During their 2017 refit the iconic Mari Cha III added an upgrade to their existing water ballast system.
As part of this ground breaking system Vc Metalwork were recruited to help develop, engineer and build the water capture/scoop system as well as it´s interface into he new pipework and storage tanks.
The biggest challenge behind making this solution work was to design and machine a ´scoop’ system that protrudes from the bottom of the hull.
This enables water to either be rammed into the ballast system or, once rotated 180°, dumped when not required. This part had to be not only water tight but also non-corrosive as it lives in a permanent salt water environment.
Through the design phase Vesconite was suggested as the material of choice for the scoop as it exhibits great anti corrosive properties, non-swelling as well as being (very important for Mari Cha III) lightweight.
BOAT
Mari Cha III
PROJECTS
Water Ballast Scoop System, Various Machined parts
SERVICES
Engineering, Welding, Machining, Pipework
MATERIALS
Copper Nickel, Vesconite, Nitronic 50, 17/4 Stainless Steel, 316 Stainless Steel
There was no room for error
in the machining tolerances
Post installation the scoop and seal system did not allow one drop of water into the boat and functions quickly and easily when the boat is underway filling the vessels 7,000 litres tanks in under 2 minutes (or 58l/second), an improvement from a lethargic 11 minutes with the old system.
Testimonial
”You and your team always go that extra mile
Christian LayCaptain - SY Mari Cha III - Briand 147'
“Thank you all for your hard work and energy with the winter refit.
You have provided an unsurpassed level of service and quality that I believe sets a precedent for future projects and other contractors to follow.
You and your team always go that extra mile to finish the project to the exacting standard required and your experience and willingness to share this helps to overcome many problems.
Finally the scoop that we created was nothing short of a masterpiece of engineering in my eyes.
Seldom does a project so complicated, and never done before on this level, work first time. In our case it did and you were a huge part of this.
Many thanks and on behalf of us all on Mari-Cha III”
