New build Princess F55 flybridge

[paradave]

Congrats! Really enjoying this thread and I’m trying to imagine how excited I’d be in your shoes.

 

[henryf]

Kind of excited and nervous in equal measure. We’ll be ok once I’ve been away for a few days and we’ve started using everything in anger. At this point it all feels a bit unreal and I always worry I’ll have forgotten to drive a boat, even though I was driving the old 50 footer a few weeks ago

We had the P50 for over 10 years so it was like a super comfy pair of old slippers that I knew where everything was and what all the noises were. I could tell where someone was by the trim - I’m not saying Shaz has put on a few pounds but….

 

[benjenbav]

Kind of excited and nervous in equal measure. We’ll be ok once I’ve been away for a few days and we’ve started using everything in anger. At this point it all feels a bit unreal and I always worry I’ll have forgotten to drive a boat, even though I was driving the old 50 footer a few weeks ago

We had the P50 for over 10 years so it was like a super comfy pair of old slippers that I knew where everything was and what all the noises were. I could tell where someone was by the trim - I’m not saying Shaz has put on a few pounds but….

LOL - I bet you meet quite a few people in your biz who are spending large sums of money on unnecessary but gorgeous toys and feel a bit similar. Perhaps they leave with a firm handshake and the words, “you’ll love it” ringing in their ears.

 

[jfm]

Congratulations Henry.
Looking very awesome. Nice interior choices. Looking forward to plenty more pictures please
Good to see (in a post above) that you're coding to yellow book not MGN280. Connoisseur's choice.
Any early comments on life with a gyro?

 

[Elessar]

Congratulations Henry.
Looking very awesome. Nice interior choices. Looking forward to plenty more pictures please
Good to see (in a post above) that you're coding to yellow book not MGN280. Connoisseur's choice.
Any early comments on life with a gyro?

Yellow book has got harder. I’m doing it at the moment. A good thing I think overall but more hoops to jump through now. Henry beware!

eg have to demonstrate recovery of unconscious MOB not just say “there’s the boarding ladder”.

 

[jfm]

Yellow book has got harder. I’m doing it at the moment. A good thing I think overall but more hoops to jump through now. Henry beware!

eg have to demonstrate recovery of unconscious MOB not just say “there’s the boarding ladder”.

Is that really true Elessar? It's law, and I'll happily stand corrected if wrong but I don't think law has changed. That is the whole point behind the non primary legal status of MGN280.

This link suggests yellow book is currently unchanged since 1999 Small craft codes

What does vary is the opinion of individual surveyors. I always used to get the policy of each surveyor in relation to the short list of important but controversial topics, and I only hired the ones I liked. Also, what might have changed is the umbrella policies of the surveying membership associations like YBDSA and RYA, who urge their members to follow these policies. But given that the law hasn't changed, you have a good basis to push back.

 

[Elessar]

Is that really true Elessar? It's law, and I'll happily stand corrected if wrong but I don't think law has changed. That is the whole point behind the non primary legal status of MGN280.

This link suggests yellow book is currently unchanged since 1999 Small craft codes

What does vary is the opinion of individual surveyors. I always used to get the policy of each surveyor in relation to the short list of important but controversial topics, and I only hired the ones I liked. Also, what might have changed is the umbrella policies of the surveying membership associations like YBDSA and RYA, who urge their members to follow these policies. But given that the law hasn't changed, you have a good basis to push back.

Truth is I don’t know - I go by the word of my surveyor.
I’m using the same surveyor as I did for Evenstar and I had experience of him when I had my boat business, so I trust him.
Ill do a separate thread when I get the survey done.

 

[jfm]

OK fair enough. I never accept word of my surveyor if I don't like it - in my exp they drift off from what the law requires quite often so it makes sense to pick one who does that less, and / or negotiate with them.

The yellow book contains an explicit requirement that when coding a RIB an actual recovery of someone from the water should be demonstrated. There is no such requirement for a hard hulled boat. So your survey is gold plating the actual law, and in my book has no business doing so, if his contract with you is that he inspects and certifies the boat based on yellow book.

As you say, we can this discussion to another thread sometime.

 

[Sticky Fingers]

And a few more….

Really liking your interior choices Henry. Looks very classy indeed IMHO.

 

[henryf]

I will indeed post some more images. Obviously the boat was packed for delivery and not clean. Life really starts from Wednesday providing Swanwick are happy to release it.

In terms of coding I assumed we were going down the 280 route but I absolutely agree with @jfm in his feelings re: different interpretations.

We are using the same surveyor who did the P50 originally (through Princess). We worked with him on 2 new / re-codes and we’ll get the F55 done.

@jfm is spot on in that will be a couple of points which might be critical on a particular boat so before you wade in have a chat about them and see how everyone feels. We will have an initial chat, go away and get everything sorted then have a formal survey which by then will essentially be a formality.

I agree with the principle of coding and know what’s required having run a coded boat for 11 years. Having learnt from experience I’m going to do 3 crew on this to allow for an additional host(ess) in addition to my regular crew.

We do have the option of using local Solent coding for local waters but I’m going to go down the Cat 2 route as is make it easier for everyone to tick boxes and I’m not convinced we’d save a fortune.

I did read somewhere that you’re limited to 6 scatter cushions. I’ll print off the relevant paragraph and give it to Shaz

 

[jfm]

Yes, 6 per metre of LOA

 

[Elessar]

Yes, 6 per metre of LOA

You’d still need per foot not per m……

 

[jfm]

Some images from the day

Henry, 4th pic from left, is that a joystick, to the right of the throttles? Did you change your mind?

 

[henryf]

Thankfully Sharon never comes on here so I can tell her the fire regs limit scatter cushions.

Yes, the boat is fitted with VP’s joystick control. Something to add to the learning list. Thankfully I believe the steering wheels and throttle controls still function in the traditional way allowing close quarters manoeuvrability…..

 

[rafiki_]

She looks fantastic Henry. I’m looking forward to admiring her from a suitable distance.

 

[Commercial Dave]

Yellow book has got harder. I’m doing it at the moment. A good thing I think overall but more hoops to jump through now. Henry beware!

eg have to demonstrate recovery of unconscious MOB not just say “there’s the boarding ladder”.

We go by MGN 280 and had to provide a video of us demonstrating an MOB recovery at our last 5 year renewal. We practice it a couple of times a year too but it's nice to know we can go from MOB at 35 knots to recovering them in about 70 seconds

 

[henryf]

The F55 has a hi-lo bathing platform which makes recovering an unconscious MOB from the water a lot easier than a traditional fixed platform some distance above the waterline.

I’ve got a bit of learning on the platform as well.

 

[EricJ]

Congratulations on this beautiful boat. Looks very good indeed both inside and out. will be interested to see the data vs the P50.
enjoy the handover.

 

[Commercial Dave]

Just saw that you have the IPS joystick control too. Does that include dynamic positioning? Virtual anchor or whatever Volvo call it

 

[Bouba]

The F55 has a hi-lo bathing platform which makes recovering an unconscious MOB from the water a lot easier than a traditional fixed platform some distance above the waterline.

I’ve got a bit of learning on the platform as well.

Yes, they are good for getting dogs back on board....wish I had one....you will be able to tell your clients that they can bring their dogs on their cruise