All go in the Salthouse Sheds

2012 is off to a busy start for Salthouse Boatbuilders. Both sheds are full of noise and action as several new build projects get under way.

Salthouses continue their work on the production of 72ft and 45ft Vaka's for a German philanthropist who is establishing a fleet of Polynesian Vaka within the Pacific Islands nations. The project, now in its fourth year, has already seen the construction of seven 72ft ocean going Vaka Moana, and the smaller 45ft Vaka Motu. The intention of this project is to give back to the pacific island people, their independence in commuting between their island neighbours without the need for expensive fuels and rundown vessels. In the process, the island people are rediscovering their history and connection to the ocean round them. See this video link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UR_nk7ZEKcE&feature=player_embedded

In contrast to the Vaka, yet still in the multihull vain, Salthouses are also producing Emirates Team New Zealand’s latest high speed multihull tenders. With the ever increasing speed of the new multihull race yachts now used in Americas Cup racing, teams have been struggling to find a support vessel that will keep up with the 40+ knots of the catermans as they hurtle around the race track. Emirates Team New Zealand designers have developed a new tender design that will not only be able to keep up with the fleet but be large enough to carry equipment & personal while still running efficiently with two 350hp Yamaha outboards. The 14mtr twin hull tenders will be in the water later this year. Check back soon for the latest graphics .....

As the books continue to fill up, Salthouses have another Southstar37 booked in for production later this year - this will be the 5th Southstar37 to come from the Salthouse yard - see the latest Club Marine Magazine for the Southstar37's most recent boat test.

Last but certainly not least is the news of an exciting new project with designer Greg Elliott. Elliott Marine and Salthouse Boatbuilders have collaborated to produce a package deal for an exciting new 35ft carbon fibre, kanting keel race yacht. This new design (as pictured above) is going to offer an exhilarating yet uncomplicated solution to yachties wanting to get out and be competitive on the local & international circuit.
Check back soon for full details.....

A job well done

With only a matter of hours to go before Team Sanya started Leg 2 of the Volvo Ocean Race, Greg Salthouse and his team of boys were heading to the airport, New Zealand bound, a job well done.
While this type of work is nothing completely out of the ordinary for Salthouse Boatbuilders, this particular project certainly had its challenges, with time restraints being a major factor. The Salthouse team offered their expertise in high tech race yacht construction and with some fantastic organization from Duffy and his Team Sanya shore crew, a huge effort from Ian Lovering and his painting crew and a fair amount of hard work from Greg and the boys, we can safely say that Team Sanya are back in the race with every chance of gaining some great results from here on in.
We wish them well; it's been a privilege to be involved with such a professional and dedicated team.

So here's something to think about....

So - heres something to think about - in 7 days, Team Sanya's Volvo70 has gone from having 8 men standing with their heads inside a gaping hole in the hull, to having this complete shiny, glistening new bow section . Well done boys - all of you!!!

Now with only a matter of hours before the boat goes back in the water this article gives a quick rundown on the repair job as it progressed...

Greg Salthouse and his team of 5 expert boat builders are a long way from home in New Zealand and a long way from that midnight phone call a month ago that had them packing their bags and flying ½ way round the world to help Team Sanya with a major hull repair of their Volvo70.
Team Sanya had damaged their bow section early in leg1 of the Volvo Ocean Race. And while all her crew where unscathed in the incident, the boat certainly was not. Early reports showed a gaping hole in the bow section and after making their way safely to port, the boat was then set on a ship bound for Cape Town for a rendezvous with 'rescue repair team'.
For the Salthouse boys the first 2 weeks in Cape Town where spent building a male plug and laying up the laminate to create an oversize bow section that would ultimately replace the damaged portion. Time was ticking and the pressure was on to have the new bow section completed by the time the boat arrived safely into the hands or her waiting Team Sanya crew.
On arrival and within minutes of the boat being settled on the dock at Cape Town, the Salthouse boys where assessing damage and preparing to cut into the hull. Once the damaged portion was removed, the new hull section was then ‘trimmed’ to fit and ‘voila’ – no more holes!! If only it was that easy!! There has been a lot of work done in a very short period of time with some dirty, dusty and very tired boys from Salthouse Boatbuilders.The aim for Team Sanya is to have the boat in the water by December 7th, ready for the in port race before the start of leg2 on December 11th.

