Now that we’ve chosen the design, it’s time to think about preparations and brain-storming about how to build it. Where do we start?
- Make arrangements for getting our boat CE-approved
- Find and equip a location to build the boat
- Arrange quotes from potential suppliers
- Build a website
- Gather together the tools to do the job
Don’t forget the list of ‘quick jobs’ to be done at home that we’ll probably be overlooked for the next two years. After 8 years of intensive use, a lick of paint can never be considered an excessive luxury.
Guidance through the CE mark approval process
A boat that is “Self-built” for private use and not going to be sold for a minimum of five years, does not have to be CE compliant. However, because we are planning to use the boat as a charter, a CE Certificate of Compliance is required.
To start with, the designer has agreed to deliver a set of design drawings that conform to CE-class A.
The current requirements for CE-class A (Ocean) have to be adhered to throughout the construction of the vessel. The general idea behind the many check lists to be used is fairly self-explanatory, but the seemingly endless references to numerous ISO standards is pretty overwhelming. To be awarded a CE-Class A certificate of Compliance, the completed craft has to be inspected by a CE approved ‘Notified Body ‘.
To minimise the risk of getting any unwanted surprises when the build is complete, we decided to look for a consultant to guide us through the process.
Finding a consultant proved to be quite easy. After some searching on the internet, a few telephone calls and a face-to-face interview with ‘Rense Dijkstra’ from Scheepsexperts.nl , we’d found our man. Life had just become a lot easier.
| Caterory | Description | Wind | Waves | ||
| A | Ocean: Designed for extended voyages where conditions may exceed wind force 8 (Beaufort) and wave height of 4 meter (13′ ft). | 8 bft and more | 4 m and higher | ||
| B | Offshore: Designed for offshore where conditions up to, and including, wind force 8 (Beaufort) and wave height of 4 meter (13′ ft). | 8 bff max | 4 m max | ||
| C | Coastal waters: Designed for voyages in coastal waters, large bays, estuaries, lakes and rivers where conditions up to, and including, wind force 6 (Beaufort) and wave height up to 2 meter (6’6″ ft). |
6 bft max | 2 m max | ||
| D | Sheltered water: Designed for small lakes, rivers and canals with wind up to, and including, force 4 (Beaufort) and wave height of 0.3 meter (1′ ft). |
4 bft max | 0,3 m max |
Finding a location to build.
The best solution would of course be to build the boat at home so we could work on the boat in the small hours, but we haven’t got the room. Even if we did have the space, we would never be able to get the finished boat out of the street. An ideal location would, of course, be close to the water, but Helmond isn’t a water-rich area, so, to the car, heating on and measuring tape in hand, off we went. Fortunately, a lot of work has been done in recent years to broaden the South Willemsvaart, the south-east route to Weert and then on to the River Maas. Zealand is already fully accessible.
The north-west route towards’ s-Hertogenbosch has some obstacles. At present the Rijkswaterstaat busy working on a bypass around ‘s-Hertogenbosch. Completion is scheduled for 2015. It would be nice if the drawbridge at Erp/Keldonk could also be widened and the railway bridge at Veghel removed. That would eventually save us several miles running on the engines. Surprisingly, after just two weeks of searching we’d found a suitable location. Only 3 kilometres from home and 15 minutes from the South Willemsvaart, close enough to spend a few hours working on the boat in the evenings.
Wow! And to think that this shed will eventually be completely filled by the catamaran.
The Vacuum Pumps
This week we took receipt of both vacuum pumps. Both pump from Vacmobiles.
The first one we bought from Fram the other one delivered within 5 days from New Zeeland www.vacmobiles.com
These pumps are essential with the infusion building system.
Read the specification of the 2 pumps in this pdf:
