shown here moulded in white gel, but will soon be covered in a stainless steel coloured vinyl tape.

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In this photo the Raymarine I70s instruments were being installed in the hatch garage pod

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Other elements such as the hull transducers, and Raynet HS-5 switch, and AIS are being installed now as well, here is the HS-5 switch and AIS700 unit installed under the nav desk.

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At the stern the swim platform had been craned into position and the stainless hinges were being positioned. The blue object on the right is a stainless chain plate for the split back stay.

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More of the steering system in now in place, this photo shows the torque tube connecting the upper bevel gears to the lower gearbox

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The same components are present for both the port and starboard wheels and are linked by a tie bar shown here

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While in the same area I took a quick snap showing the cockpit drain and shore power inlet socket installed with protective boards covering the decking material with a harness attachment point, and manual bilge pump covered in yellow tape. The white paper at the left top of the photo is covering a vent grill

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Whilst underneath the waterline the four blade Maxprop feathering propeller and Ambassador rope cutter have been installed.

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And the mainsheet arch was being finished with wiring in place for the cockpit lighting, sadly I don't think this will be in place for Dusseldorf since it nearly doubles the cost of the transport because of the hight and it's not easy to put up and take down

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Over in the joinery area the floor coverings are now almost complete, ready for the edges to be sealed prior to installation

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And on a different bench more stainless trim was being fitted, here the large fiddle that goes on the aft cabin berth is being addressed.

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The last bit of the joinery which I had not seen previously is the instrument binacle to be installed on the nav table seen here after being lacquered

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So she is progressing very well, and I am very pleased with how she is coming together, can't wait to see her with all of the protective coverings removed! As I was walking between the buildings I saw one of the Bluewater 50 catamaran decks about to be transfered into the build area, and it reminded me how much bigger a 50ft cat is than a monohull, simply huge!

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MrB

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She's looking good and coming on quickly. Thanks for the update. :encouragement::cool:
 

Barbican

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So this week when I arrived the factory doors were open and the scaffolding that surrounds the boat was being removed in preparation for next weeks transportation to Dusseldorf. So for the first time the hull was in direct sunlight, and I see the first bit of "chrome" vinyl tape has been laid over the cove line which was moulded in white gel.

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Interesting to see how much lighter the grey looks in the sun compared to in the factory, here you can see the exhausts for the genset and engine, these are dry with the water exiting under the waterline

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Whilst under the boat I noticed strainers had been added to the saltwater intakes for the engine, generator and saltwater circuit for the toilets and galley

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Moving on up to the build floor, the ring deck has now been fitted, here's a shot taken before the final clean up of the caulking/detail had been done. The stanchions have also put in an appearance, with a temporary rope added for safety now the scaffold is being removed

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The last bits of deck gear have been installed

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And the I70s and waterproof USB charging point are now installed in the companionway

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The steering compasses are in position, these will be swung by Robinsons as part of the comisioning process

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Next to the compass the thruster, autopilot and main sheet winch control have been installed, as well as the keel control swim platform control and Halyard exhaust temperature alarm but these were obscured so I will add pictures at a later date.

Although completely obscured by protective material, the cockpit table is in place. This is the only raw teak on the boat, but we inevitably keep that clean anyway. The substantial handrail mounted on the table gives a secure handhold anywhere in the cockpit, and is a useful harness point in addition to the four U bolt types installed around the cockpit. On the end of the table is an Axiom Pro plotter, and emergency switches to turn off/on the electric power to the winches/windlass etc and a high power twelve volt socket.

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So after going off for a coffee I returned to look below, the galley now has a cooker installed. Its a GN Espace Ocean Chef

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And the microwave is in place

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The main reason for the visit was to see Lang and Potter who had arrived to trial fit the upholstery, so the boat was very crowded, but here are a few shots. The stainless backrests, and cushions are just resting in place so not perfect yet, but good enough to judge the effect. Heres the fore-cabin berth with its very comfy pocket sprung mattress, backlit leather headboard, and in the lower left you can just see the charcoal leather backrest for the desk seat.

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Unfortunately my phone can't get the whole cabin in one shot, but I am very pleased with how it looks. I will try and borrow my daughters SLR and get some better photos. Anyhow...

The heads is also looking complete with the Corian surfaces now exposed and the Tecma thrones installed

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The shower side of the heads is also looking good

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Here's the navstation area with the Charcoal leather seat, and in the background the Ray 63 VHF, and Mastervolt Easyview 5 panel being installed. There's a couple of 240v sockets next to the VHF, yet to have the chrome surrounds added.

