5/9/2015

SeriousMistakesinYachtDesign&Construction

DaveAdamsYachtConsulting

Iimagineoneofthebestwaysthatyoumightunderstandwhytheserviceofsomeonelike
meissoimportanttoanindividualwhowantsperfectioncanbefoundinknowledgeofthe
hugemistakesmadeby"Professional"designersandbuildersonadailybasis.Below,Iwill
listafewthatIhaveseenfromdifferentdesignersandbuildersoverthelastseveralyears,
lastyear,andaslatelyaslastweek.Thisshouldmakeyouunderstandthateventhe"best"
brandsandbuildersareblindedbytheirsuccessandsomehowfailatfindingproblemswith
theirmethods,design,andexecution.
IwilladdtothissectionperiodicallyuntilIhaveenoughinformationonittomakeyou
awareofwhyeventhe"professionals"needsupervision.

1.FueltankcoversguaranteecostlyfuelleaksIrecentlyfound,onayacht
underconstructionat100'inlengthaproblemsoseriousIwasstunnedthatthisdesignwas
createdbyaprofessionalandthatthedesignwasalsoRINAapproved.Thefueltanks
wereasIlike,integral,fiberglass,andpositionedlowintheboat(underthemaster
stateroomextendingforwardbelowheads&showersfortheguests).BUT,thesefiberglass
tankswerefittedwithaluminumlidsthatwerearound1mx1.5meach.Therewere12lids
eachwithitsowngasketandaround80boltseach.Themostseriousproblemisthatwith
12gasketsand1,000bolts,Icanguaranteeafuelleaktooccurverysoonifnot
immediately.Now,forthereallybadpart:Theselidswerelocatedonlyinchesbelowthe
lowercabinsole.Therewerepipesandwiresrunningabovethem.Therewerebulkheads
andfurnitureaffixedtothecabinsoleabovethelids.Atthetimeafuelleakwas
discovered,itwouldcostasmuchas(ormorethan)$500,000torepairtheproblem.The
ownerofthisyachtwouldwaitpossiblyafullyeartogethisboatbackfromtheyard.I
consultedtheyardtoripoutthecabinsole,bulkheads,piping,wiring,showerfloors,and
everythingrequiredtogettheselidsremovedandreplacedwithpermanentfiberglasslids
thatwillneverfail.Fortunatelyfortheyardandthefutureownerofthisyacht,theytook
myadviceandspentonlythreeweeksand$30,000insteadoftakingagamblethatwould
haveresultedindisaster.

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PhotoShowsoneofthe12tankcoversintheprocessofremoval.NoteitwouldbeUltra
expensivetoremoveandreplacewithFRPcoversaftertheyacht'sinteriorwasinstalled

2.VeryPoorstructurewithnosupportforupperdecksOnthesame
100'yachttalkedaboutinsection1,Ifoundanotherlargeproblemthatwasveryserious.
Thisoneincludesthefactthattherewasnopropersupportfromthebottomoftheyacht
transferringtothemaindeckandtotheupperdeck.Icouldnotbelievethatthisyachthad
beendesignedbyaprofessionalfirmandagain,thatitwasRINAapproved.Therewere
threeveryseriousflawsinthedesignregardingitsstructure.
a.First,noneofthecabinpartitionsbelowthemaindeckwerestructuralinnature.Yes,
therewerethreestructuralbulkheadsintheyacht,butwitharound45feetspanning
betweenthemwithnosupportinbetween.Thiswouldallowtheentiremaindeckcabinsole
tomove,putunduepressureonthenonstructuralpartitions,andunduepressuresonthe
upperdeck,nonstructuralpartitions.Thiswouldguaranteefailureoffiberglasstabbing
connectingthepiecesandtheworkingandtwistingofcabinetryinsidetheyacht.Whilethis
problemwouldnotcreateasafetyproblemundernormaloperatingconditions,itdid
compromisethelastingqualityoftheyacht.
b.Onthemaindeck,withadeckhouseapproximately75'long,therewasnotasingle
structuralbulkheadholdinguptheflybridgeontheyachtortokeepthedeckhousefrom
rakingsidetosidewheninaviolent(orevenamoderate)beamsea.Also,atthetop
cornerofthedeckhousesides,therewasahollowareawhichwastheflybridgebulwarks.
Therewasnoconnectionfromthedeckhousesidetotheflybridgedeckandevenworse,
therewerenostructuralgussetstyingthedeckhousesidestotheflybridgedeck.Thiswill
allowthedeckhousetomove(alot)andcouldpotentiallycausewindowsto"blowout"and
causefailuretotheoverallintegrityofthesuperstructureresultinginrepairsreachingas
highas$500,000.
c.Inthesalon,afternoticingaflatdeckontheflybridge,Isawthattherewereno
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transversebeamssupportingtheflybridgedeck.Therewerelongitudinalbeams,butnothing
atalltokeepthecamberinthedecksowaterwoulddraintothesides.Asitwas,there
wouldbeanoticablebellyinthedeckassoonasyouplacedseverallargeAmericansonit
foraparty.Thisbellywouldsoonbecomepermanentandyouwouldhaveashallow
swimmingpoolinthecenterafterwashingtheboatdown.Thisdefectwouldcostthebuyer
muchinthewayoflastingqualityandresalevalue.
Theyardtookmyadviceandalloftheseitemswerecorrectedundermysupervision.

Thisphotoshowsthenewathwartshipsalonceilingbeamsgoinginplaceandyoucansee
inthebottomleftoneofthesixkneesaddedtothestructure.Italsoshowsthenewly
installed(Structural)bulkheadwhichwillsupporttheflybridgedeck(andkeepthesuper
structurefromrackingsidetosidewhentheyachtisunderwayinasea.

3.StepsIhavebecomeverysensitivetotheissueofsteprisersfirstlearningabout
properheightsanddepthsatleast30yearsagofromfriendswhobuilthomesandjustdoing
simpletaskslikedesigningthedecksanddocksatmyhome.Ofcourse,inthelastten
years,takingmycreationstotheboatshowsandlisteningtocomments,Ihavedonemy
besttokeepallrisersbelow9"andwithaswideadepth(fronttoback).Alsoimportantis
consistancyintheheightfromonesteptothenext.AttheboatshowinMiamilastweek,I
wasononeparticularyacht,designedandbuiltbyoneoftheverylargestandhighly
regardedbrandsinthebusiness.Thereweretwoseriousflawsonthisyachtandsome
minorones.
a.Thefirstistherisebetweenthesalonandthedining/pilothouselevel.Thisrisewasat
around11'andwasalsohiddenbyawoodfloorpatternthatwasathwartship.Goingupwas
notaseriousproblemaslong(asyouhavegoodknees).However,goingdownwouldbea
seriousproblemas1,youcannotreallyseethestep,2,asthestepissofardownyoumay
trip(especiallyiftheboatisunderway,andevenmoreifitrisesupawavewhenyoumake
thestep).Thisstepisapotentialinjurywaitingtohappen.Thiscouldhaveeasilybeen
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(withoutdisruptinganycosmeticorfunctionaldesignoftheinterior)anintermediate51/2"
stepthatwouldbe14"widewiththebottomstepsleadingedgebeingintheperfectlocation
(abouthalfthemeasurementofthesofadepth).Thiswouldmakeitveryvisible,very
comfortable,andverysafe.
b.Thestepsfromtheswimdecktotheaftdeckwerealsoabitofahorrorshow.Thelower
tworiserswereveryhighataround12"eachandthetoprisefromthesteptotheaftdeck
wasatleast17".Therewerethreerisestotallingaround41".Thisshouldhavebeenfour
equalrisesataround10"each.Itwouldhavebeeneasytoeitherturnthestepsinboardat
thebottom(curved)ortocutastepintotheaftdeckintheunusablespotwherethegate
islocated.Thecutinwouldhavetaken9"x14"outofthecrewheadceilingwherethetoilet
wasandtheheadroomwasnotneeded.Iamnotsurewhythiswasnotdone.
c.Thestepsfromaftdecktotheflybridgehadareasonablerise,however,thedepthwas
onlyaround6".Inthecasewhenthisisthemostroomyouhave,thefacesofthesteps
shouldbeangledcuttinginwardatthebottomcreatinga8"depthratherthan6inches.This
willallowyourheeltoreachbackwhengoingdownthestep,allowyourtoetoreachin
whileclimbing,anditwillaslobemuchmorevisuallyappealling.Again,Iamnotsurewhy
thissimpledesigntrickwasnotutilizedbyacompanythatboats100engineersontheir
staff.

4.SealingveneeredgesThisisonethatyouwouldnotbelievehowmanybuilders
areguiltyofnotdoing.Itbecamealltooapparenttomein2003whenIdeliveredabrand
newyachttoaclientandafteronlyaweekofshowersoccurringintheVIPhead,the
beautifulmahoganyveneeragainstthehullsidestartedtoturnblack(fromthebottomup).
Thiswasnotfromaflood,butonlyfromwaterdrippingfromthepersonaftersteppingout
oftheshower.Thisshouldhavenotcreatedanyproblem,butthebuilderfailedtosealthe
edgesoftheveneerwhereittouchedthefloor.AfterthisincidentIdemandedthatit
becomeSOPtosealallveneercomingincontactwithanyfloorpriortoinstallation.Whatis
reallysurprisingisthatinJuneof2011,Igatheredallwoodworkersandinteriorpaintersin
ayardbuildingyachtsbetween100and135feet,andexplainedthemwhatIwantedand
why.TherewerethreelifelongcareerItalianyachtwoodworkersinthemeeting,andthis
wasthefirsttime(accordingtothem)thattheyhadbeendirectedtosealthebottomedges
oftheveneer.

