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An innovative self-jigging ship kit, supplied by Corus's Plate Processing Centre in Bristol, has been used to build a luxury catamaran which is being used as a passenger ferry on Ireland's only fjord, Killary Harbour. The 22m long Connemara Lady was constructed by Portland-based Manor Marine with a bespoke steel kit supplied by the specialist Bristol business. Built for Sea-Cruise Connemara, the catamaran, which can accommodate 120 passengers, has an exterior upper viewing deck and an enclosed lower deck which can be accessed by a wheelchair-friendly sloping bow ramp. It is the largest vessel constructed in Dorset to date and the first to be built by Manor Marine using the kit concept. Designed for ship, boat and yacht builds, the kit system follows the same basic principles as a toy model kit. It enables vessels to be constructed using pre-cut parts which can only interlock together in the correct way. This has the benefit of significantly improving accuracy and build times when compared with traditional construction methods. Typically, boats can be built 20% faster with even greater speeds for subsequent repeat builds. As a result, labour costs can also be substantially reduced. The kit is generated by modelling the vessel on computer and then breaking this design down into individual, inter-locking components. The CAD/CAM design data for these components is then downloaded directly to Corus where it is translated into the cutting data required to produce each profile. To optimise material utilisation and reduce wastage and costs, the profiles are subsequently nested onto plates of the required grade and thickness using advanced software. The kit for the Connemara Lady consisted of almost 1000 individual components. These were plasma profiled by Corusapos;s Plate Processing Centre in Bristol and supplied fully developed with limber holes, stringers and slots. Every component was also shotblasted and primer painted and plasma arc marked with a unique number which corresponded to the original design drawings. This helped to ensure a fast, error free build. Sonia Tye, a director of Manor Marine, said: "The Connemara Lady is the first vessel we have built using the kit system, and as a result of our experience, which was extremely positive, we will be looking to use it for future builds. The components went together quickly and accurately and there was no need for any further processing. This helped minimise build time, which is of crucial importance for boat builders such as ourselves." The catamaran is the latest in a growing line of different craft which have been successfully built using the ship kit system. These include fishing vessels, workboats, naval small craft up to 40m long and canal narrow barges. Most notably, it was used last year by Sir Chay Blyth's The Challenge Business International to build the fleet of 14 racing yachts which will take part in the BT Global Challenge round the world race which starts in September 2000. Although to date the kit system has been limited to boat builds, Corus is now looking for other applications outside the marine industry which can benefit from this approach. | |
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