Hello Sea Breezers, Today (thursday) I went to the opening day of the Sydney Boat Show and wish to report that you should all save your money and not go. The organisation is a shambles, the floating component is still in Cockle Bay at Darling Harbour, just like it has always been. Unfortunately the undercover component has now been moved to Glebe Island Bridge where it will now be held for the next three years while they go about knocking and rebuilding the Darling Harbour site.
The undercover venue is reached by free ferry from Cockle Bay and vice versa back the other way. The resultant undercover show is badly laid out with too much repeptiton of brands and models (how many Mercury outboards do you want to see in one day?), the boats generally are boring, mainly because these are boats that overpriced for what they are and the market they are aimed at. Not many of the kinds of boats that interest Sea Breezers, that is smaller more useful utility kind of boats. But hey! If $60.000 wake boats are your thing then by all means this is the show for you.
The in the water show at Cockle bay was nicely laid out and nearly all the boats were accessable, prices ranged from atronomical to anywhere in the next universe. Having said that there were lots of lovely boats to drool over, every thing from 65' power motor yachts to a Tayana 58 (that boat was very droolably).
I had a lengthy chat with the gent from Jeanneau yachts about their sea going ability (knowing that some in here have howled Jeanneau down as not being seaworthy) to handle blue water cruising and he assured me that all Jeanneau yachts are "A" rated and then to back up his claim he showed me the rating plate that is affixed in the stbd rear corner of the cockpit
Lastly if Jode5 is still reading this forum ...... Very noice, your new boat is most impressive and attacted a fair amount loving looks at the show 
<< that's tongue hanging out, will you now be know as Jode7 ????
Perhaps we should start a business making "Rating Plates". What did it have on it? Stability index! Something over 120?
Select to expand quoteRamona said..
Perhaps we should start a business making "Rating Plates". What did it have on it? Stability index! Something over 120?
That's a bit cynical Ramona, my point wasn't to do with stability ratings orcentre of bouyancy or in fact any other dynamic of the boat other than to clarify it's ability as a blue water capable boat.
When Southace first showed an interest in a Jeanneau someone here mentioned the windows popping out if he took it to sea. It seems that people want to hammer Jeanneau and Beneteau mainle because they are French and no other reason. Yet the same people talk up Bavaria as being nearly the perfect boat for everything based on the fact that they are German and conveniantly forget that it was Bavaria that had a rash of keels dropping off their yachts.
So please can we keep it balanced and objective.
Select to expand quote
... to clarify it's ability as a blue water capable boat.
Not familiar with A-ratings and how it relates to equipment versus construction.
Does it mean a boat with an A-rating plaque is very solidly built ?
We went to the boat show today, but only visited the marina.
For me the most desirable boat there was the Catalina 445. Well set up, solid looking rig. Functional Iinterior that looks like it would last more than a year or two.
The least desirable was a Beneteau 38. The transom was about a million miles wide, I have no idea why. Interior looked like if would fall apart at the first ripple.
I cannot afford either though so what the heck.
Has anyone had experience with the twin wheel set ups? It all looks complex, and high drag, is this the case? To my eye the modern cockpits look to open, with nowhere to brace when sitting. I would be worried about people falling at each tack, or when moving around if the boat is heeled. Guess we will keep the old girl for another year or two!
Select to expand quoteLMY said..
We went to the boat show today, but only visited the marina.
For me the most desirable boat there was the Catalina 445. Well set up, solid looking rig. Functional Iinterior that looks like it would last more than a year or two.
The least desirable was a Beneteau 38. The transom was about a million miles wide, I have no idea why. Interior looked like if would fall apart at the first ripple.
I too thought the Catalina a very nice boat I did the Hunter, some of the other like as you say, Ben, Jen and even the Bav plus others from the German builders were a little too clinical to have much appeal for me.
If I had to vote for a boat as the outstanding boat of the show, then for me it was the Tayana 58 "Moonshadow", it looked every bit a gorgeous traditional yacht.
To be honest I think that just wandering around a marina and looking at what other people have and how they do stuff has more interest to me than attending a boat show and doesn't cost anything either
Regards Don
We are off to the boat show today, then a twilight cruise and overnight on the tallship Soren Larsen (birthday treat).