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Getting out of the electricians way because he was waiting patiently! Here's the main raised saloon area with the seating in place although not installed

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The aft cabin.

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There is loads of storage in this cabin, and more lockers under the tri-view windows can be ordered, we didn't in this case, because there is plenty as standard, even with the Side Power SE100 stern thruster, Mastervolt magic charger with serial interface, and Mastervolt Mass GI3.5 Isolation transformer plus two red flash batteries and a huge heating silencer. Heres the Thruster

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Finally a visit to the joinery area to look at the doors and agree the stainless trim positions before the router is deployed. Heres a door without furniture but the effect is clear

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I will do a quick visit next week to wave the boat off to Dusseldorf, and if there is interest I will take a few shots of the stand and boat as it appears at the show. Hall 16 / C42 I believe if anyone would like to visit. Again if there is interest I will be visiting the sailmaker before the boat returns, and can post a few shots from there.
 

MrB

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Keep posting. I do like your choice of hull colour and interior upholstery colours, right up my street. Will she be finished for Dusseldorf, mast and rigging and all or are they just showing her "In build"? I bet you are getting excited for next season, great boat. :encouragement::cool:
 

Barbican

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Keep posting. I do like your choice of hull colour and interior upholstery colours, right up my street. Will she be finished for Dusseldorf, mast and rigging and all or are they just showing her "In build"? I bet you are getting excited for next season, great boat. :encouragement::cool:

Hi. Thanks for the comments its allways nice to get positive feedback, boats are a very personal thing! At the show she will be finished but not comisioned except for those items required for the show, lighting power etc. Since its indoor she will have a short display mast but not the full rig, the mainsheet arch wont be installed because of the need for a crane to mount it and the risk of damage to the boat dismounting it, transport with the arch up doubles the cost apparently and I wasnt happy to risk any accidents. Today they were temporarily glassing over the mounts, but to be fair that would be the standard spec anyhow. When she returns she will be launched from the truck for the rig and arch to go on, and then a few weeks comisioning allowing for poor weather, followed by the handover.
 

AndrewfromFal

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Please keep posting updates. I have found this whole series fascinating and very enjoyable...and given my own sense of anticipation (as a vicarious spectator) for each new post I can only imagine how you have felt visiting the factory as the build has progressed.
 

Barbican

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Please keep posting updates. I have found this whole series fascinating and very enjoyable...and given my own sense of anticipation (as a vicarious spectator) for each new post I can only imagine how you have felt visiting the factory as the build has progressed.

Thanks as well for the comments, It really helps to know that folk are enjoying the thread. The whole process from contract to handover is very enjoyable, each time you see something chosen from a tiny sample appear on the boat it's a buzz and so far positive! But I have to admit my feelings are beginning to focus on getting her launched and going cruising :)
 

Scolly

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Please keep posting updates. I have found this whole series fascinating and very enjoyable...and given my own sense of anticipation (as a vicarious spectator) for each new post I can only imagine how you have felt visiting the factory as the build has progressed.

+1
 

Barbican

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OK well I made an unplanned visit to the yard yesterday to fiddle about with the TV position and took a couple of snaps while I was there using an old camera rather than my phone. Pics came out very dark because I cocked up the settings, but anyway there are a few that aren't too dark, or suffering from camera shake!

Heres one of the aft cabin showing the headlining that has been installed

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Galley area now has the flooring in place, and the handrails for the companionway steps have been fitted

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Nav area is looking pretty complete you can see the heater controller and saloon thermostat under the desk, the Genset panel is now in place along with the VHF and Easyview 5 panel. An Echomax XS control is just hidden from sight by the Almanac shelf under the desk. Good to see the lighting is working, and one of the stereo speakers in the top left.

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The cabin doors have been fitted for the first time, so here's a couple showing the door and door furniture. They have come out very dark, but good enough to see the effect

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Heads are complete, and some cleaning up had been done, so heres one of the FWD heads so you can see the colour scheme

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Outside the short rig for Dusseldorf had been placed on the foredeck, and the final few locker doors were being adjusted here's a couple that didn't suffer too much from camera shake!

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By the time I left the boat was starting to be wrapped ready for transport to Dusseldorf, they will still have access to complete the cleanup and a few last jobs below.

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So next week she will be pushed out of the factory ready for transport on Wednesday.
 
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Barbican

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Next time I see her will be in the Dusseldorf show. Discovery just sent this through as they close up the access hole in the shrink wrap, she will be taken out of the factory later today, and loaded on to the trailer...

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Do come and say hello if you visit the show. I will be going (to keep an eye on her). I still have quite a few bits and pieces to buy so good opportunity to have a look around, and plenty of time to do it....
 
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