Gas cylinder welded to hull, with pics - any ideas why?

[gravygraham]

Here's a head scratcher for you. The General Ironside is parked two slots up from us in the boat park and has a 47kg LPG cylinder welded to it. Anybody care to make a guess what's going on? Notice the s/s sleeve protruding out the bottom of the cylinder.

 

[[2068]]

It's either a torpedo tube (end piece to be openable), or the welder has read about the use of underwater "bulbs" on big ships, and tried to emulate this in a very Heath-Robinson-esque way.

 

[epervier]

Or he's watched Bogy and Hepburn too many times in The African Queen.

 

[Spi D]

Idea is good and well proven although the solution is a bit unusual.

Elvström used it when he designed the well respected Coronet MS

 

[prv]

I vote for DIY bulbous bow as well, though the pipe out the bottom is a bit of a mystery. Presumably he will be fairing over the valve on the end before launch.

Pete

 

[jfm]

Amazing. I'd vote for diy bulbous bow too. And I've no idea what the downward facing fitting is. He's done an incredibly good job cutting the cylinder to exactly the correct shape to match the hull. Seems to have run out of welding rod at the end though. Overall, a very bad idea imho, but if he puts an underwater light on the top of it pointing up at the bow it will at least serve some purpose. I love the Calor Gas lettering and hope he isn't going to grind that off

 

[Robg71]

Just take the valve out and plug it

 

[Firefly625]

That is the most brilliant pbo type item I have seen for some time. I take my hat off for such misguided brilliance.

 

[omega2]

Just a small draw back, if that anchor is deployed as is then the bulb will go for a burton. Also "calor" may have something to say about the use of the cylinder. But great workmanship all the same.

 

[moonraker 36]

does this mean calour now has a stake in his boat.. as they now own the bow section?

 

[gravygraham]

He's done an incredibly good job cutting the cylinder to exactly the correct shape to match the hull.

Err, actually it's not that good. The pics don't show, but it's about 3" off-center. I know what you mean about getting the curves cut properly though.

 

[moonraker 36]

just seen above...always was abit slow...!!

 

[TimBennet]

That is the most brilliant pbo type item I have seen for some time. I take my hat off for such misguided brilliance.

Fantastic phrase - and fantastically accurate. There's been lots of effort to make bulbous bows work on yachts, especially on trawler style yachts of 60 feet and up.
Nordhavn have probably done the most test tank and full size model testing and have struggled to refine the geometry in order to guarantee any speed or fuel efficiency improvement.

Certainly welding a gas cylinder on the bow is almost 100% guaranteed not to work.

 

[[2068]]

Footnote: the cylinder is still full of Calor Gas. There is a flexible pipe leading through the anchor locker leading to what looks like a small water cannon on the foredeck, but with a small pilot flame???

 

[daveyw]

Err, actually it's not that good. The pics don't show, but it's about 3" off-center. I know what you mean about getting the curves cut properly though.

To be 3" off centre must be a deliberate design feature although I can't imagine the logic.

 

[elton]

Footnote: the cylinder is still full of Calor Gas. There is a flexible pipe leading through the anchor locker leading to what looks like a small water cannon on the foredeck, but with a small pilot flame???

Perhaps he's going to fit a gas-propelled harpoon launcher on deck. Somalian pirate defence mechanism perhaps?

 

[daveyw]

Is this it?

http://www.itu.int/online/mms/mars/ship_detail.sh?lang=en&1802684&GENERAL+IRONSIDE

Anyone know Mr Hayward to ask him?

 

[Dipper]

He (or she) is going to bubble air through the sleeves to reduce hull friction?

Or possibly more likely, some instruments are going to fit/protrude through the sleeves (there seems to be two of them) to take some form of scientific measurements away from the disturbance of the hull?

 

[[2068]]

Perhaps he's going to fit a gas-propelled harpoon launcher on deck. Somalian pirate defence mechanism perhaps?

No no no, I think I've got it.
See that ramp on the foredeck?
It's a compressed gas powered anchor-catapult.

You load up the anchor into the end of the ramp, check there is enough free chain, and set the compression level to one of:
"Short Stay", "Out for the night", or "Goodbye".

.

 

[vas]

Err, actually it's not that good. The pics don't show, but it's about 3" off-center. I know what you mean about getting the curves cut properly though.

3inch offcentre maybe to counterbalance the torsional wotsits that are produced by the single prop when the hull reaches the speed of light or something?

is that a mobo or sail thing?

V.