Need a steel hull

[Three kings]

After a lifetime of messing about in assorted sailboats it is time to face facts. I'm getting older and no longer find an open cockpit at 2am as much fun as I did 30 years ago. So after a year or so of research I've decided to go the trawler yacht route. There is still a bit of canvas hanging around so I don't feel as though I've abandoned my heritage and it is a workable get home rig if the donk decides to pull a sick day.

The George Buehler designed Diesel Duck ticks all the boxes for me and I've decided to build one over a period of three years. The starting point is having the steel hull, deck, and pilot house constructed but this is where I meet the first problem. Having sent the study plans to numerous yards they are either not interested, preferring to build everything and deliver a turnkey boat, or quote an astronomical price because they can only generate a computer model from the plans and produce a kit to weld together.

Are there any yards out there, preferably in the EU, who can still take a set of plans and work up a quality steel hull from steel stock or is this skill disappearing.

 

[acbruce]

These guys seem to have found one.

http://www.gbyachting.com/

 

[prv]

quote an astronomical price because they can only generate a computer model from the plans and produce a kit to weld together.

Why does this cost more? Surely if all the plates can be computer-cut, it saves a lot of man-hours and a fair bit of material waste, and ought to be cheaper?

Pete

 

[Gavi]

Peter Nicholls might be worth a look...

http://www.steelboats.com/huffler_yachts.htm

He does one-off commissions too. Not sure about price as ours is third hand

 

[The engineer]

These guys seem to have found one.

http://www.gbyachting.com/

Brilliant concept but a shame about the range with rgard to ocean crossings.

 

[Three kings]

Why does this cost more? Surely if all the plates can be computer-cut, it saves a lot of man-hours and a fair bit of material waste, and ought to be cheaper?

The additional cost arises when the yard takes the original drawings and spends a considerable amount of design time time to generate a computer model. Then a cutting disk needs to be prepared. The entire process is not cheap as the man hours involved can be significant.

Granted, if you doing a production run then this is the way to go because your design cost is spread over several boats.

The issue is finding a builder who can build from the paper plans.

 

[Tranona]

Why does this cost more? Surely if all the plates can be computer-cut, it saves a lot of man-hours and a fair bit of material waste, and ought to be cheaper?

The additional cost arises when the yard takes the original drawings and spends a considerable amount of design time time to generate a computer model. Then a cutting disk needs to be prepared. The entire process is not cheap as the man hours involved can be significant.

Granted, if you doing a production run then this is the way to go because your design cost is spread over several boats.

The issue is finding a builder who can build from the paper plans.

But overall it is probably cheaper even for a one off because the cutting is more accurate and the build time shorter. Better to spend the money on getting it right rather than sorting it as you go along.

You see plenty of poor steel hulls around that have been built from plans - and not only home builds. Given that the hull cost is less than 25% of the overall cost of the boat, maybe it is worth spending a bit more to get this right.

 

[Three kings]

That's a good point Tranona. In fairness I have just received a quote from a Dutch yard who are renowned for top quality steel boats. They too want to digitise the entire process and produce a kit which they will then assemble. The bottom line is that they are half the price of the Turkish yard and 70% cheaper than the Polish yard.

I had thought that the lower labour rates in Turkey and Poland would result in a better price but am now pleasantly surprised that the Dutch quote is so keen. Perhaps I do not need to look for the old fashioned shipwright after all.

 

[fisherman]

There used to be a steel boat builder at Islington Wharf, Penryn, the work looked really good. I have searched the net and can't find any trace, maybe someone has info.

 

[Latestarter1]

That's a good point Tranona. In fairness I have just received a quote from a Dutch yard who are renowned for top quality steel boats. They too want to digitise the entire process and produce a kit which they will then assemble. The bottom line is that they are half the price of the Turkish yard and 70% cheaper than the Polish yard.

I had thought that the lower labour rates in Turkey and Poland would result in a better price but am now pleasantly surprised that the Dutch quote is so keen. Perhaps I do not need to look for the old fashioned shipwright after all.

I suspect all is not what it seems....Dutch yards are real cute, super expertise in project management and technology, they have sub assemblies produced in Poland, bring them all together in Holland at prices lower than you can get going direct to Poland.

 

[Imperial One]

I can tell you that there is one yard I know of that sources some bits from Poland but the vast majority of Dutch yards are VERY keen to do all the work in house. They have a very strong sense of National pride and are first class people to do business with...so far in my relatively short 15 year experience of building with them!