From Neva Giant to Mana 24
The most difficult part of carrying out the world’s largest infusion was not the volume, said Teun de Vries, but the height.
The infusion specialist had been working for Polyworx, a Netherlands developer of flow simulation software, when the company was contacted in 2009 by the Russian Composites Group for help with a build at Sredne-Nevsky Shipyard, in St. Petersburg, Russia, on the Nevsky River. The 62m (203′) Alexandrite Coastal Mine Countermeasures Vessel, or what de Vries called “The Neva Giant,” was to be vacuum-bagged.
The Mysteries of Bonding Systems
How many times have you been told (or thought), when evaluating a corrosion or electrical problem, “It’s the result of a bad ground”? But what exactly does that mean, and can it really be the cause of so many of these issues? In my experience, while it often is the source of a problem, this is a fall-back phrase, used when folks really aren’t sure what the problem is or how to evaluate it.
Steve D’Antonio (all)
Because of its close proximity to bilges, bonding system wiring lives a harsh existence. Terminals should be tin-plated and connections made using conductant paste. Coat with corrosion inhibitor when complete.
Repair Specialist Takes on New Build
from “Rovings,” Professional BoatBuilder No. 154
Compiled by Dan Spurr
One of the best stories in early fiberglass boatbuilding is how in 1959 Willis Slane, who owned a company making argyle socks, was having drinks with some fishing buddies at the Hatteras Marlin Club in North Carolina. The weather was stormy and none of the skippers wanted to go out, fearing for their wood boats. As boating writer Pete Smyth told it, “Sometime during what was probably a very liquid afternoon, Slane pounded on the table and said, ‘I’m damned tired of these chickenshit captains who won’t go out, telling me that their boats won’t make it.’ Slane threw a check for $5,000 on the table and said, ‘Let’s build some boats that will go out!’” One of his friends, Sleepy Carter, who owned a textile company that was beginning to weave fiberglass, suggested the material be used as the reinforcements for what would become the Hatteras 41 (12.5m) sportfisherman. Jack Hargrave was commissioned to do the design, and Don Mucklow and Howard Abbey (see “Abbey and Brownie,” Professional BoatBuilder No. 104) were brought up from Florida to loft and supervise construction. Hatteras Yachts of New Bern, North Carolina, continues as one of the most iconic of American yacht brands. Slane died in 1965 at age 44. The company was owned at various times by AMF and Genmar.
Carl Cramer in Repose
from “Rovings,” Professional BoatBuilder No. 154
Compiled by Dan Spurr
Aaron Porter
Carl Cramer, retired publisher of WoodenBoat and Professional BoatBuilder, is starting a new educational project called BoatBuilding Live! Old publishers never die. They just start new projects. Carl Cramer, who chose April Fools’ Day 2014 to retire as publisher of WoodenBoat and Professional BoatBuilder, is at it again. The founder of PBB and IBEX (International BoatBuilders’ Exhibition & Conference), coming this September 15–17 in Louisville, Kentucky, recently announced a new educational event in Europe titled BoatBuilding Live! Modeled after the seminar program at IBEX, the first will be held in Southampton, U.K., April 22–23.
Eighteen seminars, each an hour and a half in length, will be presented in four tracks: Design & Engineering, Composites Methods & Materials, Marine Systems, and Survey & Repair.
Welcome to Westlawn 2.0
from “Rovings,” Professional BoatBuilder No. 154
Compiled by Dan Spurr
David Smyth
Yachtsman David Smyth is the president of the group that acquired the Westlawn Institute of Marine Technology last December.A West Coast sailor heard the alarm sounded in PBB No. 152 warning that the Westlawn Institute of Marine Technology was about to be cast adrift by host American Boat & Yacht Council (ABYC). The Rovings item, “Mayday Call from Westlawn” on page 8, reported that the program was a financial drain on ABYC, and a buyer for the 85-year-old distance-learning school was being actively sought.
The new president of the group that quickly engineered the transaction just before the end of 2014 is David Smyth of Los Angeles, California. In an e-mail to PBB, Smyth emphasized these points:
