When commencing a custom or one-off boat, many parts simply can be bought off a shelf. With my new Omega 42 I run the philosophy that we try to utilize the most simple and convenient solution when having to make a decision. On the other hand, I´ll happily go the extra mile where it counts. Here´s an example regarding some stainless steel parts which I insist would be custom produced to exactly fit my boat, her aesthetics and satisfy our strive for a terrific build.
After the last post which revealed that not everything always goes as planned and that a custom one-off boat project can and will also come up occasionally with setbacks, challenges and hurdles to overcome, here´s some good news again. You might have wondered what this strange thingy is meant for in the title picture, right? Well, you will understand in a few minutes. Let´s start at the beginning: Last week some of the more important parts of my new yachts have arrived. Stainless steel!
That´s the chainplates, basically. Two of them will be fitted to the glassfiber chainplate knees laminated under deck which will take on the lateral loads of the rigging and pass them on into the hull structure, especially the boat´s bottom grid. And of course the headstay chainplate, which in my case consists of two parts. Because of the fact that I went for a classic headsail furler, not the under-deck variant as in hull #001 WINDFAENGER (see a picture here), there will be a stem mounted chainplate and a surplus furler-mount for the deck (fitted of course underneath the deck, not on top of it).
As you surely can see, such parts cannot be bought from a supplier. For once, we chose high grade steel from the best category in terms of corrosion resistance and mechanical properties. The dimensions, the thickness and the shapes of these things are highly individual and hence only a custom production could deliver them. I´ve already published an article some time ago about the stainless steel tiller connector for my boat, which indeed is a craftsman´s work of art. These parts are from the same manufacture.
It seems simple and easy, but in fact the whole standing rigging of my boat is compromised if these welds are corrupted or the steel is too week. In fact, making the chainplates is just the first, and indeed simplest, of the jobs yet to come. Next up on the metal worker´s to do list are the boat´s pushpit and pulpit, which are a very, very special “operation” and I hope that I will gain access to pictures, possibly films, showing the making. And then there is this little strange thing you´ve already wondered about on the cover picture of this article. Now, what´s up with this thing?
See, the Omega 42 is a pretty darn long boat. Thirteen meters is quite a stretched bonnet to overlook when berthing. Especially when I am sailing alone (and I will pretty much all the time sail single handed), always exactly determining the right distance to a jetty, a pontoon or, worse, to a quay wall can be a challenge. It´s not seldom that boats hit stuff nose-on. Facing the extreme overhangs of my yacht, the sharp raked bow, this is a real risk. I´ve never hit a pontoon that hard myself, but stuff happens and I was sure that I´d never run aground in my life … until I did. So better let´s be prepared, and so I asked the boatbuilders in my shipyard to come up with an idea for bow protection.
In this, I would never accept bold or clumsy simple bolt-on protectors, like seen in so many production boats (see an example here). My bow protector should be beautiful, stylish in a way. It should take on the lines of the boat, support them instead of acting bold like some foreign material. The guys really tried a few iterations before the came up with this last design. And I must say, I really like that shape! This bow cap is not only restrained in its design, but strong and efficient for the purpose it is meant for. And it fits like Snow White´s shoe indeed!
Because the three dimensional shape of this bow cap is so complicated and intriguing, it cannot be set up in a 2D-drawing or plan. The easiest way to tell the metal worker what to do is to make a model of it. So the guys built this glassfiber-reinforced gauge model of the steel cap and gave it the end-shape. This is now sent to the metal workshop just over the street from the shipyard where they will built it in stainless steel. Now, with this model at hand, we can offer such a beautiful, but effective, protective cap for every Omega 42-sailor there is out there. So if you are interested, send us a mail right away!
Anyway, this example of the bow cap shows why building the Omega 42 takes so long. We are now in the third year of her production and apart from the fact that I paused the progress for almost half a year due to budgetary reasons, it is these “little” things which pop up on an almost weekly basis. Sometimes the decision is easy, the solution even easier: As seen with the salon table, where we simply chose to use a table from the caravaning industry. The opposite are these steel parts: Highly work-intensive, very much time-consuming and very expensive! But that´s the price of owning such a special boat, right?
As promised, the frequency of stuff happening is tightening. Whilst some of the guys are working on her outside, her interior is progressing step by step. The brand new floor boards are in production and should be delivered latest next month. The guys have also started to add the wooden details, like the embrasure for the entryway as you can see on the picture below. After the above mentioned stainless steel parts (bow cap, pushpit, pulpit) have been finished, the ladder will be the next item on the list. So there´s a lot going on right now. Not to mention the electric and electronic setup (batteries and such), which are on the menu for July and August.
My next big, big highlight I am very much looking forward to will happen on July 20iest and 21st, when finally the PVC-deck will be glued to the boat! I´ve already documented the making of the deck-panels as well as the production of its crowning jewel, the kingplank in detail and now, at last, it is time to bring boat and deck together. This will be another glorious big, big day (in fact, it´s two days of work) and I can´t wait to see my Omega 42 sporting her brand new deck. So stay tuned, dear readers!
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Here are more interesting articles:
Refitting the chainplates of my King´s Cruiser 33
About thoroughly cleansing a filthy old bilge, the start and the outcome
