Wood Constructed Vessels – Buyer beware

Caveat emptor – wood rot is a prevalent issue in most wooden vessels

Any prospective purchaser must fully appreciate and understand that the surveyor is NOT able to give an opinion or guarantee as to the extent or degree or equally qualify the degradation / wood rot found at time of inspection WITHOUT EXPOSING SAME.  It is for example quite normal to find sample areas of wood rot in the centre of a plank, but not the inside. And until the plank is removed the extent or degree of any further degradation is an unknown. Therefore, the extent and degree of (any) consequential wood rot penetration & spread, is an unknown and cannot be verified by the surveyor

Equally in any underlying sub-structure scantlings such as timbers, ribs, frames & bearers etc, the full extent and degree of any degradation (wood rot) of such sub-structure, will not be apparent or visible until such time as any fixed structure such as planking, furniture, decks, floors etc are removed thus exposing the sub-structure and enabling further examination

It is therefore prerequisite that any prospective buyer factors in the above when making an offer, plus the possible and consequential increased repair costs.

The following are file photos of a recent inspection highlighting a motor yacht’s wood hull – general condition and the extent of the structural work necessary to put right, plus the associated high labour costs involved

For more information contact:

European Marine Services Ltd

Marine Surveyors & Consultants | ADR Mediation  |  Expert Witness 
www.europeanmarinesurveys.com
Tel: (44) 01603 327 123

In mid and late 2023 European Marine Services undertook two most interesting marine insurance surveys / inspections of    2x Rannoch R45 Ocean Row Boats

Team ‘HODL’  (Hold on for Dear Life) Rowing the Pacific Ocean from USA to Hawaii – 3 Man Crew   

  Team HODL

Pacific Rowing Challenge 2023

Team HODL is a 3-person crew taking on the challenge of rowing across the Pacific Ocean, from Monterey Bay California to Hawaii, to raise donations for the Ocean Cleanup Charity. It’s a 2,800 mile journey that if completed in under 60 days, becomes a World Record too. 

It’s a project that started with planning 18 months ago. At the beginning, the team had no financial resources or boat. They spent their early days doing marketing stunts such as rowing on a borrowed rowing machine in parks. This got them press attention and then allowed them to reach out to sponsors. From there, the project grew larger and larger, with media attention coming from ITV, BBC and Sky News. 

As mentioned, the journey will take around 60 days and within that, each person will roughly row 16 hours a day, and rest for 8 hours. The shift pattern is to row for 3 hours and rest 90 minutes at a time. That rest does not necessarily mean sleep as they need to fuel themselves, hydrate, clean their bodies and maintain any issues with the boat. On average, each crew member will consume between 5,000 – 6,000 kcal per day and drink around 6 litres of water. The water is produced through a water-maker that separates the water and the salts from the sea water.

Team  ‘The Big Oardeal’  Rowing the Atlantic Ocean from Canary Isles to Antigua – 4 Man Crew       

Team ‘The Big Oardeal’

” Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge”

Starting from San Sebastián de La Gomera in the Canary Islands and finishing in Antigua.

Rowing 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and hoping to complete the journey in about 35 days.

Rowing over 1.5 million strokes, burning 5,000 + calories a day, and facing waves up to 20 feet high.

Rowing a 28-foot Rannoch RX45 specially designed for ocean voyages

Update 16 Jan 2024:  Day 34 Currently lying in 12th position with 600nm left to row. The lead boat is almost there

File photos

For more information contact European Marine Services Ltd. 

     Marine Surveyors & Consultants | ADR Mediation  |  Expert Witness 
www.europeanmarinesurveys.com
Tel: (44) 01603 327 123

Upon the instructions of the Norfolk Wherry Trust, European Marine Services Ltd had the pleasure of undertaking a Hull Condition Inspection on the Wherry Albion, the Wherry being out of the water at Cox’s Boatyard, Barton Turf

Cox’s, Barton Turf being one of the few facilities that is able to handle with ease a vessel of this size and weight

General Description of the Wherry Albion

The Wherry Albion is a traditional wherry, and until the completion of Maud was the only trading wherry in sailing order. She is a classic wherry in form with the black sail that characterised the trading wherries, although she is the only one ever to have been carvel-built – her hull is made with planks that are flush at the seams.

