Would my boat have met the same fate as Creed O'Hanlon's??
It would seem so. Whether it would be for the same reasons I can not be certain as I did not have an opportunity to examine where the failure occurred on Creed's boat and the builder did not send me the photos that he promised in a separate email to the one I published.
Let me explain why I think that my boat would have met a similar fate.
In an earlier posting entitled 'The bad' I explained how some of the beam troughs were out of square. Well things have got even worse...much worse.
I now find that the beam troughs are lacking totally in any of the supporting structure and apart from one piece of wood on the aft most beam trough which sits on top of the Nida core deck there is NO reinforcing timber at all...period. So there is nothing to tie the beams into the hulls to ensure structural integrity.
To say I was flabbergasted is an understatement. I wouldn't had thought that such an important thing would have been ignored but a little voice inside of me said 'check it out'.
I wrote to the builder yesterday expecting a reply today but none came so I thought that I may as well publish the email to him which explains my concerns. This is copied below.
I will now engage a marine surveyor to check out the rest of the hulls and take core samples to ensure that it is seaworthy.
Although this puts back my program by a couple of weeks it was better to find out now because if we had not picked it up I doubt that it would even have survived the sea trials. Also, there is no way I would have got a Cat 1 certificate which is required by all New Zealand boats leaving the country under their own propulsion. This survey is very tough because the NZ government got tired of foreign yachts visiting NZ after having sailed around the world in the tropics and then having to be rescued in NZ offshore waters because the vessels were not properly equipped for the rough conditions that are common around here.
We are going to have to build new beam troughs as per the Wharram specifications (which they were supposed to have been) and then cut out the existing beam troughs and fit in the new ones. Quite a major and expensive task.
Hopefully the builder will do the right thing and front up with the cost of putting it back to the correct spec. We will see...
Here is the letter to the builder. Monday 18th Aug. NZ time.
Raoul,
I have some very disturbing and bad news for you.
In the process today of checking the beam troughs which we found were all out of square, (one which was almost 40mm’s out) we discovered some MAJOR structural deficiencies.
1.NONE of the beams troughs had the required timber laminates built into the transverse bulk heads to tie in with the beam trough strengthening! As a result there is nothing there to secure the through bolts. This means that the first ‘decent’ sea that the vessel experienced would result in catastrophic structural failure which would inevitably lead to the loss of the boat and maybe loss of life. A core of 12mm nida-core and a thin layer of glass has no integral strength at all, and yet that is what you were relying on.
2.On the aft transverse beam trough there is a wooden section glassed on to the top of the Nida-core decking and not tied into any bulkhead. In the event of the beam lashings becoming loose this wooden section which is securing one of the main beams would simply separate from the deck with the beam.
3.To make matters worse the hardwood bearers in which the beams are supposed to rest on in the hull were also missing. Not only the solid bearer at each side of the hull in the beam troughs but also the hardwood bearers that were supposed to run transversely underneath the beams on to which the plywood is attached and on which the beams are designed to rest. All of this area was simply 12mm Nida core with a thin layer of glass.
I trusted you to at least ensure that the hulls you sold me at as you know a greatly inflated price were at least sea-worthy and at least up to or in excess of spec. Instead you sold me what would have potentially been a death trap if I had not had exploratory holes drilled in the beam troughs which brought all this to light.
I intend sailing this boat to Tahiti by first heading east from Lyttelton which is around 43 degrees south to the Chatham Islands which are about 500 NM offshore and then a direct line to Tahiti another 2,500 miles North East from there. I will be leaving in the middle of winter in NZ during which time we have southerly offshore storms which come direct from Antarctica. At least 2 storms can be expected before getting to the trade winds and warmer weather. Typical wind speeds in the fronts that pass over at this time of the year in this area are around 65 knots and sea conditions of 45 – 50’. I also have to pass over the Mernoo Banks on the way to the Chathams. This stretch of water is considered to be one of the worst in the world. A well founded Wharram is more than capable of handling these conditions which is what attracted me to this design. I would never attempt such a voyage in a typical modern catamaran of the same size.
The way you had constructed my boat is such that I would never have made it even as far as the Chathams before it would have disintegrated.
The question is what do we do about this Raoul? Some major surgery is required on the boat, or alternatively I dump it.
I intend getting a surveyor in to assess the situation and also check over other aspects of the boat including the beams. I understand from Creed that you did not build my beams to spec as you felt that you could build them stronger and lighter. You never advised about this change or any of the others relating to the beam troughs. Please let me know what you did to the beams so I can advise the surveyor so it can be checked out.
I know that your architect Albert was involved in the modifications to the Tiki hulls. Did he also modify the beam troughs or was that your idea?
The bottom line is that I want to know from you are you prepared to meet the expenses of putting the hulls back to Wharrams specs that they should have been in order to make it seaworthy.
As I said I am getting an independent surveyors report and will be able to present you with full details PROVIDED I get a commitment from you by return email that you will make good my losses on this issue.