Keep up with reports on www.facebook/salthouseboatbuilders

Long hours and hard work starting to show some results...

It's been a busy time for our hard working team of Salthouse boys in Cape Town. Not only have they managed to build a plug and bow section for the Team Sanya Volvo70 but now that the boat has arrived in Cape Town they have been doing some long hours of messy work cutting away the damaged hull section and replacing with the new.

This article from the Volvo Ocean Race website....
Although only unloaded from a cargo ship just two days ago, amazingly Team Sanya’s badly holed Volvo Open 70 is today a complete boat once more.
“It would be a truly amazing accomplishment to have the boat back so soon” Richard Mason - Team Sanya boat captain.
Although far from ready to sail again, the team have made remarkable progress in such a short time and are still confident of having the boat fully ready to compete in the Cape Town In-Port Race on December 10. A huge team, including a crack squad of repair specialists flown in from Salthouse Boatbuilders in New Zealand, have been working around the clock to cut away the badly delaminated bow and replace it with a new custom made section.Sanya boat captain Richard Mason said: “It is absolutely incredible to be where we are after only 48 hours. The boys are doing a fantastic job and everything is coming together on schedule. “It would be a truly amazing accomplishment to have the boat back so soon.” While the boat builders continue their mission to restore Sanya to her former glory, the sailing crew have been engaged in an intense training program at a local gym to ensure they are in peak condition when the boat is ready to sail, team MCM Andrés Soriano reports.In the early hours of Saturday morning the sailors will run to the top of Cape Town’s Lions Head Peak, a climb of 2,195 feet (669 metres) above sea level, before returning to the team base to prepare their gear in anticipation of a planned training sail on December 7.
See more of the Salthouse boys progress with Team Sanya on our facebook..... www.facebook.com/salthouseboatbuilders

Good progress for the Salthouse boys

Since arriving in Cape Town the Salthouse team have had several very long and hot days work on the male plug that will ultimately produce the bow section to replace Team Sanyas damanged hull portion. Greg and the boys have made quick work of the plug and after a day spent long boarding the surface to a smooth finish have now begun laminating. The piece of boat that is being chopped out and replaced is five metres long by three and a half metres wide by a metre high. That’s the same size as a reasonable sized powerboat, so not an all together pleasant job sanding and longboarding that area in 35 degree heat!!! We can only assume the beer tasted pretty good at the end of that day!!! Good work boys!

Meanwhile the race continues on the water in leg1 as the 4 remaining entries make their way to Cape Town.

Both Abu Dabai Ocean Racing and Team Sanya continue their own race against time to get their boats to Cape Town and ready to rejoin the rest of the fleet for the start of leg2 from Cape Town to Abu Dhabi on 11th December.
Follow race details on the Volvo Ocean Race website www.volvooceanrace.com

Salthouse team in a race against time

So it was one of those late night calls that you just know is going to tell you something is up. And sure enough it’s been all on since then...Team Sanya’s entry into the Volvo Ocean Race had an issue with the bow section on the boat early into the first leg of the race from Alicante to Cape Town and it needed attention, and fast. The following few days at the yard where spent at an accelerated pace sorting possible scenario's and options for a team from Salthouse's to go to Cape Town and help repair the damaged hull. Greg and a team of 5 boatbuilders have now arrived in Cape Town, had their first day of fast paced preparation and now have a big job ahead to get the boat ready for the start of the second leg on 11th December.
Follow the teams progress on facebook or visit back here and we will keep you updated as work on the new bow section begins….

New hope for Windhaven

Windhaven was successfully sold at auction and now has a new owner. With that, we certainly hope to see her some time in the future with her sails full of running and a happy new skipper at the helm. Her refit will obviously take some time and devotion, but what a reward awaits!!!

Unfortunately the September auction for Windhaven just missed reserve and was passed in at $80kNZ.

It appears this surprised quite a few onlookers and we have therefore decided to run another auction (10th November 4pm) in the hope that one of the interested parties steps forward and Salthouse's do not have to resort to dismantling her for parts.

