U857 Moon Tide - Boat Construction Video (1989?)

[AdnamsGirl]

I've been a bit late with catching up on the latest Broads related uploads to YouTube this month, but a trawl earlier threw up something that is a little bit different. As the title says, this is the construction of Moon Tide  c1989 - a rather interesting and different film.

 

 

 

Carol

[deebee29]

Ahh the good old days before elf & safety

Great video 

[Springsong]

I was confused at first as some of the staff I recognised from Geo. Smith & son. The silver haired chap

was Ray Chambers or possible Chamberlin, he was the boat builder at Smith's. I remember having Sprinsong hauled out in that shed, most un nerving . This is her moored outside that very shed with the late Peter Applegate of Wroxham Marine (Sheerline) fame.

[Vaughan]

I once got bitten by an angle grinder, that flew out of a corner of a GRP mould. Needed 7 stitches in the back of my hand.

You only do it once - after that, it's thick leather gloves, every time!

[Vaughan]

What's more I was wearing normal docker's gloves, but it went right through those. Luckily I was wearing an ex army gas mask against the dust, as once it had walked across my hand, it then hit me in the face, still running!

I have always thought these are about the most dangerous power tool you could use.

[Timbo]

I enjoyed the video...bit like putting the lid on a big tub of 'I Can't Believe It's Not Butter'. 

[BryanW]

Well before H&S took over.

We hired Moon Light, Moon Tide's sister, for 3 years running from Belaugh Boats.  I really liked the boat, hand winch operated canopy and indeed, built by Geo. Smith & Son, I still remember seeing the Geo. Smith plaque.  The only problem, the last time we hired her, was a rather wet wardrobe due to the Gas Locker leaking into it after heavy rain.

I will dig some photos out later and post them up.

[MauriceMynah]

Another face I recognised was the crane driver, Peter Linford, who owns the Neatishead boatyard at Wayford Bridge (just opposite Jon's yard across the river).

[LondonRascal]

This video captures so much a real concentrated feel of what boating and the Norfolk Broads is about.  If this was done today there would have to be some music on it, sharp cuts, some banter between the guys to try and make it 'exciting'.

I love how simple the video was, yet well put together by whoever filmed and edited it. Quiet and slow. Seeing the boat in the shed, partially fitted out, all quiet just waiting for her superstructure and the real sense as things go one that this is very much a hand crafted and unique product. It will go on to provide many hundreds of people holidays over the years but here we see the 'birth' of another hire boat on the Broads.

Of course, once her days in hire are at a close, she will be sold and moved to a retirement mooring seeing far less acting service than when in hire but none the less still doing what she was designed to on the Norfolk Broads.

Part of the charm for me is the old school way of doing things, very different from the large sheds the likes of Commodore and  Broadsman have come from up at Stalham, this was when things were more simple and having a blue gel coat was flashy along with that nice round window on the stern.

Of course at the time it was just another boat build and launch but it is funny how add on a few years and here we all are eager to watch and work out where it is filmed and what other boats we can see in the background and so on.

[grendel]

So interesting to see how much of the internal fit out was done before the lid went on, I suppose that was because there was much more space to work on the internals before the roof was put in place.

[Vaughan]

10 minutes ago, grendel said:

So interesting to see how much of the internal fit out was done before the lid went on, I suppose that was because there was much more space to work on the internals before the roof was put in place.

The other thing I noticed was that it seemed that the bulkheads and floors had been fitted while the boat was on the water, and it was later put into the shed for fitting out.

This is a sensible thing to do, since the basic furniture is what gives the rigidity to a GRP hull.

Also, they would have made hardboard patterns of the bulkheads for the first boat they built, so they could use the same patterns for the next ones of the class.

[grendel]

I suppose if you know the bulkhead shape is correct, if the boat is in the water when you fit it and you have to push the hull out slightly to get it to fit, the water holds everything in place as the glue dries, whereas if it was out of the water you might have to clamp it in place to pull it into shape.

[BryanW]

Strange, Craig's list of NB boats doesn't have any information on either Moon Tide or Moon Light after Moonfleet Marine and I'm sure Moonfleet got rid of them a good few years ago.

Photos as promised, file names indicate the year:

 

[Vaughan]

22 minutes ago, grendel said:

 

I suppose if you know the bulkhead shape is correct, if the boat is in the water when you fit it and you have to push the hull out slightly to get it to fit, the water holds everything in place as the glue dries, whereas if it was out of the water you might have to clamp it in place to pull it into shape.

 

I like the idea! In fact it is very important when fitting out a GRP hull that it is firmly blocked up around the outside, when in the shed.

GRP hulls are very flexible. When they are on the water, empty, they are more like bouncy castles.

This is why a good yard will never fit the engine until the completed boat has been launched. when it first takes the water, it will take up a different shape and in the early days, I have seen boats where the prop shaft ended up almost an inch out of line. Doors no longer close, drawers won't open, and windows leak.

Building a GRP boat is very different from a wooden one.

[grendel]

some of these old chaps were a lot cleverer than we know - I think, so fitting out a hull while it was in the water makes sense, especially if the ballasted it down to the finished weight so that the right amount was submerged for fit out, then keep it in the water until the top is on and fixed and everything comes out the correct shape.

[VetChugger]

Bryan, Craigs site suggests at least one of them is with Ferry Marine and another in private hands.

[garryn]

I bought my boat (u858) 3 year's ago and this dvd came with the boat stating it was the construction of u858 and on watching it you could see it was u857. A month or so ago my brother in law came on the boat and after a day or so stated that he thought he had holidays on this boat as a child.  He looked at his old photo's  and realized it was u857 that it was on, so I gave him the dvd to look at and he downloaded it to you tube.

Thanks Bryan for the pictures of u858 Moon Light. She is now called Daisy Chain. Moon Light and Moon Tide went onto George Smith as Rachel M and Jennifer M. Rachel M then went into private ownership and Jennifer M was transferred to another waterway in 2014. Ferry Marina had at least 2 of the Sheerlines as Bronze Emblems.One was sold Last year and one remains.

Daisy Chain as she is today.

[Vaughan]

I think you will find that is the same cockpit canopy mould as the Bourne 35.

[BryanW]

19 hours ago, VetChugger said:

Bryan, Craigs site suggests at least one of them is with Ferry Marine and another in private hands.

Sorry, I searched on boat name, should have used reg. no.