Warren
Tuesday, August 18, 2009 at 05:23AM
Reader Comments (10)
There is no way known to science that this ******** will address your problems or compensate you, he resides in and is supported by a ********************************************************************************. The bottom line is that both you and Creed have been ************************************, I hate to say it but it is true. At least your project is now ****************************where pride of workmanship and integrity means something, all the best with your project, things can only improve from here......unless of course the Wallabies defeat the All Blacks this weekend!!
Thank you Roger for your comments and I apologise for editing out a large part of your comment. I had to do that because under Thai law even statements which are true can be considered defamatory and even if those statements are made by a third party the person who controls the medium in which they are published is personally liable and subject to criminal prosecution...not civil proceedings as in most other countries.
But, I do appreciate you comments.
Why is everybody afraid of this expatriate Italian **************? Does Raoul Bianchetti have that much political juice in Thailand. His ******Alan Ganz threatened me face-to-face with passport confiscation on my visit to check my Penny 26 in Nov/2008....Implying that my postings at the boatdesig.net site constituted defamation and my passport could be confiscated during the 'investigation". I now believe he was jerking me around, but it did scare me enough that I left the country prematurely. Raoul threatened me many times by email with defamation, prosecute me in the US, knew my IP address, on and on. He has never come after me for storage fees after I refused to pay any more to him until he complied with the contract specs. As far as I know he still has not installed 800 pounds of ballast he shorted me. I truely believe he is bluffing only because I do not think any top notch or otherwise law firm will represent him.
However the issue of client contracts with a zero-asset shell company has been proposed in another forum. The company I had my contract with was Raoul's Sailing Center....RSC. If anyone sued and won what would they get?? If you want to sue RB have your lawyer check assets first else it'll be a hollow victory.
I've done my bit by complaining to Thai government consumer agencys. Probably does no good. The only way to really jerk his chain is straight talking, fact intensive, writeups on the Internet where Raoul slogs his wears. Just need to get the word out far and wide. I've done my part by email one-on-one negative recommendations about his company.
cheers
robert self
HI Robert,
I did just remove your description of Raoul...sorry...even though I concur.
Unfortunately the Thai defamation laws are quite different to what we are used to in the west. It can be a criminal offence to say anything even if it is true. Raoul would not even need a lawyer to take advantage of it. He would just go to the police in Pattaya and it would be within their discretion whether they came and arrested the party about whom he is complaining.
I am not concerned about it personally as I have contacts at the very highest level of the Bangkok police and also at diplomatic levels. I do not intend to defame Raoul in any way although I will continue to post items that relate to the deficiencies in my boat as they come to light.
I have also been threatened by him and if he choses to 'battle it out' then so be it. I have already started some wheels turning at some high levels to consider ways that the Thai defamation laws can be changed to prevent any abuses of it. Currently as it stands it is a disincentive for foreign investors (if they are aware of it) to invest in Thailand because in the event of a legitimate business problem/dispute they are effectively muzzled from airing it in public.
However, I think that most people are aware of the issues behind my problem and other customers particuarly if they have been to the www.boatdesign.net and looked at the thread 'Low cost Catamarans'.
Because I want to get back to the focus of what this blog is about and avoid this blog becoming somewhere for Raoul's customers to vent their frustrations I really have to close off this thread. I hope that you understand Robert. I am happy to share various comments and ideas with you privately. Perhaps you might like to drop me a personal note.
Perché è quel tanti italiani vanno alla chiesa la domenica pregare sulle loro ginocchia e sul resto della settimana che spendono predare ai loro vicini?
Well said Angelo...
A comany is judged by the president it keeps
"This survey is very tough because the NZ government got tired of foreign yachts visiting NZ after having sailed around the world in the tropics and then having to be rescued in NZ offshore waters because the vessels were not properly equipped for the rough conditions that are common around here. "
This was NOT the case. The NZ Maritime Safety Authority tried to impose the NZ cat 1(which was alreadsy in place for Kiwis) on to foreign yachts.Russell Kilvington(?), the the hea tried to impose this,aas the NZ waters had opened to foreign MN vessels, and thus was not thought through. I WAS THERE for the protests aboard my Tangaroa Mk iv ^Mau" This unjust law was later repealed. Get your facts right
So, you finally get your Wharram finished and sail to another country to find different standards, they want you to be "inspected" by a local "yachttie" who has done no-where nearly as much off-shore as you
Cheers Bill
Hi Bill,
I was not aware that this law was repealed. I am pleased to hear that. I know that there was a lot of controversy about it at the time and a lot of New Zealanders were not happy about it because it was considered unfair to some visiting yachts. It was portrayed by those in favor of it as being desirable due to what had been a spate of rescues.
Nonetheless as a New Zealander I have to comply with Cat 1 and install excape hatches and have appropriate other safety gear. Thanks for correcting me.
Hello Bill Timkey dont know if youll remember me from Whangarei NZ now working in sunny WA orstraylia tiki still cooking slowly hope u r doing ok often wonder what you are up to.Will be moving to Darwin soon will buy u a coldie if you ever make it there.Cheers adam