Interesting catamaran blog

[Nordic cat]

I've been following this very interesting blog: of Butterfly and Barnacle

since it was first posted here on CF.

It's extremely well written, reccomended reading.

Regards


Alan

[BambooSailor]

It is so difficult to read in chronological order if it uses 'newest on top' format. Even archive is organized like that! The format maybe OK for news sites as people usually care about newest news only (unrelated to previous news), but I just do not understand how people can enjoy reading a book/story/article from the end. Sorry about the rant , the writing seems really good, though I did not get very far...

[catty]

How long do you reckon that anchor roller arrangement will stay that shape? I suspect the thin loop straps will be the first to deform when the bow blows off whilst anchoring and loads the whole shooting match up sideways. There's a lot of wind-age in a boat that size.

[freetime]

A independent surveyer is good.

[Jeannius]

Very interesting to read the size of the snagging list on a high-end product like this. Even allowing for the possibly 'picky' nature of the clients it is a bit disappointing.

[Saildoggie]

I thought the same thing Mike, this was a new boat????

My impression was those ctas were pretty tight and well built

I think we need a Jeannius blog started from day of the Captained charters, might be really interesting!

[Pelagic]

Originally Posted by BambooSailor

It is so difficult to read in chronological order if it uses 'newest on top' format. Even archive is organized like that! The format maybe OK for news sites as people usually care about newest news only (unrelated to previous news), but I just do not understand how people can enjoy reading a book/story/article from the end. Sorry about the rant , the writing seems really good, though I did not get very far...

On their site if you go to navigate they give you a link to set it up chronologically

[Nordic cat]

Originally Posted by Jeannius

Very interesting to read the size of the snagging list on a high-end product like this. Even allowing for the possibly 'picky' nature of the clients it is a bit disappointing.

If I was paying probably around 700000 $ for a brand new boat, then I would expect it to be in "as new" condition!!

Very unproffessional to not cover all exposed areas during the final build days.

It's not the small cosmetic things that are the worst, it seems that there is no quality control on the build at all.

The fact that the surveyor has demanded bulkheads etc. beefed up has me wondering if this is a result off ardent "weight saving" carried a bit too far or whether it is cost cutting or as I am tending to lean towards - total lack of boatbuilding experience and project management.

Alan

[BigCat]

Originally Posted by Nordic cat

I've been following this very interesting blog: of Butterfly and Barnacle
since it was first posted here on CF. It's extremely well written, reccomended reading. Regards Alan

This boat, which has many, many serious problems demonstrating poor construction and poor quality control, is a brand new Fastcat. The Fastcat factory is working on them, so I give them credit for that, but it seems that their efforts are quite bumbling. A few quotes from the owners of the new Fastcat follow below:

"instead of looking forward to going to the marina to see how things progress with Butterfly, we have come to rather dread it. The bad news just seems to keep on coming. Today was no exception. Today was Bad News with a capital B (and a half)."

"this latest blow - after all the other setbacks we have been subjected to during these months of endless waiting (and a long string of broken completion dates)"

No customer should be put through an ordeal like this …"

"The diesel tank leak has not been resolved as yet."

"ever since Butterfly was lifted from the water to repair the engine compartment leak, there has been a lot of surprise, confusion and endless discussion about Butterfly’s true weight. All sorts of opinions, guesstimates and stated (but not proven) facts have been bandied around - all of which has just made us all the more determined to get to the bottom of things and put a stop to the smokescreens and guesswork."

"However, despite having issued Steven with a copy of the surveyor’s findings and written instructions, we discover the installed plates are only 140mm instead of the recommended 600mm. Why such explicit instructions were ignored, we have no idea."

"A stray current was bouncing around"

"There may be other reasons for the corrosion, too - the mast and plate powder coating appears to have been severely compromised"

"things couldn’t get any more farcical, something happened today to prove us hopelessly wrong."

"Work continued replacing the engine, prop, sail-drive leg etc trying to ensure a watertight seal."

[BigCat]

Originally Posted by catty

How long do you reckon that anchor roller arrangement will stay that shape? I suspect the thin loop straps will be the first to deform when the bow blows off whilst anchoring and loads the whole shooting match up sideways. There's a lot of wind-age in a boat that size.

Not only is it too lightly built considering how long it is and therefor subject to great leverage, but the whole anchoring setup is poorly designed and implemented. The chain was hot due to a short circuit, the swivel gets out of alignment, you must be very long-armed to attach the bridle, everything is mis-located, you can't pull the chain up by hand, etc., etc.

