Writing

Finding a boat: An overview…

Fredrikstad in North of Norway summer 2006

Although we haven't done it yet, I suspect buying a boat is very easy and selling very difficult; I am sure you only buy a bad boat once!

Starting out

We started out attacking google with 'a vengeance'. There are brokers and websites displaying the massive array and it soon became clear that everyone and his dog has a boat for sale. Which brings me nicely on to power or sail?

Well after the experience of Christmas 2007 on the good sailing-ship Jay (Bavaria 38') , I think power is the only way to go. Although elegant and cheap to run, sail requires bodies to control the outrageous numbers of sheets, halyards and other sail paraphernalia. We also want to use the boat to do some serious diving exploration where the manoeuvrability of a powerboat is really necessary.

Now when we are talking powerboats, I am am talking proper boats as opposed to the Sunseeker type of thing. I don't particularly have anything against the boats themselves, but the people that own them can be total nobheads. A sweeping statement but true.

So, where do you start? Well with experience of course! Mine is with dive boats, both day and liveaboards. Having spent considerable time on them, we definitely need one with room enough for passengers and also enough room so we are not cramped. With the exploration in mind, we need something that could go virtually anywhere and therefore we were not restricted by the capability of the vessel; just our own common sense...

Norwegian rescue vessels

On my diving exploits I see many boats kicking around and in my opinion one of the best looking out there is the 'Hjalmar Bjørge' and as we are going on one of her sister ships ('Elizabeth G') to St Kilda in August 2008 I thought I would see if there were any of these vessels for sale.

The Northern Light website kindly pointed me towards some of these. One particularly good looking example of the breed, 'Speideren', was for sale through the specialist ship-broker Arne Timmerling of Djurgårdsvarvet. I excitedly looked over the website and downloaded the details and after consulting Angela (quote - "Simon, its a bloody ship") contacted Arne who hangs out in Stockholm.

I really dislike estate agents and just by looking at the websites and the drivel that was written, ship brokers reminded me of the typical nonsense you have to put up with from the average UK estate agent. So prepared, I called Arne. He was very pleasant, speaking excellent English: always a total embarrassment to me being practically monolingual.

After I told him what we were planning to do he told me the 'Speideren' was not for me. Not big enough to live on he said. Also the fuel economy was not great as these rescue ships were built for guess what, rescuing people and sometimes having to tow! They have two, big thirsty engines which of course are great for speed and manoeuvrability but appalling on fuel and servicing costs. Hmmm, totally unexpected as he seemed OK and dare I say honest!

But more of Arne later. Yes, he'll be back...

Learning...

I know quite a bit about boats but not much about bigger stuff so I rushed out (that's to the office to access Amazon) and bought some books on powerboats. I ripped through 'Sorensens's Guide to Powerboats' as though it was the latest edition of Harry Potter. God, I am sad... Sad I might be, but it did give me an excellent background on larger powerboats.

I then started to look at the complexities of registration and the regulations determining who can skipper them and when. Being RYA (Royal Yachting Association) Advanced Powerboat certified, I knew that once I had taken the level three commercial endorsement I could skipper a commercial motor yacht under 24 metres (Loadline Length) up to 20 miles from a safe haven with 12 passengers. The vessels we are looking at are bigger, so more investigation was required...

When speaking to the skipper of the Elizabeth G about the St Kilda 2008 expedition, I asked him if he knew of any good boats kicking around Scotland... He said "The Chalice is a great boat and she's for sale", so without further adoo, we contacted the owner, Chris Jackson and went to see her. But more of that in the specific article...

The next step

When I was looking for Norwegian rescue vessels, I came across 'Svendborg' a sister ship to 'Speideren', 'Elizabeth G' and 'Hjalmar Bjørge'. This vessel was for sale through the broker Hugo Hein and partners so I contacted him around the same time as Arne. Once I told him the rescue vessels were not for me and gave him the idea we wanted a true expedition ship, he suggested we look at the 'Arctic Janus'. And that's the next adventure featured above.

Conclusion to date

So what have we decided so far...

Required specification
  • Max dimensions: 30 meters length / 7 metres beam
  • Hull: Steel
  • Range: > 3,000 Nm
  • Engine: Single, large, low-revving, 'proper' ships engine
  • Propeller: Variable pitch
  • Bow thruster: Yes
  • Cruising speed: 8/10 Knots
  • Consumption at cruising speed: 40/45 litres/hour max
  • Generators: Two soundproofed with shore power capability
  • Autopilot: Yes
  • Gyro compass: Yes
  • Navigation equipment: Suitable for range (Radar plus two GPS etc)
  • Sounder: Yes, dual band
  • Radios: VHF with MF & HF DSC
  • Tender/MOB: RIB with four stroke
  • Crane: Yes
  • Accommodation: Capacity minimum 12 passengers plus crew, as many cabins at deck level as possible, fully tooled up galley, washing & drying facilities, minimum three 'flushing' heads
  • Heating: Oil fired central heating with heat exchanger off engine
  • Safety equipment: Suitable for range & accommodation
Nice to have
  • Diving compressor double filtered to 300 bar with Nitrox/Trimix panel

As the story develops, I will add further articles detailing the adventure of each boat we see and when the deed has been done, a full account of the highs and lows of the process...

If you have any help or advice, specifically on regulations or registration for boats up to 30m and 300 tonnes, please feel free to comment!

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In writing

Enemy of the diver

Buoyancy workshop

Finding a boat

BSAC Talk

National Instructor 2007

Planning a club trip

First Class Diver diary

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