5.DeckanglesandwaterdrainageWow,Ihavefoundthreelargeyacht
designsinthelastfouryearsthatIwasinvolvedwithwheretheexteriordecksweredrawn
parralleltothewaterline.Iwasabletocorrectonebeforeitwasbuilt,buttheother
twowerealreadywaypastthepointofnoreturnwhenIjoinedtheprojects.Whatiswrong
withdecksbeingparralleltothewaterline?Simple,iftheboatissittinglevel,waterwillnot
drainaft.Ifforsomereasontheboatissittingwiththebowjustslightlydownbecauseofa
lowwatertankoradeployedtender,waterwillpoolattheforwardcornersofallthedecks.
Notpretty...

6.LaminationThiscanbethesourceofaseriousproblemifnotclosely
monitored.Manyyachtcompanies(believeitornot)donotunderstandfiberglassatall.I
wasattheyardlatelythatisanOLDandestablishedbrandwithagreatreputation,andI
foundoutwhytheyaresodarnheavy.Theyareusingwaytoomuchresinandveryold
techniques.Thisiscostingthebrandcustomersandmuchmoney.Largerenginesare
requiredtomaketheboatsgofastertocompeteandtheseengineseitherraisetheretail
priceorcutintoprofits.Theyalsorequiremorefuel.Thecrazythingisthattheyardis
tryingtobuildthewallsbetweeneachstateroomlightbyusingcardboardhoneycomb.The
couldlightentheboatmuchmoreandsavecostiftheywoulduseresininfusion.
AtanotheryardIvisitedrecentlyIfoundthatthelaminationontheflybridgewasdouble
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thethicknessofwhatthedesigncalledfor.Insomeplaces,itwasmorethan5xasthickas
itshouldhavebeen.Thisisgoingtomakethisyachtveryslow,veryinefficient,andvery
topheavy.Anotherproblemthatthisyachthadinitslamination,isthatina20"x20"cut
outIhadremovedfromthebridge'sinteriorbulwarks,notonlywasincrediblyheavy,but
onallfoursidesofthecutout,atleast30%ofthelengthhadnoadhesionbetweenthe
coringandeithertheinteriororexteriorskinofFRP.Thisisextremelypoorqualityona
yachtsellingfor$5millionUSD.Whatwillsurpriseyouevenmoreisthattheforemanfor
theFRPdepartmentatthisyardworkedmanyyearsforatopbrandnameinChinaandhe
(asfarasIknow)isstillemployedattheyardwhereIdiscoveredhisabsolutefailure.

Thoughhardtotell,thisphotoshowsoverlamination,especiallyintheouterskin.The
designcalledforaround3MM,butthiswas7mm.

7.PoorJointsinsteeringandotherHighPressureoilfittings
GuaranteeSeriousProblemsWow!Thisonecouldmakeyoucrazy.Itisavery
smallitemthatcouldcreateenormousproblemsfortheyachtowner.Inthephotobelow,
youwillseethatthesurfacesofthecenternutmeetthesurfacesofeachnutoneitherside.
Theyhavebeentightenedtowherethey"bottomout"againsteachother.Thistellsmethat
thechanceofaproper(leakfree)fitbetweenthetubingandthesurfaceofthefitting,is
slim.Ihavephotosofaround30ofthesefittingsfromthesameyachtthatlookthesame
withaverysmallpercentageofthefittingsactuallylookasiftheywillbeleakfree.Mostof
thesefittingsarebehindwallsandaboveheadlinerpanelswheretheywillleakoilontothe
yacht'scarpet,headliner,orfurnitire.Notonlywilldetectingtheexactlocationofthe
leakingfittingbedifficult,butsowillaccessingit,repairingit,andthenrepairingthe
damagedinteriordecor.Theyard'sMechanicalForemanaguedwithmeandrefusedto
considerreplacingthem.Aftermakingayearsworthofturnswiththesteering,thenew
ownercanexpectproblems.

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banksyachts,trawleryachts,sportfishingyachts,customsportfishingyachts,paulspencer,Hatterasyachts,Horizon
yachts,Kingshipyachts,CheoyLeeYachts, yacht,yachts,customyachts,yachtconstruction,yachtdesign,usedyachts
forsale,sellingmyyacht,buyingayacht,yachtconsultant,yachtsurveyors,maritimeattorney,Oceanalexander,Marlow
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sportfishingyachts,customsportfishingyachts,paulspencer,Hatterasyachts,Horyacht,yachts,customyachts,yacht
construction,yachtdesign,usedyachtsforsale,sellingmyyacht,buyingayacht,yachtconsultant,yachtsurveyors,
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yachts,Kingshipyachts,CheoyLeeYachts,izonyachts,Kingshipyachts,CheoyLeeYachts,

DaveAdamsYachtConsulting
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SeriousMistakesinYachtDesign&Construction

613RiversideRoad
NPalmBeach,FL33408
Phone:5618446800
Email:dave@premierys.com

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