Superyacht offloading going wrong

Karo it depends on the circumstances. Under controlled conditions, like a yard working with a travel lift, sling lifting will be safe and secure. Always the same enviroment, well trained personel and paved level ground should not give any problems. The best and safest method of course is a customized cradle and a syncro lift.

But we are talking about different harbours situations and off harbour loading and deloading from a floating ship. Sea state, wind force and worn out slings with unvisible damage and / or corroded lifting gear can be a degrading factor.

The worst method is the direct connection of the front and rear sling to a single hook without the integration of load handling attachments. This is prone to sling slippage.
The integration of a box type beam traverse (see below) will parallel the load and stabilize the slings.


For our own boats, both work boats and smaller yachts like my 50 ft inland waterway cruiser, which are lifted quite often, we have heavy duty threads built into the deck/frame structure for srew in lifting eyes. Together with customized steel cables and shackles, the boats can be lifted safely as often as wanted.

Hard lift points are also common in modern race sailboats, say the VO65. Highly polished bottom vs fabric slings is not a good bet. Another factor is that the hull can only take the load in specific places. (Thus the hard stands which collapse into 40ft container format.) The VOR boats are getting currently lifted back into the water in Lisbon, to make things more interesting this is usually done with the stick attached. Looking at their system they have two attachment points on the keel stringers (and corresponding access holes in the coach roof) just behind the stick which take most of the load to the hook and additional lines to the transom corners and the rest of the load keep the boat level. Add several ropes to control the boat. At about 13 tons not that hard for a single crane.

The big drawback is that you have to design the attachment points into the boat from beginning. OTOH once they exist lifting is as easy and safe as it ever gets.

Transporting a cradle large enough to lift a yacht is a significant feat, as is maneuvering that cradle under a yacht in the water, which explains the rarity of that kind of preparation.

Thanks HTM09... and Chasm

Both posts puts some knowledgable perspective on the issues... and makes the situation here seem very much less than ideal.

I am not real fond on the entire idea of shipping yachts (other than racers) as it defeats the fundamental principle behind having the yacht. But the world has changed for many very much beyond a 10m sailboat for crossing oceans. The yachts being built for the even moderately rich let lone the hyper-rich of today are often jewels that perhaps though they can make crossing easily but for a variety of reasons it makes better sense to ship.

Although, specialized yacht transports have become to my surprise a significant factor they can only serve relatively only part of the market... so conventional deck cargo often results with additional risks. As you HTM09 say, typical accident (not routine) but the type of thing when it happens is typical of the situation.

I think the reason for the growth in shipping is that the owners typically now-a-days do not have the time or desire to be onboard for a crossing. What my grandfather (retired ship master) did and had time for is not what I can do or have time for. Nor do I have the constitution or perhaps patience for long ocean crossings. That is fact.

My recent posts on the tragic death a couple years ago of Michael Hanlon are example... crew tired from a crossing... big push to get the boat perfect almost on arrival for a charter (or owner) who expects perfection, the crew needing time off the boat after the crossing..., some oversights, and the resulting in a slip and fall and drowning death. The pressures on the crews have increased commensurably. So shipping is the solution.

Also, the use of the yacht effects this. Personally, I have been in a struggle for some time of what path to go down from now on in yachting. A moderate (for now-a-days) sailboat <24m (so I can sail it) does not work anymore. What was once a maxi... is now a mini... and too much bother. Even a 50m sailboat is not really suitable for the ladies as they age... not liking life on a slant... and I have to admit I really don't like long cruises just simple hops between ports of call or perhaps a day or two sail. A moderate size motor yacht seems like a solution perhaps 35m to 40m range so it can get into most everywhere. But crossing oceans is not for everyone even in that size which would not that long ago be considered a huge impressive yacht. And, shipping seems the solution... in reality.

Oh, yes everyone wants and likes a ship like Solandge (for sale now) but that experience is much different and detaches from what I know as yachting.

We don't.

Heavens... what is wrong... no movie star or mogul ego... not related to Genghis Khan.... don't like the private cruise ship experience ?

I am being facetious !

Your words

"is much different and detaches from what I know as yachting."

Our words

"is much different and detaches from giving us the feel of boating"

We don't get five star white linen meal service, bed linens changed daily, just enjoy the floating hotel. We love and enjoy our boat, we take the helm a large part of the time, and we enjoy the trips from place to place. If the weather is good, we'll generally be on the bridge. But different things for different people. If we think of visiting five star hotels the the Solandge and others fit right in.

