Showing posts with label See. Show all posts
Showing posts with label See. Show all posts
Saturday, March 18, 2017
The Searay 370 Venture What you dont see is good
This is one the winners of the National Marine Manufacturers Association 2013 Innovation Awards, and deservedly so. I wasn't one of the judges, but I think I would have come to the same conclusion as did the BWI judges, but maybe for decidedly different reasons.
The Searay 370 Venture by design looks like a traditional express cruiser, but forward of the swim platform, and under the two aft facing padded seats are 300 hp Verado outboards.
Most of the reviews and articles about the boat extol the virtues of space gained by not having an engine room. This allows for a much larger cockpit, and a more spacious aft cabin.
In earlier versions of this genre of boat the aft cabin was a Hobbit's paradise with no standing room, and the master suite was always a forward V-berth. So eliminating the majority of the engine room allowed the Searay designers to create a very attractive floor plan, and in my opinion the best in its class.
The 370 Venture doesn't pretend to sleep a family of twelve. It sleeps a couple comfortably aft, and two additional guests can sleep in the dinette. The spacious and well lit dining area replaces what would have been the master V-berth in earlier versions.
But I believe what you don't see, creates tremendous value to the vessels owner, and is what makes it worthy of the NMMA Innovation award.
What you no longer see are two huge marine engines jammed into an almost inaccessible compartment. You also don't see two I/O drives, or drive shafts, and their stuffing boxes, transmissions, rudder tables, rudder stuffing boxes, struts, cooling water intake strainers with valves, halon system, propellers, exhaust piping and mufflers, and lots of green bonding wiring trying to keep everything at the same electrical potential to stop corrosion.
All of this now resides in two compact outboard engine systems mounted aft. What you now do see is a small bilge compartment with the VacuFlush system, generator, batteries, and some pumps. As if that wasn't enough, the motors tip up removing the lower units from the water further reducing corrosion potential.
But I think there are even more subtle reasons this is a good idea. As someone who has spent a lot of time working in the dark cramped dirty engine room pit of installer despair trying to fit in a rudder reference, transducer or the ilk, the true cost of maintainability is a factor few boat designers consider.
The typical engine room is built in stages. With the deck off, the factory minions start installing all of the gear. The Bennett trim tab pump is bolted on the transom. The battery charger is screwed onto the bulk head. The VacuFlush system, hot water tank, batteries, AC systems, rudder table are attached, generator is dropped in and then the engine crew places the two huge engines and exhaust system. After inspection, the deck goes on. From that point forward all maintenance has to be done by a skinny professional spelunker, and his crew of spider monkeys.
I have seen many engine rooms so congested that most owners physically can't really inspect, or do any day to day maintenance in them. Batteries are hard to get to so the water levels don't get checked as often as they should. Accessing the AC strainer outboard of the engine stringer and under the V-Drive requires climbing aft over the manifolds and exhausts, and then slithering forward in between the engines to get at it.
The point is that if you can't easily get to it, you often don't to the boats detriment. So if it's hard for the owner to get at things, it's also hard for the installers and mechanics increasing labor and repair costs.
It doesn't have to be this way as you can see with the engine room below, but all to often this is the exception, not the rule.
Now for the argument inboard vs outboard? The Mercury Verado outboard costs around $20,000. It appears at first blush to be much more expensive than the equivalent horse power Mercruiser engine that sells for around $12,000. But when you add the costs of the items "you don't see" above, and the labor to install the gear the numbers get much closer together.
The Searay design team I think made a superior, and clever decision in using the Verado. Fewer holes in the boat, much easier to maintain, less components exposed to salt water corrosion, and did I mention it's quiet? Very very quiet. Excellent job Searay, I won't miss single of those things "you don't see on this boat."
The Searay design team I think made a superior, and clever decision in using the Verado. Fewer holes in the boat, much easier to maintain, less components exposed to salt water corrosion, and did I mention it's quiet? Very very quiet. Excellent job Searay, I won't miss single of those things "you don't see on this boat."
The bottom line is outboard, I/O, and inboard units are all good solutions, if they are accessible, and that's often the rub. The time and effort required to access and do repairs is really a notable long term cost factor.
I'm tired of hose clamp cuts and ripped clothes. The spider monkeys are also eating me out of house and home, and riding the greyhounds.
Thanks to Marine Max Sarasota for letting me take pictures of the boat.
The first photo is from the Searay image library, the balance were taken by the Installer.
I'm tired of hose clamp cuts and ripped clothes. The spider monkeys are also eating me out of house and home, and riding the greyhounds.
Thanks to Marine Max Sarasota for letting me take pictures of the boat.
The first photo is from the Searay image library, the balance were taken by the Installer.