She was built at Lake Lothing, located between Oulton Broad & Lowestoft Harbour. Suffolk in the yard of William Brighton. Her “shed” was an old ice house which was demolished after she was launched.

Dimensions: 58ft. x 15ft. x 4ft. 6ins. (17.69m x 4.57m x 1.37m), or, if the rudder is included 65ft. overall. Unladen weight 23 tons

Albion was built for the firm of Bungay Maltsters, W.D. and A.E. Walker in c 1898 and has been known to carry up to 45 tons of general cargo to include coal, wood, sugar beet, ice and manure

Outline:

The hull was extensively coated with tar varnish up to approximately ½” thick, which tar varnish has now been removed exposing the bottom planking and seams

The interior central cargo hold had all flooring removed exposing all scantlings / structure and providing good access.

Lengths of 1.5 inch thick oak planking have already been removed due to overall structural deterioration, currently awaiting replacement oak boards.

The original hardwood laminated keel has been removed and replaced with a purpose designed steel box sectioned (aft) and deep mild steel continuous USB keel, being through bolted to the hog and internal members

For more information contact European Marine Services Ltd. 

     Marine Surveyors & Consultants | ADR Mediation  |  Expert Witness 
www.europeanmarinesurveys.com
Tel: (44) 01603 327 123

EMS received instructions in late 2019 from an International Hire Fleet Operator to undertake ‘walk through inspections’ of some 112 charter / hire craft based in Germany, Holland, Irish Republic and Northern Ireland.

The selected charter vessels being both ashore and afloat and covered all models and construction designs – aft cockpit, centre cockpit in both GRP and steel

We had specific inspection criteria governing the areas of reporting to include such as the hull & superstructure, internal presentation & condition, engine & engineering services, heating & lighting, windows & deck gear etc

To meet very tight time schedules and targets to complete the entire exercise in some three weeks. EMS had three surveyors undertaking the inspections, which project we managed to complete in some 13 working days averaging 8 vessels per day 

For more information contact European Marine Services Ltd. 

     Marine Surveyors & Consultants | ADR Mediation  |  Expert Witness 
www.europeanmarinesurveys.com
Tel: (44) 01603 327 123

  6.8m Wood Crab Boat c 1972

A very pleasant way to spend a sunny afternoon at Well-next-Sea

EMS recently carried out a marine survey for insurance purposes on a very nice inshore wood fishing boat c 1972 that is currently used for (commercial) crab and lobster fishing and has recently undergone some refurbishment (WIP) with a new Yanmar diesel engine and other equipment /engineering services

This small craft being quite typical of local fishing boats – open cockpit with a very small cuddy forward and a centrally located diesel engine

We found several areas that required attention to include such as the newly installed Fuel System – isolation valves / filters etc  /  the piping and isolation valves being unsupported and consequently leaking, and equally do not conform to good engineering installation practices or recommendations

   Fuel system layout not recommended

Other significant areas that required attention included  ……

• Battery Security – Batteries being unsecured and free to move – not recommended in an open sea and rough conditions as the vessel is likely to loose all electrical services
• Steering System – Being wire & pulley where the wires were not attached / secured professionally to the transom mounted rudder tiller and consequently the wires could chafe and fracture – and loosing steering at sea could be embarrassing – No emergency steering facility fitted
• Raw Water Seacocks – All piping needs to be secured with twin J clips and though a single J clip may well be sufficient, insurance requirements are for two
• Exhaust Hose – Non exhaust hose (not coded) being fitted, though this is possibly OK – existing hose is an ‘off the shelf’ heat resistance hose

    Wells harbour at low tide

In summary this is a very nice and reasonably well maintained 6.8m crab and lobster boat, but recent upgrades have been undertaken without professional input

For more information contact European Marine Services Ltd.  Marine Surveyors & Consultants 
EMS also undertake Boat Safety Inspections & Engine Inspections

www.europeanmarinesurveys.com
Tel: 01603 327 123  

European Marine Services Ltd  inc. European Marine Surveys carry out insurance Damage Assessments and Loss Adjusting etc for most of the major Marine Insurance Companies – plus Marine Surveys for Insurance Purposes

       Norman 18 – Accidental Sinking

REMEMBER to check and service those fittings below the floors which are not obvious being ………….

                                                                   ‘Out of Sight – Out of Mind’

This was a very unfortunate accident and was consequent of a ‘loose’ skin fitting’ in the bottom of the boat – feeding cooling water to the engine

In summary the raw water seacock involved fed the engine cooling and was therefore subject to some vibration. It would appear that over time the vibration resulted in the securing nuts etc working loose thus allowing limited ingress of water

Regretfully there was no 12v Auto bilge pump   –   Which is an Insurance Requirement

The Norman 18 was left overnight moored in some reeds due to engine failure and upon the return of the owner the next day he found the above –  see photo

This boat was the owner’s treasured possession and though the vessel was old, the owner nevertheless got a lot of pleasure just river cruising and watching the world pass by………..

History – Norman Cruisers of Shaw, Lancashire were a prolific designer of inland cruisers, building a total of 7000 craft. The company founded in the late 1950s went into GRP production in the mid 1960s, starting with the Norman 17.

The business ceased trading in December 1979 (The Winter of Discontent) and started again in 1980. New models were introduced 24, 27 and 22 wide beam but the moulding shop was destroyed in a fire in 1982. This destroyed most of the moulds and the business never recovered. Some moulds were re-built and when the business finally ceased, these were sold and marketed under other names. Also some designs were copied and made into hybrids.

In the 1970s around 65% of boats were exported. Principle markets (in order of Volume) were Holland, Germany, Norway, France, Sweden. Boats in Holland were imported by Internaut of Rotterdam and were sold under the name of “Inter”. Hence the 20 was the Inter620.

Norman Cruisers were in the top 3  largest pleasureboat builders in the UK. Westerley Yachts being the biggest.

For more information contact European Marine Services Ltd.  Marine Surveyors & Consultants                    

EMS also undertake BSS Inspections & Engine Oil Analysis Reports
Tel: 01603 327 123      www.europeanmarinesurveys.com

Background

European Marine Services undertake insurance claims, disputes and investigations for most of the UK’s leading insurance companies and this Herbert Woods GRP yacht was subject to an accident damage inspection in early 2016 involving a damaged keel – We duly inspected, estimated costs, reported, approved repairs and both ourselves and the insurance co thought that was an end to the matter.

Many months later following some quite expensive repairs the yacht heads south to the southern rivers for winter storage. The owner leaves the boat tied to the quay heading overnight – In the morning the yacht is found as seen above – SUNK

All initial suspicions fall on the earlier repairs (which had also involved sinking)  and of course the repairers yard which needed to be eliminated

The first problem was how to get this yacht out of the water which duly involved large strops (plus a diver) and secured land ties to haul the yacht upright followed by a pumping operation – Expensive

Investigation

The first question to be answered was had the earlier keel repair(s) contributed to the sinking – No

The second question was to establish if any of the many underwater skin fittings / seacock valves had failed, and though several of the installations were very much a DIY installation it would appear they all were ‘sound’

Engine propeller shaft, stern tube gland, rudder tube and all associated fittings when inspected appeared secure

Water was also seen to be ‘dripping’ from the aft end of the keel moulding (laminations) but not in enough volume / quantity to result in such a quick sinking

This presented a problem as this yacht did not sink without ‘due cause’ and there were no other through-the-hull-fittings and no damage

OR were there ??      Well   Yes …………………..

