60-meter British Flagged Vessel FOX sinks in Thailand

My thoughts exactly

To which I might add, "pride goeth before the fall", to all those who might step onto the greased slide of Monday morning quarterbacking.

I have been involved with the construction and launch of slightly North of one hundred yachts over 100', built by amazing and experienced crews. Three of those launches were not unmitigated disasters due only to the intervention of a much higher power. But they came agonizingly close. And they were planned, planned and practiced to a fare-the-well. The amount of stuff that can go seriously wrong (and by wrong I mean right now with no recourse) at any time during the build of a yacht is simply astonishing. Anyone who tells you different is blowing smoke.

It is not a profession for the foolish or the fainthearted. Then again, if it was, everybody would be doing it.


Anderschou

It's certainly not the first vessel to tip over during the launch. The thing is, the stability may have been calculated and OK for the vessel "in the water", but it should also be calculated for all the intermediate stages, which can be very tricky (bow on land, stern in water).

That said, I think it's a bit premature to cast the blame on the owner's reps or the broker even. In the end, it's the yard's responsibility to do their homework for the launching. It sounds like somebody here has some issues to settle (or is it just schadenfreude?).

And yes, owners are talked into sketchy deals by brokers and "shipyard owners" alike, but it's their own responsibility to hire someone who has a realistic view of yachtbuilding (incl. costs) and who can ask the right questions, even if that sounds a bit out of tune in the "symphony of superyacht sales".

In the end, it's either the insurance company or the owner who will be hit in this case. That's what happens when the value of the shipyard is just a fraction of the value product they are trying to produce. I hope the owners lawyered up well before the sh*t hit the fan, to draught a proper contract.

Bruno

The only way to stop "Monday morning quarterbacking" is for the yard management to tell the world what happened and why.

Since that is no more likely than finding the capsize was the result of a meteorite impact, this thread has a much more secure future than anyone involved in that unfortunate project.

On a lighter note........

Beneath the placid surface of the hyper-controlled, white coveralled, NASA like environment of any given launch, this is exactly and precisely what is going on in the guts of those who built her.................

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QNfgu-bYEvc&feature=player_embedded


Anderschou

So much for Darwins Theory!
This guy is still in the gene pool!

Depends on how tight his harness was ...

Hi,

Everyone here is just playing with their knobs till we see what the supposedly official outcome is.

Until then and then after that any suggestions from the inexperienced and under exposed masses will no doubt add fuel to the fire.

How many of the armchair critics on YF have actually has any experience with a large displacement vessel?

I enjoy learning and I'm looking forward to learning what caused this. I do know a bit about business, marinas and yards and I know that losing a boat at the launch is very bad for business.

Hey, I've got a Zodiac and 2 kayaks in the back yard!

Personally none. But neither do the brothers Twist who have no boat building experience at all.

Up to 50m/500GRT, admittedly smaller than the yacht in question. And your point about fiddling with the knobs is pertinent, Kiwi.

However, if it was a slipway launch, as stated in one of the responses a while back in this thread, I can think of an easy half dozen scenarios which a.) had nothing to do with the stability or quality of construction of the yacht and b.) had everything to do with the peculiarities of launching large vessels down a slipway, and the specialized rigging required for same.

Regarding which I'm gonna keep my mouth shut until the findings from whatever board of inquiry are made public, or not.

Anderschou

Hi,

All methods of launching require some pre planning, the open stern door on FOX does make me wonder of this is where her problems started as the stern with minimal reserve buoyancy went down deep while the rest of the vessel was still sitting on the slipway carriage.

A failure of the slipway carriage while unfortunate should not have caused the sinking of the vessel was properly prepared before the launch process started.

I agree with your remarks about the Twist Bros, I read the YR article yesterday while travelling and had to ask myself - how do these type of characters seem to keep popping up in what is supposed to be such a heavily regulated and policed industry.

They appear to be a pair of chancers who helped yachts deal with the authorities in Phuket and any other LBFM type things required by the visitors.

The online biographies of the project manager and the resident architect/engineer are not those of amateurs.

http://www.rueayachts.com/media-executive-bios.html

There have been some wonderfully designed buildings that now lay in ruin. All it takes are the words 'cost overruns'. Cut a corner here, hire less than skilled labor there and bingo. It'd be a shame if they did everything right and the guy they hire to maintain the slipway equipment screwed up. It all comes down to the weakest link, and a new player in this game can't have any.

Right on.

To which I might add, when playing at this level of game, nobody can afford any slipups, ever.


Anderschou

I think this is how it is supposed to go:

http://tinyurl.com/3783b25

There is only one person in that list who has had experience in building to western standards. The Twist brothers have absolutely no boat building experience. The naval architect has never built a boat to western quality standards as will be seen from looking at any Thai built or maintained ship. Unfortunately the project was doomed from the start.

The subject of this discussion is not about building to western or any other standard. It is about launching a boat without it falling over.