I could be misreading you here, OlderBoater, but it seems like KAro is being a bit sarcastic and whistful, and you are agreeing with the point he made while being angry at him for the things he clearly didn't mean when he made the point.

You are totally misreading. I'm agreeing with the point he made but not angry in any way. I'm in total agreement with his lack of interest in a boat like Solandge. Just confirmed that we don't have an interest in the private cruise ship experience, just doesn't fit us. Karo expressed our sentiments exactly in saying it detaches from what he knows as yachting and we simply state the same in slightly different words that it doesn't give us the feeling of boating. And we appreciated his humor in his Genghis Khan line.

Don't know why you think I'm angry or disagree with anything he said but to clarify that is not the case.

Both Olderboater and I are on a similar page. That is basically the huge floating palace removes one from the enjoyment of the marine environment... anchoring in a little cove with no one around exploring in the water and shore... but having comfortable accommodation and nice meals... privately in happy harmony. Or, going to one of the quaint little towns that are special and enjoying a little time wondering around and absorbing the flavor of thing... a nice meal. Then back to the boat for a secure and home like comfort. The excitement of going places and the beauty of the sea and shore.

This is achieved at different levels. But practically many of these places are not easily accessible by a 75m mega yacht. But a 30m one will do well. But these are family and close friend experiences. A yacht similar to the restored Feadship's of 20m-30m like Sultana does this well. Larger families need larger boats to be comfortable. Also, level of desired service vary... it is a matter of individual taste.

One does not invite business or acquaintances with a smaller boat because of that in my view does not work. BUT you can with the huge yachts and provide most of what I talked about that but it is very much harder but the standard of service is much higher too. Harder because you cannot get into places with 75m and 4m draft that a 30m with 2m draft can... and a huge luxury ship brings with it an different expectation of those you meet in your travels. The real reason for them is image, impress people and ability to isolate ones privacy while entertaining people on one wants to impress but who are not family.

Also, most women, particularly as they age, I know like the 5+ star treatment and the security of the large boat. That is the problem and the conflict in my situation because I cannot roll back time 40-50 years. Though I wish I could.

Interesting photo of the ultimate of using strap slippage... in a ship yard... go too >>Abeking and Rasmussen web site http://abeking.com >> click EN top right corner >> special ships >> Swath Pilot Vessels >> click to 6th photo page "Turning". WOW !!!

Well that certainly is a case of strap slippage where it is good... mostly it is bad.

It is common practice in most yards, when welding large aluminum hulls for sail boats for example, they are built upside down. After having set up frames and stringers precisely, the skin can be welded to the skeleton far more accurate and with far less distortion in this upside down position.

But at a certain stage of the build, the casko has to be turned into the upride position. This is a very critical point during the building process. Most sheds are not big enough for this turning maneuver. So, it has to be done outside and on a level and paved area in front of the shed or on a barge and mostly with multiple uge road cranes.



We are working in our heavy outsized cargo moving world a lot with those road crane operators. This guys are the greatest professionals one could think of. Moving, turning and lifting of uge and heavy loads to a new position within a fraction of an inch and this simultaneously with multiple massive road cranes, is a great job.

I have seen real big men sweating and getting nervous on these occasions. But most of the time it is the yard owner and the project manager and may be the guy from the insurance company but not those pros on their joysticks .

Here is a photo of J8 that was launched a few days ago. This is roughly a 140 foot yacht to give you an idea of scale. Check out the way this was lifted and strapped.

Well done.

A J-class hull is most probably one of the most dificult piece of yacht to be sling liftet. Everything is sloped.

Aft sling in the prop cutout in the keel, forward sling horizontally secured, retractlable bow thruster deployed as a last ditch, if something goes wrong. Most likely the best way of doing it, if a cradle lauch was not possible. Quite a task!

safe and sound

Did they need a diver, in order to remove the rear sling?

Oh, I see it came from HJB via the barge and was lowered to the water in the harbour.

I actually don't know. I would imagine so if they didn't want to risk harming the prop or the sling.

Here is J-7 being turned at the end of the video...

All I can say is YIKES!

That hull turning took place at the premises of casko builder Bloemsma & van Breemen in Makkum, NL. I think, they took a pretty high risk during that maneuver and they were pretty lucky, that everything went well. Even only being a few inches above the ground, that empty hull, dropped on the floor, would have been damaged beyond repair.

Professionalism looks different.