Sited below the aft portside gunwale was the exhaust outlet to a hot air heater – and all appeared secure, and other than a visual inspection there was no way of checking

There had to be a reason for the sinking and the resourceful boat yard owner suggested we pour water from a watering can through the exhaust hull outlet

Pouring water into exhaust outlet / resourceful boat yard owner

Lo and behold the water poured through the exhaust piping entered the hot air heater and exited through the air manifold into the boat AND in addition the exhaust hose was split at the unit junction and again water was viewed entering the boat

Summary

The sinking was consequent of the following:

The yacht’s keel at low tide sat on the river bottom and the yacht leaned outward due to slack mooring ropes

As the tide turned the water came firstly up the hull’s port side before there was enough buoyancy for flotation

Water entered the hot air heater exhaust outlet and into the heater unit and out through the air inlet. In addition through the faulty / split exhaust hosing

With the yacht leaning well over to port – As the tide rose the cockpit slowly filled with water through the exhaust hosing with the inevitable conclusion that there was never enough buoyancy to float this yacht.  Eventually the tide was above the port cockpit coaming and that was the end.

For more information contact European Marine Services Ltd.  Marine Surveyors & Consultants

EMS also undertake Boat Safety Inspections

Tel : 01603 327 123        www.europeanmarinesurveys.com

On behalf of Haven Knox-Johnson (Amlin) we recently inspected a Nirvana 30 that had sunk at its moorings consequent of vandalism, being now pumped out and now afloat

Due to a low insured value this vessel is a Total Constructive Loss (TCL) and therefore being Offered for Sale as Salvage

The engine is a 2 cyl diesel Kubota ZB750 shaft drive, and the engine has not been removed or inhibited

However, in our opinion this vessel other than (minimal) water damage is very recoverable and would be a commercially viable project

For more information contact European Marine Services Ltd.  Marine Surveyors & Consultants

Tel : 01603 327 123        www.europeanmarinesurveys.com

What really happened to Polina Star 111   ?

The below is reproduced with the kind permission of Charles J Doane of Wavetrain

The genesis of this story was an incident that occurred back in July 2015 in which Polina Star III, an Oyster 825, which reportedly had been extended to 90 feet and was just over a year old, was lost off the coast of Spain. The very first report came from Oyster, but contained no details, stating only that the boat “suffered a serious incident which compromised the integrity of the moulded hull.” A follow-up report by Yachting World, published in August, added little more, noting only that Oyster believed the boat may have run aground and there were rumors it had capsized before foundering.

Oyster 825 Polina Star 111 Under Sail                   Polina Star in slings following salvage

In the last few days the Italian skipper of the boat has been sharing his account of the event, and photos of the wreck, which was recovered and has been closely examined, have also been circulating online. Though the exact causes are unclear, it is perfectly clear that there was no grounding and that the boat suffered from major hull delamination that led to its keel suddenly falling off.

The photographs of the damage, which have been published by a pair of German and Russian sailing publications, are staggering:

Laminate torn away                                                       Exposed wiring / services 

Root of stub keel                                                              Intact keel bolts

The skipper, Alessio Cannoni, who has straightforwardly identified himself as “Alessiocannoni” in a Cruisers Forum discussion of the event, described the incident as follows:

FACT 1: (why I know what I know)

The owner built the boat with the target to sail around the world, then he asked to me to follow the commissioning, to prepare the boat for this long trip and to choose and to organize the crew. I arrived in the shipyard in the April 2014, and I stayed there every day up to the launch of the boat in July, then I have sailed on her as captain about 10.000 miles: Southampton- Norway and back, Southampton-Las Palmas, ARC rally, cruises in Caribe, Antigua-Alicante (we never arrived).

FACT 2: (the crew)

The boat had two permanent crew member, to be able to manage this aspect I have organized a turn-over of 5 people:
Alessio Cannoni
Dafne Mele
Giulia Visintin
Monica Rosini
Riccardo Salimbeni

during last trip the professional crew was: me and Dafne.

FACT 3 (the boat design)

the boat was not extended, she was designed and built by Oyster exactly as you can see in the pictures.

FACT 4: (the meteo)

we sunk in a sunny day we were reaching in 18 kn of TW with about 1.3 m of wave, sailing with staysail and 80% main sail.