Unless a rating plate or anything else clearly states the Classification Society and the classification given by that society it isn't worth a great deal. Any derivation of a classification that isn't specifically from the relevant society isn't an approved classification.
All in all, a Rating plate is worthless unless it is from the Classification Society. Not having seen the Jeanneau plate, it appears to be Jeanneau's version of a rating and is therefore worthless. Which I think is Ramona's point.
Read all about it herehttp://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/sectors/maritime/documents/recreational-craft/index_en.htm
the main part is the directive which specifies the requirements for the classification
eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:01994L0025-20130101&from=EN
list of assessment bodies is here
ec.europa.eu/enterprise/newapproach/nando/index.cfm?fuseaction=directive.notifiedbody&dir_id=15&type_dir=NO%20CPD&pro_id=99999&prc_id=99999&ann_id=99999&prc_anx=99999
The Jeanneau classification is not worthless, it is just not that special as every major production builder conforms to the same MINIMUM specifications. Seems to me it's being overused as a marketing tool.
Select to expand quoteDonk107 said..
To be honest I think that just wandering around a marina and looking at what other people have and how they do stuff has more interest to me than attending a boat show and doesn't cost anything either
Regards Don
agree. walked past it yesterday, wouldnt bother.
I went on opening day as well. Dissapointed in the undecover setup and the lack of exhibitors compared to other years.
There is one thing you learn from boat shows and that is "All that glitters is not gold. It is marine hardware."
Boat Ratings: This is an extract from the second document linked by FreeRadical above (pic inserted below).
So rating A means the boat must handle wind at and above Force 8 and waves over 13 foot high.
I suppose the crux of the matter is how you would test a newly designed boat to see whether it indeed will handle such conditions over an extended period of time without significant failures.
Could view it as analogous to motor vehicle safety design. No matter how much you study the design, if you want to see how the car will hold up you really want to put a life size dummy in it and run it into a concrete block. Then you have an objective rating that you can use to compare cars with.
With the design of new boats - bit difficult to rate objectively you'd think.
Let's get some evidence: wait for a winter Atlantic storm to roll into Biscay; get the new Jenneau/ Beneteau/ Bavaria production boat to sail across Biscay during the storm (crewed by the CEO, the Head of Marketing and the Head of Finance). The boat must spend at least 48 hours beating or reaching in waves over 4m and force 8+ winds.
Then have Lloyds do an independent survey of the boat after the voyage.
Prospective buyers would possibly be more interested in that survey than glossy marketing materials.
Select to expand quoteKarsten said..
(crewed by the CEO, the Head of Marketing and the Head of Finance).
Fantastic idea!
Lloyds and other Societies (I know Lloyds well having worked with them closely on the RAN acceptance of HMAS CHOULES, I don't know the others well) classification is achieved through their people rigorously testing the design, manufacture and testing of every component to the relevant standard to which the classification applies. This is usually the hull, propulsion, steering, emergency systems etc. It is tortuous and exacting. Lloyds don't give a classification to a finished product unless they have done this entire process. You can't get a Lloyds Classification by having your boat surveyed after build.
Many businesses create their own 'Classifications' but there are to my knowledge no derivations accepted by Lloyds.
Setting your own standard and inferring it is 'like' a Lloyds Classification is just marketing.
Thought the boat show was ok, the Glebe Island setup was poor but I got to talk and learn so I was happy.
Marina seemed to be a lot smaller this year but every seemed happy to spend time with me but I think my southport yacht cub shirt may of had something to do with that. Spent a bit of time at the sailors with disabilities display, boy those guy do a good job and they need help guys!!
I guess would rate the show with a good stamp but yes it needs to lower its sights down ion market a bit. I would like to see some used market boats on display one year??
Keith, thanks for the wrap for SwD. We took the main boat to Southport two weeks ago and had a great week there taking out 90 disabled and their teachers/carers. The trip to Southport was very quick with up to 40kts mainly from the west. We hit at least 15.7kts and over 15 regularly.
She spent a week in Bundy and is now in Rosslyn Bay doing great work.
Yes Sailors with disAbilities do need help. The raffle for the brand new Hanse 34 that was displayed at the boatshow closes at the end of the month. So please help. You can still purchase a ticket here: www.gofundraise.com.au/
