Tender garages

Possibly dumb question: does covered bow storage count as a "garage"?

Kelly Cook

That's a good question.......

A more modest example would be this 88' Pershing -

http://www.******************/eng/modelli/88/immagini/vita_bordo_002.jpg

Indeed, fair points yachtluver. I would think the ideal would be simply to have both in the same yacht. Arguably the big tender in the bow compartment and the small fry in the stern garage. Needless to say, this would not be a small yacht!

Kelly

That is one goofy looking tender! But I am plenty impressed with the hull side garage arrangements. For most purposes I would think that more practical than a transom door.

Kelly

Hi,

On Mega Yachts there are advantages and disadvantages to both side launching and stern doors.

The side launching arrgt as shown on Carinthia and many other yachts will always suffer from the problems of the snatching of the crane cables when the mothership rolls whilst trying to get setup and ge the lift going. The Shell Doors themselves are not always the most reliable and straight forward items found onboard a boat either.

There is more than one motor yacht where the tender garage decks are only just above the waterline when it's flat calm owing to some mis calculations on behalf of the Naval Architects/Builders.

Added to the woes can be the servicing and reliability of the beam crane operating mechansim. I was on a yacht where we had the tenders behind the wheelhouse. The crane points had small carbon hatches over them with inhibiting switches to stop you putting the beams out one side when they had not been properly stowed at the other side( the same beams did both sides). The beams used to flex somewhat with the large tender on them especially if there was a bit of snatching as there was on occasion during our world cruise. This would render the cranes inoperative and as the hatch where the switch was open was safely covered by the ships structure by this time it used to make for an interesting operation to put it mildly. This only happenned a couple of times before the switches were packed out so the hatches had to be forced shut against them. The snatching can also cause the cables to jump out of their groves in the winch drum which depending upon the type of guide wheel used can cause extensive damage to the cables. The Class/MCA requirements to end for end the cables is also another good one. The snap shackles are crimped in a loop with a thimble. This crimp has to have a class approved test certificate ( not easy to obtain everywhere). Whilst there may be nothing at all wrong with the Snap Shackle which is by far and away the most expensive part of the cable it was not a simple routine to crop them off to refit at the other end or have new cables made using the same shackle.

The Stern Launching Arrangement allows for better access for maintenance and if properly designed and maintained can in my opinion prove to be a more enjoyable experience for end users( operating, operational reliability and maintaining) and owners ( costs of maintenance)alike.

It does however require the use of an opening transom which kind of limits the grand sweeping staircases that many mega yachts feature and doesn't suit all stern shapes. It does however allow for an increase in transom platform size without loss of any interior volume. The flap also serves as a good easy and safe embarkation and disembarkation place for guests where there can be plenty of asistance given to those that need it.


Another dis advantage can be the tendancy of the underside of the platform to get dirty by it's being splashed by water from the swell or passing wakes. This is most noticeable on yachts that have the over the side wet exhaust that has been traditional for so long.

I have had extensive dealings with both systems, the beam cranes whilst a lot of work at the outset to establish a workable routine for operation and maintenance were not as bad as a boat I was on after that with a very poorly designed and maintained stern launching arrgt. I am now working on a boat that has a stern launching arrangement of an excellent design and construction quality. We were originally going to have beam cranes here but convinced the client to change by personal experiences but most of all the glowing reccommendations of several other people who are using this exact same system.

Great post K1W1. Can you provide links to shots of crane systems that have had good results?

Kelly

I always called the pair of them, the Mini-Me Carinthia VII twins...

K1W1

Thanks. I've been an unabashed fan of SKAT but have wondered about the utility and safety of the side garages.
My first thought when viewing this photo
http:/www.superyachtsociety.com/popup.cfm?img=skat/full/13.jpg
was that someone would get seriously pinched if a wave or other vessel wake came by at an inopportune moment.

Fair point Codger. However I would think that sea state would be a serious limitation for the use of any garage with thru-hull door? That the "pinch risk" would be just as much for a transom garage?

Kelly

Good thread,

K1W1, the positive experiences you have with stern garages, is that with an overhead crane in the stern garage or with a stern slipway (as shown on the Mirabella V picture)?

Bruno

PS, Anybody any experience with systems like this?
(Neptunus 55 Sport)

Hi,

My experience is with stern slipway type systems where the "trailer" goes out so there is no risk of pinching as there is nothing above the boat till it is drawn into the mothership.

An overhead beam out of the Stern has the same problem as the side ones. As the Tender goes up and down on the swell there will always be a risk of connecting with the beam unless it was metres above the boat and you would still have the cable snatch problem when there was any sort of sea condition.

Another thing that I forgot to mention about the Cranes and Tenders mounted on the Bridge Deck is the tendancy for people to ride the boats down. There was an accident on another yacht to the one I was on in the late 1990's that resulted in someone arriving from the shipyard where we were built to fit polished Stainless Steel plaques expressly forbidding the carriage of persons in the Tenders during launch and retrieval operations. I know this sort of action can be banned under standing orders but this is something that's very hard to enforce 100% of the time in a real life situation.

i think a stern launching arrangement is not always practical with all vessels. a lot of the time there is a requirement for an overhead launch or crane launch due to restrictions in space and configurations (aesthetic and practical). lets face it, if you owned a yacht you'd want to make as most of the space for you and your guests as you could. tenders would be a secondary thought for the crew to deal with, and a skilled crew will have no problems operating with overhead lifting arrangement for the tenders and toys.

personally i like the fold out hull type arrangement for launching toys, i'd fold my hath down and have a longer crane rather then pull it up and have a shorter crane. a beach bar or diving/fishing platform at a typical swim platform height is far more practical for me then sheer appearances

The port side tender garage on Octopus looks to be at least 2 metres above the water line. That could be a fair bit of mass swinging about on cables.

K1W1
Isn't there a feed guide/pressure plate on the winch to prevent it jumping?

Hi,

The use of bottom hinge doors is good in theory for the reasons stated but not so good in practice as you would need to have much sturdier beam cranes which would require more interior space to carry the runners etc and you would be much more suseptable to getting hit by the beams when the boat was rolling simply because you would have to lift and push your boat out the extra distance to clear the door which on an average deck height would be 2 m.

You would have the weight of the Tender ( one of our present ones is 5000kg) plus the beams an extra 2m out from the shipside. The "dip" of the beam as the boat rolls would also be increased markedly as would the loading on the door as waves came up under it.