Oh, well. They only paid $700,000 USD for it, so what can you expect?

[Conrad30]

I feel really bad for them, they have the patience unheard of.

[BigCat]

Originally Posted by Conrad30

I feel really bad for them, they have the patience unheard of.

And there are some defects that cannot be evaluated by eye. I am compelled to wonder about basic structural issues such as the adequacy of the scantlings 'as built.' No backing plates where needed and leaky watertight bulkheads give one pause. This is the kind of thing that doesn't show up until you are in the middle of the ocean in a storm.

[Aussiesuede]

I've had two custom homes built. The first was such a nightmare that I swore that I'd never do it again. Then a decade later I convinced myself to break my promise to myself and build another home. But I did learn one thing from the first experience and that was to put my expectations about a year beyond whatever I was told by the builder AND to stay as far away from the build as was possible. Many of the same delays and complications occurred the second time around, just as they did the first time around - but my detachment made all the difference in the world in regards to my peace of mind. Upon finally moving into the first home - I was so drained and worn down that there just wasn't any joy upon move-in. Took about half a year to just shake the frustration of it all and finally exhale. The second go around - my biggest worry was trying to get the decorators to speed up the process of furnishing as I'd refused to let myself do any shopping, or consult with decorators prior to handover of the keys from the builder. That move-in was pretty exciting.

Reading that blog I couldn't help but be reminded of those 2 home builds, and am now 100% convinced that I'll be approaching a future boat build EXACTLY as I approached that second home build. i'll stay as far away as possible until it's time to join the surveyor for inspection. The constant stream of heartache just isn't worth the stress imo...

[BigCat]

Originally Posted by Aussiesuede

i'll stay as far away as possible until it's time to join the surveyor for inspection. The constant stream of heartache just isn't worth the stress imo...

I had a major house remodel done, with an entire second story addition, and if I hadn't been keeping an eye on it, it would have been a disaster-structural plans which were part of the contract were being ignored.

After that experience, I served as my own general contractor in the construction of my current home, and that was 1000% better.

I finished out the second boat I owned that I did ocean voyaging it and I had 0.0% problems with the boat. Now I am building my own latest boat, with hired helpers working directly under me. The simple truth is that nobody cares as much as the fellow who is going to trust his neck to the quality of the build. Of course, there are a few people who are so clueless that they shouldn't do this, like that publicity hound David Vann, who was going to circumnavigate on his home-made trimaran built on a shoestring recently and who quickly gave up.

[Aussiesuede]

Originally Posted by BigCat

I had a major house remodel done, with an entire second story addition, and if I hadn't been keeping an eye on it, it would have been a disaster-structural plans which were part of the contract were being ignored.

After that experience, I served as my own general contractor in the construction of my current home, and that was 1000% better.

I finished out the second boat I owned that I did ocean voyaging it and I had 0.0% problems with the boat. Now I am building my own latest boat, with hired helpers working directly under me. The simple truth is that nobody cares as much as the fellow who is going to trust his neck to the quality of the build. Of course, there are a few people who are so clueless that they shouldn't do this, like that publicity hound David Vann, who was going to circumnavigate on his home-made trimaran built on a shoestring recently and who quickly gave up.

I somewhat agree. My basic line of reasoning is - Expend a GREAT deal of forethought in choosing a builder that you FEEL comfortable with and then let HIM/HER do their job. THEN hire an independent outside person, who has earned your trust, and let them do their job. But overall - I fail to see the need for the (imo) unnecessary heartache that accompanies being closely aligned with a build proces. For some, this would present no real adversity - as they (in the end) enjoy participation in the 'process'. But I offer that MOST, simply aren't adequately equipped to deal with the inevitable heartaches associated with being closely woven unto the build process.

Personally? I desire to enjoy as much of this life as possible. My experiences have seen me come to the conclusion that: an intimate involvement with a build process of any sort renders that desire to "Enjoy as much of Life as Possible" as a relative impossibility during that process. But, like everything, it's dependent upon ones personal 'wiring'. When I look back on life, I'll judge my own personal success upon how many days I experience genuine happiness vs not. For me, it's pretty simple. 30,000 days of happiness is my ultimate goal. Every day I subtract from that value brings me closer to failure in achieving that goal. Therefore, the stress's associated with the 'normal' build process - which inevitably add days that subtract from that ultimate goal - simply are NOT worthwhile for me. For me, Happiness is directly equivicol to Success..... I easily recognise (and respect) that others have different parameters of determining success - AND quotient of Happiness.