South Boats launch new Service Centre website

Posted on December 8, 2011 by admin

Today sees the launch of a new website to support and promote the South Boats
Service Centre at Venture Quays, Cowes – www.southboats-servicecentre.co.uk.

This state-of-the-art boat refit, boat repair and boat maintenance facility for vessels of up to 30m has 24-hour tidal access to the yard’s ship lift and a hall height in excess of 10m.

South Boats Service Centre can provide routine boat maintenance, servicing and repair with minimal notice. The project management team has vast experience of building and refitting GRP, FRC, alloy and steel vessels from 10m to over 50m. Their unique time-served trade skills affords massive experience, quality and attention to detail.
Dedicated client support ensures all projects are delivered to agreed time scales and budgets. With over £5m of stock held on site, good availability of boat parts is assured whilst quick turnaround on non-stock items can also be achieved.

The South Boats Service Centre offers the following facilities:

  • Hydraulic Lift which is mostly not tide dependant – capable of lifting up to 70 tonnes/10mtr width. To be upgraded in 2012 to larger capacity
  • Pontoon for works afloat/overnight berthing
  • 44,000 square feet of external space
  • Access to a wide range of skills from traditional carpentry to the latest technologically advanced nav aids
  • Dedicated team
  • All vessels considered
  • Mains services across apron to facilitate all requirements
  • Out of hours support available upon request

South Boats Service Centre can undertake any refit works required, with access to a vast skill base from both within the existing workforce and from regular sub-contract companies.

Prices will be agreed before commencement, with ongoing liaison at every stage.

Clients include existing new build customers, RNLI, Hampshire Constabulary Marine Unit and Southern Inshore Fisheries & Conservation Authority.

The new website can be found at: www.southboats-servicecentre.co.uk

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Wind Wave Workboats Ltd. order South Boats 17m Vigilante Wind Farm Support Vessel

Posted on November 2, 2011 by admin

South Boats Special Projects Ltd. and Wind Wave Workboats Ltd. are pleased to announce the two companies have signed a contract for the construction for the ‘Freddie S’, a first of class South Boats 17m Vigilante catamaran. The vessel will be built at South Boats’ new facility in Cowes and will be delivered in August 2012.

This is the first vessel to be designed and built using the Vigilante hull form, originally built by Lyme Boats, that South Boats acquired earlier this year. The 17.5m vessel will be built to UK MCA Workboat Code Category 2. Twin MTU 8V2000 M72 marine diesel engines with ZF2000V gears diving Clements Marine shafting and propellers should propel the ‘Freddie S’ to sprint speeds in excess of 25 knots. The vessel will feature a large and comfortable crew saloon and will benefit from South Boats’ modular hydraulic system with fuel transfer systems, pressure washer, deck crane and fire pump.

Wind Wave Workboats Ltd. are a new operator to South Boats but have always admired the quality and attention to detail of all South Boats vessels. Fred and Pat Buckingham also own and operate the ‘Pamela P’ and the ’Samson B’ currently working on Burbo Bank and Lynn offshore wind farms respectively.

South Boats’ Sales & Technical Director, Ben Colman says “We are delighted to confirm this order with Wind Wave Workboats and to work with Fred and Peter. We are sure that with the lessons Fred has learnt on the sister vessel and the detail and quality that South Boats will share on this new product, the ‘Freddie S’ will serve them very well”.

Peter Scriven and Fred Buckingham of Wind Wave Workboats Ltd. said that “with over 60 vessels out there South Boats have shown they have the skills to provide an excellent product. A visit to their boat yard makes this clearly self evident. We are very excited about the build and look forward to August”.

South Boats Special Special Projects Ltd. of Cowes, Isle of Wight, UK, are the largest builders of offshore wind farm support vessels in the world. With 66 vessels in service or in build within the sector with 14 operators, extensive operational and development experience has been gained on over 25 projects in 7 countries. With an xtensive design portfolio from 15m to over 30m, South Boats develop vessels from the industry for the industry.

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South Boats expands to Venture Quays

Posted on September 15, 2011 by admin

South Boats Special Projects Ltd. are delighted to announce their immediate expansion to Venture Quays in East Cowes. Following significant new orders from key players in the offshore wind industry, the company has leased a number of units within the former Columbine works, one of the most recognisible shipyards in Britain.

The Venture Quays site allows South Boats to fulfil recent orders from Turbine Transfers Ltd., MPI and Seacat Services for a wide range of wind farm service vessels. In addition the site will also be the home of the South Boats Service Centre, offering extensive refit and repair facilities for vessels of up to 30m, including 24-hour tidal access to the yard’s ship lift and a hall height in excess of 10m.

Jeremy Paul, Managing Director of South Boats is quoted as saying: “We are delighted to be able to make further additional investment on the Isle of Wight, especially during the continued economic uncertainty. Venture Quays allows us to increase our capacity and productivity for the new range of aluminium catamarans, whilst also adding state of the art service, refit and repair facilities for a wide variety of vessels.”

South Boats is recognised as a pioneer in designing and manufacturing wind farm service vessels. The company has built 122 vessels on the Isle of Wight, 65 of which have been for the offshore power industry. These have been built in five classes, from 15m to 30 meters, representing a 50% market share in European wind farms that are serviced by 13 operators, including Turbine Transfers Ltd. (Holyhead Towing Company), Iceni Marine Services Ltd., Northern Offshore Services AB, MPI Workboats, Ltd. (Vroon Group BV), Maritime Craft Services and MTS Group. The boats have worked on 25 wind farm projects in 7 countries. South Boat designs are continually evolving to meet the growing expectations of the industry for higher levels of safety, reduced noise levels and enhanced crew comfort.

The historic Columbine works has previously produced Princess Seaplanes, hovercraft and wind turbine blades.

 

 

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South Boats quality comes to Vigilante Workboats

Posted on October 26, 2010 by admin

South Boats Special Projects Ltd. are pleased to announce that they have reached agreement with the administrators of Lyme Boats Ltd. to purchase the assets of the former boat building company.

Under the terms of the agreement the company is now able to produce the Vigilante Workboats GRP and Aluminium designs. This will enable South Boats to add the GRP Vigilante 33 monohull to its portfolio with two recent examples having been built as pilot and survey vessels. Most significantly the acquisition gives South Boats the ability to build the Vigilante 16m offshore wind farm support vessel designs. It is intended that these vessels will be marketed to the industry in addition to the South Boats designs, demonstrating the company’s commitment to offer a broad spectrum of different designs that suit the varying requirements of individual projects and vessel owners/operators. These vessels will be built in the new fourth production line for ‘special projects’ where the company is currently building Incat Crowther designed vessels for P&O Maritime Services. Existing operators of Vigilante catamarans include Enviroserve Ltd., Wind Wave Workboats Ltd. and Gardline Environmental Sciences Ltd. Full details will be available shortly.

Ben Colman of South Boats is quoted as saying “We are delighted to announce the expansion of our vessel portfolio and despite the unfortunate position of Lyme Boats we are pleased that the designs can continue to be available to the market should there be a demand. We can utilise our considerable market experience and reputation for build quality to improve the design, configuration and versatility to suit client requirements”.

Ian Walker, Partner at the Exeter office of Administrators Begbies Traynor, added, “We were appointed Administrators to Lyme Boats at the end of May. We decided to try and achieve a sale of the assets and the Intellectual Property on the basis that this would achieve the best possible returns for creditors while keeping the defining characteristics of the business, in particular its designs, intact. I am delighted that this sale has now gone through and that the business will be making such an important contribution to the successes of its new owners.”

 

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