So here we go again folks...

Windhaven goes up for Auction

This once classic lady of Aucklands Harbour is coming up for auction at the Salthouse Yard and for those interested in a quick tour into her past read on......

In 2007 one of New Zealand's most traveled yachts, the 21.8mtr classic yacht Windhaven, began a major refit at the Salthouse yard. While infinite attention to detail was lavished on Windhaven during the refit process, unfortunately her owners fell on hard times and Windhaven has been sitting in wait at the yard for the next chapter of her life to begin.

Designed and built by Col Wild in 1947/48, Windhaven was launched at Auckland's Stanley Bay 1949. This classic motor-sailor was built for a well known local businessman, Berridge Spencer, who loved and owned her for about 10 years. After several New Zealand owners, she was taken to the west coast of America where she stayed for approximately 20 years before being brought back to New Zealand. In her time Windhaven was used as a charter vessel sailing the coast of New Zealand and in fact was once used to transport Queeen Elizabeth from her yacht, HMS Britannia, to shore on a visit to New Zealand in the 50's.

While the refit work completed to date has been to the exacting standards of Salthouse Boatbuilders, and while the new fibreglass sheathing on the 3 skin kauri hull has saved her from the elements, for Salthouses who live and breathe boats, its nothing but a crying shame to see this classic lady without poise or purpose.

It is hoped the auction on the 29th September will result in genuine interest in the vessel and for a new and passionate owner to restore Windhaven to her former glory.

For futher details contact: greg@salthouseboats.com

Ptarmigan wins debut regatta

Ptarmigan has left her new crew with reason to smile after a winning performance at the Block Island Race Week Regatta in Newport. Owner Larry Dickie will be glad to tick yet another box in his successful yachting career, while some crew members have been heard to say the boat was 'scary fast'. Not a bad way to start your season - congratulations Ptarmigan and her crew.

Waka Set Sail

Stepping outside of the norm, Salthouse Boatbuiliders built 7 traditional Waka for the Ocean Noise Project in 2009/10. The Waka were built incorporating modern building methods and materials while maintaining many traditional elements. Each Waka has been adorned with designs and insignia unique to the Pacific Island they represent and as they now make their way through the Pacific, they are raising awareness of the troubled condition of the surrounding ocean and how each nation can start making a change for the better - follow their journey here

New Zealand Herald Article on Ptarmigan

The Ptarmigan build was a fantastic project to be part of. The highlight for Salthouse Boatbuilders was the effectiveness of the relationship developed between the yard, the Ker Design Team and the Owners - we are really looking forward to seeing what Ptarmigan can do on the water....the New Zealand Herald ran this story on the boat.

Salthouse Boatbuilders launches Newport's latest IRC racer

One of the most promising IRC contenders to be launched in the last twelve months has been shipped from Salthouse Boatbuilders in Auckland, New Zealand, and will arrive at Newport, Rhode Island, in time for the Block Island Race.

The 44 foot sailboat, which was designed by Ker Design of Valencia, Spain is called Ptarmigan, and has been built for an East Coast yachtsman. Designed as an offshore race boat and optimised for mostly light air and downwind racing under the IRC rule, Ptarmigan is described as a 'comfortable' race boat, using leading edge design principles to gain an edge.

It is the second IRC yacht to be designed by Ker Design and built by Salthouse Boatbuilders: the first, Tonnerre, was named RORC's Boat of the Year for 2010 in the UK, and has been extremely successful on the European IRC circuit.

Like Tonnerre, Ptarmigan is a simple construction from carbon fibre and foam, with a close attention to detail and weight - it came in 20kg under the designer's specification.

"When we build a race boat we build it as light as we can," says Greg. "Being a small boat you have to be careful of every little component and make sure that everything is where it should be and on weight."

Simon Schofield of Ker design says Ptarmigan is possibly the widest 44 foot IRC boat yet built - it is roughly the same width as a TP52 on deck, but has a low wetted surface area when upright, picking up stability when it heels, and putting crew weight further outboard for increased righting moment.

To make sure the boat was absolutely cutting edge on launch date, Ptarmigan was literally designed and built at the same time.

