Boat in build pics (2013 Fairline Squadron 78)

[Cardo]

That's an impressive bit of kit.

 

[STEVEDUNSTABLE]

As you say JFM, boat looks "the dogs danglers"...FANTASIC !!!!!......and to think that "little ole me" was allowed to sit in the "hot seat"... I will give you a call john as we discussed when im afloat and try and "connect".....

 

[Richard Shead]

Stunning,
I thought you would have said sod work and be out playing with your new toy

Gotta pay for it somehow...

 

[Yoeri]

Handsome looking yacht John!!

 

[jfm]

Here are a couple of geeky updates. First, here is the new Garmin 8000 glass bridge kit all installed. This is the first big end user/retail customer install of this kit in the world. On the flybridge, the new small "GMI20" instruments that replace Garmin's previous GMI10s have been installed flush mounted, in a line of 5 instruments. This was done by getting a new aluminium panel cut by Axon Components, Fairline's OEM supplier, to replace the panel that was installed on the boat when built. The new panel was CNC cut using .dxf files supplied by Garmin, then painted metallic charcoal, all by the excellent Axon. The instruments look fantastic mounted this way. The two big screens are 8015 touch screens with iPad style pinch to zoom etc, and in total there are 6 of these 8000 series touchscreens on the boat

The GHC10 autopilot controller, bottom left of steering wheel, will be replaced by the new GHC20 version this week - the new controller just arrived from Garmin

 

[npf1]

Those Garmins look stunning, espcially the flush dash. What's the Maretron display for?

 

[jfm]

The boat has bonded square flush windows like this...

... but the window in the transom door was a standard screw-in hatch from the Lewmar catalogue, pictured below, complete with visible "joint" in the bent ali frame extrusion, urgh!

I hate the Lewmar hatch so Allen and Andy, the two GRP maestros at EssexBoatyards, changed it. They made a couple of plugs, then moulds, then GRP components, and cut-n-shut them into Match2's transom door, both the inside and outside mouldings. Phoenix Special Projects, Fairline's OEM window supplier, made me a one-off bonded window, in custom size and fritting, which Allen and Andy bonded in, to produce this beautiful job. This is a really nice piece of craftsmanship, with beautiful GRP fuinishing inside and out. You cannot see the cut-n-shut joint at all and the whole thing looks like it was made this way orginally. I'm really pleased with this mod, even if it is a bit OCD

 

[jfm]

What's the Maretron display for?

The Maretron displays anything on the n2k netwrk but it does 4 things that Garmin (and Furuno, Raym, Simrad, etc) won't do, namely (1) it shows sentences the others wont support like "watermaker on"; (2) it allows user-composable labels so you can type in "electric seacock open" if you want; (3) it allows user to program device instances eg if you have two "generator on" sentences you can use the Maretron to program one as port and one as starboard; and (4) it has a moonphase/sunrise/sunset calculator page which makes for a nice/funky display. I therefore find it useful to have one Maretron in amongst the Garmin stuff, to access these features. It is a DSM250 colour display. I have another one but haven't decided where to put it yet because I've run out of room at lower helm!

 

[oGaryo]

Here are a couple of geeky updates. First, here is the new Garmin 8000 glass bridge kit all installed. This is the first big end user/retail customer install of this kit in the world. On the flybridge, the new small "GMI20" instruments that replace Garmin's previous GMI10s have been installed flush mounted, in a line of 5 instruments. This was done by getting a new aluminium panel cut by Axon Components, Fairline's OEM supplier, to replace the panel that was installed on the boat when built. The new panel was CNC cut using .dxf files supplied by Garmin, then painted metallic charcoal, all by the excellent Axon. The instruments look fantastic mounted this way. The two big screens are 8015 touch screens with iPad style pinch to zoom etc, and in total there are 6 of these 8000 series touchscreens on the boat

The GMC10 autopilot controller, bottom left of steering wheel, will be replaced by the new GMC20 version this week - the new controller just arrived from Garmin

Looking great John, I can imagine the lower helm will look equally as stunning when the grey surround units have been replaced with similar units to those up top

 

[npf1]

The Maretron displays anything on the n2k netwrk but it does 4 things that Garmin (and Furuno, Raym, Simrad, etc) won't do, namely (1) it shows sentences the others wont support like "watermaker on"; (2) it allows user-composable labels so you can type in "electric seacock open" if you want; (3) it allows user to program device instances eg if you have two "generator on" sentences you can use the Maretron to program one as port and one as starboard; and (4) it has a moonphase/sunrise/sunset calculator page which makes for a nice/funky display. I therefore find it useful to have one Maretron in amongst the Garmin stuff, to access these features. It is a DSM250 colour display. I have another one but haven't decided where to put it yet because I've run out of room at lower helm!

