Oyster Yachts gone into administration

[Daydream believer]

I think they (Windboats) were looking for something to fill the hole in their Production Capacity left by (ironically enough) the departure of Oyster as their principal client, after Oyster were bought by HTP. The GT didn't fit the bill as it goes, but they ended up building Gunfleets instead.

What both of them? Or has somebody bought another one?
Are they actually selling in any numbers?

 

[AndrewfromFal]

What both of them? Or has somebody bought another one?
Are they actually selling in any numbers?

They sold two 58s at Düsseldorf in January and they’ve completed building at least least four others. They’ve also built a couple of 43s to order, which I guess means that the four they initially built on spec all sold. So yes, they’ve done ok.

 

[Daydream believer]

They sold two 58s at Düsseldorf in January and they’ve completed building at least least four others. They’ve also built a couple of 43s to order, which I guess means that the four they initially built on spec all sold. So yes, they’ve done ok.

In how many years?

 

[CCJ]

You clearly do not understand modern production boat building methods. Unless one adopts them one will never compete on the world stage. Blokes with buckets of resin may have splodged about in the past, but there time has long gone. I do not think that the likes of Hanse,Ben,BavJen are cocking a lot up considering the vast quantities of excellent boats that they produce. HR are not so clever with their procedures, as has been proven in the past with dodgy layups.

Im told they need very careful propping ashore as the hull moulding are somewhat delicate

 

[CCJ]

What both of them? Or has somebody bought another one?
Are they actually selling in any numbers?

Still launching new 58s & a very large new Hardy recently

 

[lw395]

You clearly do not understand modern production boat building methods. Unless one adopts them one will never compete on the world stage. Blokes with buckets of resin may have splodged about in the past, but there time has long gone. I do not think that the likes of Hanse,Ben,BavJen are cocking a lot up considering the vast quantities of excellent boats that they produce. HR are not so clever with their procedures, as has been proven in the past with dodgy layups.

Modern techniques such as infusion moulding really only come into their own with long production runs, and/or where there is a big premium on a light boat.
For short runs of larger boats, the NRE just isn't worth it to save a couple of drums of resin.
For sure if you want to compete with Bavaria, you need different design concepts, based on getting boats out of the mould quickly and then out of the factory quickly.
If you are only making a handful of boats from a mould in a year, it is a completely different business.

There is not just one 'world stage' to compete on.
If you wanted to compete with Toyota, you wouldn't start by taking over Morgan.
Oyster are basically not in the same industry as Beneteau etc.

 

[AndrewfromFal]

In how many years?

No idea, and I’m only going on what I know for certain, they could have built more, but it seems to be keeping the workers at Windboats gainfully employed, which has to be a good thing.

 

[pvb]

Im told they need very careful propping ashore as the hull moulding are somewhat delicate

Whoever told you is telling porkys...

 

[AndrewfromFal]

Modern techniques such as infusion moulding really only come into their own with long production runs, and/or where there is a big premium on a light boat.
For short runs of larger boats, the NRE just isn't worth it to save a couple of drums of resin.
For sure if you want to compete with Bavaria, you need different design concepts, based on getting boats out of the mould quickly and then out of the factory quickly.
If you are only making a handful of boats from a mould in a year, it is a completely different business.

There is not just one 'world stage' to compete on.
If you wanted to compete with Toyota, you wouldn't start by taking over Morgan.
Oyster are basically not in the same industry as Beneteau etc.

The 3 big Oysters (2x100s and 1 x 125) that were built in Turkey a few years back were built using infusion moulding techniques. Word on the street was they turned out to be very expensive and time consuming (the 125 was launched something like 18 months late).

 

[pvb]

The 3 big Oysters (2x100s and 1 x 125) that were built in Turkey a few years back were built using infusion moulding techniques. Word on the street was they turned out to be very expensive and time consuming (the 125 was launched something like 18 months late).

In fairness, that was a start-up operation, wasn't it?

 

[dunedin]

Not manufacturing then? That puts the odds on an early departure a bit higher !

The owner / interimCEO does not need to be a manufacturing expert.
Instead a key skill will be attracting and appointing the right people to fill the key roles. Don’t know the individuals, but the COO and CTO appointments look a good start at bringing in high end boatbuilding and, importantly, customer/captain expertise.
A fresh mind with an eye for both tradition and innovation could be just what they need.

 

[AndrewfromFal]

In fairness, that was a start-up operation, wasn't it?

They built a 36 footer as POC/trial for the infusion process prior to building the Yachts. They'd also built a couple of super yachts prior to building the big Oysters.

 

[doug748]

Modern techniques such as infusion moulding really only come into their own with long production runs, and/or where there is a big premium on a light boat.
For short runs of larger boats, the NRE just isn't worth it to save a couple of drums of resin.....
.

Yes, the decision to use infusion moulding is as much a financial/economic decision as an engineering one, maybe more. Fancy ideas about modern production techniques have little to do with it, it is an old technology anyway.

Bavaria have never used vacuum infusion on any scale and prefer the little man with his resin roller. Only very lately have they are started to dabble with it.

 

[CCJ]

Yes, the decision to use infusion moulding is as much a financial/economic decision as an engineering one, maybe more. Fancy ideas about modern production techniques have little to do with it, it is an old technology anyway.

Bavaria have never used vacuum infusion on any scale and prefer the little man with his resin roller. Only very lately have they are started to dabble with it.

Co34 anybody, what some 40 yrs ago

 

[Scolly]

Wrexham?? Do you mean Norfolk? Labour costs may be lower, but it's surely not a modern facility, it's a shed in the middle of nowhere with little men wielding buckets of resin (sometimes not too successfully, it seems).

Suggest you drive to Hoveton and ask for a look round what is probably one of the best boat building facilities in the UK

 

[Resolution]

In fairness, that was a start-up operation, wasn't it?

I don't know which yard Oyster employed, but there are a number of vast boatsheds near Bodrum (Turkey) turning out a steady stream of GRP gulets around the 100 foot size. Massive boats with massive rigs. So there must be some considerable expertise out there.

 

[Frogmogman]

Co34 anybody, what some 40 yrs ago

Indeed. as were the Rogers 39 boats (which with a couple of exceptions were all built as race boats).

However, the raison d'être for infusion moulding on the OOD34 was to make it the best possible one design class, with near identical weight distribution in the hull and deck mouldings of all boats in the class. It was subsequently spun off into a cruising model (after sales of the OOD were destroyed by the 79 Fastnet disaster), but Jeremy Rogers didn't start moulding other boats in that way, because economically, for the numbers involved, it just wouldn't have made sense.

 

[SO40]

I don't know which yard Oyster employed, but there are a number of vast boatsheds near Bodrum (Turkey) turning out a steady stream of GRP gulets around the 100 foot size. Massive boats with massive rigs. So there must be some considerable expertise out there.

That yard was the fairly well know RMK Marine yard. But, this whole adventure nearly bankrupted Oyster last time before they got bailed out by HTP. It was a total QA nightmare, according to insiders.

However, just corked a bottle of champagne, as I read that the CEO and 2 other director have been told "their services are no longer required"!!!! :encouragement:

 

[JumbleDuck]

Suggest you drive to Hoveton and ask for a look round what is probably one of the best boat building facilities in the UK

I think he meant this impressive facility (admittedly not looking its best after a fire):

 

[JumbleDuck]

Bavaria have never used vacuum infusion on any scale and prefer the little man with his resin roller. Only very lately have they are started to dabble with it.

Vacuum infusion is a bit of a red herring. The difference between modern GRP layup and the Westerly-era sort is that both glass and resin are now very much more carefully placed, so the finished layup very much more closely matches the expected loads. When the glass is cut by machine and positioned by robot (yeah, and driven by Italians) then the mechanism for getting the resin into it is of less importance.