Yard secures CalMac ferry orders
Ferry operator Caledonian MacBrayne has confirmed a three-year nine-ship overhaul contract with Corpach Boatbuilding Company in Lochaber. CalMac said the yard near Fort William had emerged as a strong competitor in a tough market.
The yard has plans for a new slipway that will allow it to handle much larger boats.
John Salton, CalMac technical manager, said:
"The continuity this order gives ourselves and the yard is mutually beneficial and with the investment planned for the site at Corpach, we have a very strong operator bidding for our work in what is a very competitive and demanding area."
He added: "The yard has plans for further investment in a new slipway, which could see them bidding for work on some of our bigger ships beyond the Island class, which this current contract covers."
Jim Mather, Scottish National Party enterprise spokesman, welcomed the confirmation of the contract.
He said: "I am pleased to see it confirmed and to learn that CalMac and Corpach Boatbuilding are looking into ways of extending this work by extending facilities at Corpach so that the business may expand."
Fyne Spirit
In October 2006 the yard won the contract to complete the refurbishment of the cruise vessel ‘Fyne Spirit’. Originally the RFA support vessel ‘Cockchaffer’, she was extensively modified structurally and work on the internal installation was started prior to her arrival at Corpach.
She was berthed alongside the pier at Corpach Harbour, adjacent to the boatyard, and facilities were established at the pierhead to enable work to proceed as efficiently as possible.
The work was monitored on behalf of the owners by consultant naval architect Alasdair Salmon, who worked closely with the yard manager Sandy Edmond to control the quality and time schedule for the five months period of the contract. The work involved almost all the trades available at the boatyard and a small number of contractors were brought in to maintain the level of hours required and complete more specialised heavy duty 3 phase and DC electrical works.
The vessel arrived at Corpach in December 2006 and the contract was completed in June 2007.
Steam Power
In the summer of 2006 we completed the installation of a new boiler for the steam puffer VIC 32. The old boiler was condemned and then removed by us in May 2005, and a new boiler was constructed by Pridhams of Tavistock and delivered to the boatyard in July 2006. Between the old boiler removal and the new boiler arriving on site, the Puffer was stored in a drying berth alongside the boatyard at Corpach. Prior to the new boiler arriving we slipped the Puffer and replaced approx 10ft in length, gunwhale to gunwhale, of hull plating in way of the boiler room. This was fabricated in welded steel sections, but internally we applied ‘dummy’ rivet heads in way of the frames in order to give the appearance of a riveted finish. A new fiddley top and funnel were fabricated. The new boiler, measuring 5m x 2m diameter and weighing 6.5tons was craned into the depths of the Puffer alongside the pier at Corpach. The boiler was secured in place and the yard assisted the owners with re-connecting the maze of pipe work until the boiler was fired up and commissioned in July 2006.
Paddle Power
Work is nearing completion on the fabrication of the drive gear for a highly unusual craft.
The ‘vessel’ resembles a small island, or large rock and is a houseboat constructed of re-cycled polystyrene upon a catamaran hull. Propulsion is achieved by driving a vehicle aboard the craft and on to a ‘rolling road’ which in turn is connected to a paddle wheel. The boatyard constructed the rolling road and the paddle wheel to the design of the owner Ray Turner. It is believed that the craft is unique in the history on marine transport!