I should have guessed! Great attention to the detail. Like it. Thanks

 

[LionsDen]

Hi John,

Both the transom door mod and recessed instruments now look spot on - imho you did the right thing in changing the instrument door lewmar hatch

When is Match II now leaving Southampton to warmer climes

 

[pan]

Looks terrific, perhaps in the current market manufacturers should be taking note of these mods you are doing, this is super yacht design which has yet to filter down to production craft. I have felt for some time that boat instrumentation is too fragmented, helms being dominated by too many individual instruments, that could easily be combined into one or two displays & the info called upon when needed. We have a huge file on board of user manuals of all the different instruments & not being a professional skipper cannot possibly remember all the functions of each, so like us all simply work with the least amount of info necessary to navigate safely!

Brilliant job on the crew cabin window, the original was naff in the context of the whole boat, hope Fairline integrate a lot of your re-designs in future boats... unless of course you have copyright!!
Pan

 

[petem]

The boat has bonded square flush windows like this...

... but the window in the transom door was a standard screw-in hatch from the Lewmar catalogue, pictured below, complete with visible "joint" in the bent ali frame extrusion, urgh!

I hate the Lewmar hatch so Allen and Andy, the two GRP maestros at EssexBoatyards, changed it. They made a couple of plugs, then moulds, then GRP components, and cut-n-shut them into Match2's transom door, both the inside and outside mouldings. Phoenix Special Projects, Fairline's OEM window supplier, made me a one-off bonded window, in custom size and fritting, which Allen and Andy bonded in, to produce this beautiful job. This is a really nice piece of craftsmanship, with beautiful GRP fuinishing inside and out. You cannot see the cut-n-shut joint at all and the whole thing looks like it was made this way orginally. I'm really pleased with this mod, even if it is a bit OCD

Very nice. Surely that's one mod that will make it into prod?

 

[prv]

... but the window in the transom door was a standard screw-in hatch from the Lewmar catalogue, pictured below, complete with visible "joint" in the bent ali frame extrusion, urgh!

Urgh indeed! If they had to have a visible joint, they could at least have put it in the centre so that the frame was symmetrical.

Pete

 

[benjenbav]

I think that new hatch/cover could be the single most important mod of them all. Not only is it absolutely striking (match, geddit?) but it will be the first thing anyone sees as they wander down the quai when you are med moored.

 

[Firefly625]

I think that new hatch/cover could be the single most important mod of them all. Not only is it absolutely striking (match, geddit?) but it will be the first thing anyone sees as they wander down the quai when you are med moored.

+1

some folk would look at the old hatch and see nothing wrong with it (although that join is the work of the devil) . But in comparison to the new version... that single thing sums up the difference between the terms, "standard" and "custom"

Nice one John.

 

[jfm]

Thanks for the nice comments about the hatch/window. I thought I was OCD but you lot are just as bad . The Lewmar product is so awful I couldn't bear to have it on the boat, even thought it required a lot of skill and effort (on the EBY team's part) and expense to change it.

I have been amazed how these GRP maestros (Allen and Andy) are able to work with GRP to create stuff like this and blend it into the original component so the thing looks like it was made that way to begin with. These guys also did the cut n shut work on my flybridge and tender dashboards. Opens up all sorts of customisation opportunities...

As regards whether Fairline will make this change, I don't think so for now. You would think they would have done it when they changed all the hulll windows to bonded/square cornered, but they didn't. The daft irony is that if they had lent me their mould tool for a week I could have asked Allen and Andy to modify that rather than my door, at probably less cost to me than modifying the door and at zero cost to Fairline, LOL!

Fairline's current re-work project on squadron 78 by the way (as has now been leaked on the 'net) is to fit a hard top to the flybr. I think they might even have this for SIBS2013. Doesn't interest me because as said on here before many times I prefer the hydraulic fold bimini, but it will be of interest to plenty of other customers I think

Finally, in those pics of my transom with the new square window, the transom is A-Glazed with several layers of the stuff but there is no A glaze on the transom door (becuase it was still in the workshop when the A Glaze contractors did their work). I think you can see the difference in gloss in the pictures but you can certianly feel and see it in the flesh. I'm a big fan of A Glaze and have used it on last 3 boats from new.

 

[MapisM]

Well J, as you know I hate with a passion the square windows on the hull, because I think they make the Sq78 look like they coupled the hull and the superstructure of two different boats (each to their own on that, of course).
That said, I completely agree that your mod looks like it was originally designed at the factory, which is the best recognition any ex-post modification can achieve. Very well done to all those involved.
Otoh, I hope you don't mind if I had the following first thought, along the kiss principle, while looking at your pics.
Wadduthink, doesn't it actually look better than anything else - aside from being obviously also stronger?
Not to mention less expensive - not that it really matter on a boat like this...

 

[benjenbav]

Don't you have to pay the crew more if they have no natural light?

 

[newWave]

I think they make the Sq78 look like they coupled the hull and the superstructure of two different boats

I must admit that I have to agree with MapisM on that one. (no offence intended)
Maybe the EBY guys could take this up as a challenge for Match3 ?

Besides that, I do feel, as so many here, that JFM has created a piece of art that is also practical and sensible.