"On a boat like this, because it's a race boat, you don't want to design it and then start building it, because it's six months out of date at that point," explains Simon Schofield, who first worked with Greg Salthouse and Salthouse Boatbuilders on the Pyewacket refit, and then commissioned the build of Tonnerre.

"We chose Salthouse because we found they were excellent to work with, and we needed to communicate very closely as we designed components just in time for them to be built, meaning we had to work through concepts and engineering continuously," says Simon, who used advanced RANs fluid dynamics software for intensive virtual tank testing, to perfect the hull shape.

The owner, who was reportedly ecstatic with the boat when he seatrialed Ptarmigan in Auckland, has had a number of custom built race boats, and after a warm up program will enter the Block Island Race, Block Island Race Week, the Vineyard Race and the American IRC Nationals, followed by the Newport-Bermuda Race and other big classic offshore events.

Fourth Southstar37 takes to the water

The fourth Southstar37, launched by Salthouse Boatbuilders in Auckland at the end of 2010, is the latest in a pedigree of classically inspired powerboats borne of a desire to get away from overcomplicated details and enjoy the pleasures of boating and the outdoors. The Southstar37s are a timeless but eye-catching design, combining high-tech composite construction with varnished timber and classic lines. The fourth in line, is the first to be equipped with a powerful Yamaha 350hp V8 outboard...

See the Southstar37 showcase page at SalthouseBoatbuilders.com

Tonnerre wins again

Piet Vroon's Ker 46 Tonnerre de Breskens 3 is the RORC's 2010 Yacht of the Year. 

Take a bow, Piet Vroon and the Tonnerre team! Congratulations on an impressive year.
Click here to view the full report.

New TP52 hits the water

TeamOrigin get their new weapon after a successful build.
The latest project to leave the Salthouse yard is TeamOrigin's TP52, designed by Juan Kouyoumdjian.   An extremely tight build schedule meant meeting every target along the way was crucial for getting the boat in the water on time. It's therefore been hugely rewarding to see the boat go into the water several days ahead of plan as well as on budget and under weight. The TeamOrigin sailing crew were able to test the boat over several days before shipping to Europe for the Audi Med Cup Series.

David Duff, project manager for TeamOrigin, had this to say about his experience with Salthouse Boatbuilders.... "We chose Salthouse Boatbuilders to build our new TP52 for the Audi Med Cup Circuit as we knew we would get a very good boat. Timing wasn't ever on our side due to the late coming of the new rules, but Greg and his team managed to get the boat built to a very high standard, and completely on time. Full credit has to be given, as day one of the sea trials saw the boat sailing in 15 – 20kts and it couldn't have gone any better. All of us at TEAMORIGIN want to say a huge thanks to Greg and the boys, as they have really done an outstanding job for us."

Thank you to TeamOrigin, it's been a thrill to be part of this project and we look forward to seeing some exciting results from the new weapon!

Vaka project combines modern boatbuilding with traditional methods

Who would have thought that Salthouse Boatbuilders would be the hub of creation when it comes to Vakas?
But when offered the chance to be involved in this exciting Pacific Voyagers Project, we gladly took the opportunity of producing seven twin hull vessels.
The aim of the Pacific Voyagers Project is to develop the awareness and preservation of the ocean environment and marine life by recapturing the Polynesian traditions of ocean voyaging between the island nations of American Samoa, the Cook Islands, Fiji, Tahiti, New Zealand, Tonga and Western Samoa.

Needless to say, building twin hull Vaka's has been a little out of the ordinary for the Salthouse yard but it has been a fascinating process to combine today's modern technologies of boatbuilding with those traditional methods of the Polynesian culture.
Each hull is constructed of e-glass and foam using advanced infusion processes. In contrast to these modern methods, tradition remains clearly visible with each hull lashed together using wooden beams and ropes. Authenticity has been maintained with the Vaka adorned in traditional carvings, colourings and insignia of each individual nation, resulting in an impressive fleet for the Pacific Voyagers to be proud of.

It has been a true honour for Salthouse Boatbuilders to be part of such a unique project and to have the opportunity to witness the cultural and traditional connection the island nations have with the sea and each other.