Friday, March 17, 2017
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I think absolutely everyone would agree that developing a home boat must be a memorable and satisfying experience. With all of the plans on the net, discovering the correct property boat construction might be quite thoughts numbing indeed. What size do you want to create; modest residence boats or big? What amenities do you want on board? Do you understand the best way to develop a home boat or do you need guidance? Residence boat plans may be very complicated. Do you know the best way to read a blueprint? Do you would like to trailer the home boat; a lot of queries that need answers?
No one wants an enormous headache along with a overload of pressure when creating a residence boat of their dreams. Numerous property boat plans go step by step to assist make the method as basic and easy as you can. In fact, the greater the online source for your house boat plans, the more confident you are going to really feel about getting productive in constructing a residence boat. If your on the internet supply gives a sizable quantity of distinct property boat plans and also "how to" videos and guides, it's clear that this details will take the guess work out of your property boat developing construction.
What else can these on-line sources support with for creating a houseboat? Your house boat building supply will help you in deciding on which wood components you are going to need depending on your residence boat style as a result making the whole build process much quicker and simpler to create and assemble. Your source ought to also have a complete list of all the appropriate tools and equipment for each and every step of the construct process and based on your skill level it's going to demonstrate the best way to use every single of the tools necessary for building a house boat. Bottom line for the beginner or specialist house boat builder the supply you use for the home boat construction should make your project totally hassle-free.
Usually someone chooses to construct their very own residence boat simply because they wish to make their very own design, not some cookie cutter program they identified on the internet. They want to make something that's entirely their thought to a great extent. In reality this can be what provides a house boat building enthusiast essentially the most satisfaction. The great thing about developing a houseboat is that you'll be able to modify it to match your personal individual style and specifications.
Be mindful even though, the much more exclusive and the quantity of amenities you would like to have in your property boat construction, the more apt you to struggle with discovering property boat plans that meet all your specifications. Your feature list could not match into the size of residence boat you chose. As you are able to see this could be an iterative process till the right house boat plans come collectively.
As you decide in your want list of functions for building a property boat, it might force you into a larger boat size. It may also result in you to exceed your spending budget for the project. Bottom line just be patient, but it is wise to seek out an online supply which has a hundred or more home boat plans to choose from. As you are able to see, creating a residence boat is not easy or even a cookie cutter process. Invest a couple of bucks having a reputable house boat plans organization that will help you every single step on the way.
I think absolutely everyone would agree that developing a home boat must be a memorable and satisfying experience. With all of the plans on the net, discovering the correct property boat construction might be quite thoughts numbing indeed. What size do you want to create; modest residence boats or big? What amenities do you want on board? Do you understand the best way to develop a home boat or do you need guidance? Residence boat plans may be very complicated. Do you know the best way to read a blueprint? Do you would like to trailer the home boat; a lot of queries that need answers?
No one wants an enormous headache along with a overload of pressure when creating a residence boat of their dreams. Numerous property boat plans go step by step to assist make the method as basic and easy as you can. In fact, the greater the online source for your house boat plans, the more confident you are going to really feel about getting productive in constructing a residence boat. If your on the internet supply gives a sizable quantity of distinct property boat plans and also "how to" videos and guides, it's clear that this details will take the guess work out of your property boat developing construction.
What else can these on-line sources support with for creating a houseboat? Your house boat building supply will help you in deciding on which wood components you are going to need depending on your residence boat style as a result making the whole build process much quicker and simpler to create and assemble. Your source ought to also have a complete list of all the appropriate tools and equipment for each and every step of the construct process and based on your skill level it's going to demonstrate the best way to use every single of the tools necessary for building a house boat. Bottom line for the beginner or specialist house boat builder the supply you use for the home boat construction should make your project totally hassle-free.
Usually someone chooses to construct their very own residence boat simply because they wish to make their very own design, not some cookie cutter program they identified on the internet. They want to make something that's entirely their thought to a great extent. In reality this can be what provides a house boat building enthusiast essentially the most satisfaction. The great thing about developing a houseboat is that you'll be able to modify it to match your personal individual style and specifications.
Be mindful even though, the much more exclusive and the quantity of amenities you would like to have in your property boat construction, the more apt you to struggle with discovering property boat plans that meet all your specifications. Your feature list could not match into the size of residence boat you chose. As you are able to see this could be an iterative process till the right house boat plans come collectively.
As you decide in your want list of functions for building a property boat, it might force you into a larger boat size. It may also result in you to exceed your spending budget for the project. Bottom line just be patient, but it is wise to seek out an online supply which has a hundred or more home boat plans to choose from. As you are able to see, creating a residence boat is not easy or even a cookie cutter process. Invest a couple of bucks having a reputable house boat plans organization that will help you every single step on the way.
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