FACT 5: (SHORT DESCRIPTION OF THE ACCIDENT)

3 JULY 2015 TIME 14:07′
strong noise with vibration from the hull
14:07’15”
big flooding in the engine room
14:07’30”
water over the service batteries; all systems KO
14:07’45”
I bear away, the crew prepare emergency bilge pump, life rafts, grab bags, furl manually the stay sail, send the may-day by standard-C and by VHF
14:13′
the keel disconnected completely and the boat capsized, in that moment I was standing up in front of the chart table (deck-house) sending the may-day, the water was already cooling down my balls.
a fishing boat “fished”us after a couple of hours.

Keel still attached to stub keel                                      Broader view of keel

FACT 6:

we made a video from the life raft, it show the two rudders pointing the sky perfectly intact, a big hole in to the hull; the relic float upside down all night long, the following morning we found the boat still floating about 15 miles from the capsizing point, one missing rudder, the other one partially broken.

FACT 7:

the CEO of Oyster knows exactly this story, he sent two people on site the following day, I told them every single detail of the accident and I gave to them all the pictures and movies that I had and that I still have.

The relic of the boat and the keel was rescued in October. This operation was a month-long, I participated to this operation and I participated also to the survey performed by all the insurance company’s surveyors. We are waiting for the response.

  Polina Star 111

Author’s Background – Who is Charlie J Doane ?

Charlie has worked as a boating journalist since 1986, including stints on staff at SAIL, Cruising World, and Offshore.  Currently he is cruising editor for SAIL.  His freelance work has appeared in Ocean Navigator, Blue Water Sailing, the New York Times, Sailing, Yachting Monthly, Yachting World, Good Old Boat, and other seemingly reputable publications.

Link – http://wavetrain.net/news-a-views/705-another-major-keel-failure-what-really-happened-to-polina-star-iii

For more information contact European Marine Services Ltd.  Marine Surveyors & Consultants 
EMS also undertake Boat Safety Inspections & Engine Inspections

www.europeanmarinesurveys.com
Tel: 01603 327 123

Japan – A long way to go for a Marine (Insurance) Survey, but a great adventure & experience

Several years ago back in 2007 we had the pleasure and honour to be instructed by a large Japanese Corporation to undertake a Condition Survey / Valuation of this most famous 110′ gaff rigged ketch built in 1927 by Camper & Nicholsons UK.  (Launched as ‘Gwendolen’)  We therefore thought that this condition / valuation survey would make an interesting blog

Dimensions:   Auxilliary Gaff Rigged Ketch ‘Cynara’        LOA  109′ 8″ x   Beam 18′ 7″ x   Draft 11′ 3″

Rumour is that ‘Cynara’ belonged at one time to Winston Churchill. The Cynara itself doesn’t have a log. It also doesn’t have a certificate to prove Churchill’s ownership. However the Japanese owner’s believe this to be true

During her early years she was owned by Lord Northampton, her longest owner to date, and was later used for charter in the Mediterranean where she entertained the likes of Prince William of Gloucester. Another of her accolades involves the film industry where Cynara starred in the film, Arriverderci Baby ! with Tony Curtis and Zsa Zsa Gabor.

Cynara (73.4 tons) was sailed to Japan in 1973 to become a promotional tool for ‘Seibu’, a Japanese department store. Cooking classes were held on ‘Seibu’s luxury yacht’ as part of the companies’ ‘edutainment concept’ and she regularly went out on sunset cruises. During this time her devoted skipper took serious pride over the maintenance of the vessel, especially when it came to his varnish!

View aft standing on bow sprit                  Deck view                   View from beneath with a 11′ 3″ draft

Japan (Tokyo) is a long way to go to undertake a condition survey & market valuation, plus travelling south to Kanagawa (marina) which took a day by car, but had the pleasure of the bullet train ride back to Tokyo – a very rewarding experience

If anyone wants to know what it is like staying in a local Japanese hotel with communal bathing and sleeping on a mat on the floor plus eating ‘real’ Japanese food,  don’t ask.

       My two Japanese helpers

Plan of Cynara

For more information contact European Marine Services Ltd – Marine Surveyors & Consultants Tel :  01603 327 123        www.europeanmarinesurveys.com