Since the design of the Procharter
range of boats we have dominated the charter boat market in
the Uk. We have built a number of boats for commercial use
in Ireland, Holland, Spain, Gibraltar, Portugal and Greece.
Due to Greece being the other side of Europe to us and ideally
suited to supply boats to the Mediterranean and Southern Europe
we now have agents in Athens www.procharter.gr and we will
be manufacturing the Procharter range in Greece for 2009.
www.procharter.nl will be on line in the next few months with
a demonstrator based near Amsterdam. We have built high speed
ferries which are working up to 60 miles (100km) off the west
coast of Scotland and the Orkney Islands. We are currently
building a 100 passenger Americana Ferry for the UK. We are
also designing a 60ft (18.3m) Americana for pleasure use.
The boat will be kept on a mooring in the Thames and used
as a house boat. The interesting part of this build is the
boat will be able to launch and recover a Sea Plane from the
rear deck. So, even if you think your dream boat is impossible
to have, phone us before you give up.
We have been building around
30 combined P3 and P4 boats per year. This year 2008 sees
the introduction of 3 more boats to the Procharter range making
a line up as follows.
We are a very successful business.
At any one time we have around a £1million in stock/assets
and a turnover of around a £1million.
The reason we are so successful
is our boats are extremely well made and very competitively
priced. We keep our boat prices to little above build cost
price. Our aim is to get production up to at least 60 units
per year and then sell Company to one of the large pleasure
boat manufacturers. The little profit we do make is reinvested
into the company and used to tool up for new models that will
attract a wider customer base.
Our thoughts are this. We want
to sell more boats, the type of boat or the job it will do
is not important to us because all boats start off as Hulls
and decks. With this in mind we looked at the ferry market.
Our research started by putting
ourselves in a ferry operators shoes. We searched the internet
but did not find a ferry manufacturer that offered a ready
to go ferry in plain and simple language along with the in
the water price. It was a bit like looking in a shop window
where the goods are not priced. I feel if a seller does not
proudly show the cost of his goods he has something to hide.
We did get some prices and were
quite surprised at the high prices being asked. We have built
class 5 and class 6 boats in the past. 2 of which were glass
bottom boats. We have an Americana ferry for 100 passengers
under construction now. We also build a number of boats for
export and often the specification required for these boats
matches and even sometimes passes the requirements for a UK
ferry so we know what we are talking about when it comes to
building ferries and how much it costs.
We have applied the same way
of pricing our ferries as we did our charter boats. When making
a quotation we price all parts and materials at cost to us
and only make a profit from our labour. We are not trying
to make money from building each ferry, we are trying to increase
our turnover by increasing the number of boats we build. A
high volume of builds means we can build cheaper so don't
be put off by the lack of high prices. The most expensive
product isn't always the best!
Our charter boats are individually
built for each customer to his own layout and ideas so offering
this way of building boats to ferry operators can only be
a good thing. The layout of a ferry needs to be suitable for
the type of work it will be doing and the best person to decide
this is the operator.
The Procharter hull makes an
ideal base for a ferry for a number of reasons.
1. All Procharters are made from all composite materials.
We only use wood in places where we need to screw into
and then we fully encapsulate it in fibreglass. All non
moving parts of a boat like the decks and seating should
have a longer life than plywood can offer.
2. Our boats are light in weight due to the products
we use. As an example our 50 passenger P4 ferry weighs
only 7.5 tonnes when launched and will cruise at 17kts
loaded with just 400 horse power. Our philosophy is the
more weight you create when building a boat the less payload
it can carry or the more diesel it will take to push it
through the water. I think you will agree. DIESEL IS NOT
GOING TO GET ANY CHEAPER!
3. Because we use all composite materials
for the total build your ferry maintenance is kept to a
minimum. For example our doors do not swell up or crack
nor do they need oiling or varnishing because they are fibreglass.
The screws that hold them on won't come loose because we
bolt them on. Should you need to wash out your wheelhouse
not a problem just use your deck wash. You can even have
your floor self draining.
4. We designed our hulls for stability.
All boat builders will crow about their products and how
good they are. We say, look in the back of a fishing
magazine at the charter ads and ask the skipper of a P4
how stable and economical his boat and don't forget to ask
him the size of his engine.
5. We build to your countries regulations
and under the supervision of a surveyor from that country.
Some countries have little or no regulations and ferries
to these countries are still built to the same specification
but are much cheaper due to the absence of surveyors fees
and the time wasted waiting for a surveyors inspection.
6. All stage payments are in arrears. Only
when we have finished a build stage and the customer or
his surveyor has inspected that stage we issue the invoice.
7. All boats are fitted with a 24 hour live
stream web cam. You can not only watch your boat being built,
you can record it to dvd.
8. Our boats are nearly the same beam from
the helm to the transom. The Procharter does not go out
to a point at the bow to keep the boat as short as possible.
9. Choice of wheelhouse style from all canvas
to fully enclosed and half and half.
10. After you have considered all of the
above, check our price list!
We offer 4 of our hulls for ferries.
1. The P3. 10ft (3m) beam. From 25ft and
in every length in between to 35 ft (7.6m to 10.6m.) This
is a very economical fast ferry/tripping boat particularly
suited to the 12 to 25 passengers market.
2. The Vayron. 12ft (3.6m) beam. From 28ft and in every
length to 39ft (8.5m to 11.9m) up to 40 passengers.
3. The P4. 13ft (3.9m) beam. From 33ft and every length
to 40ft (10.1m to 12.2m) up to 50 passengers.
4. The Americana. 16ft (4.9m) beam. From 35ft and every
length to 50ft (10.6m to 5.3m) over 100 passengers.
Please check them out and contact us by
phone or email with any questions you may have. Remember,
The most expensive isn't always the best!
ProCharter P3 Passenger
'Fast' Ferry
£ Call for a Quote
The main core of our business, is the manufacture
of work boats for the charter fishing, diving and potting
market.
Over the past couple of years we have received
ever-increasing orders for tripping boats. I believe this
to be because of the incredible stability our boats have
and because of the unique way we manufacture our boats,
light with an impressive top speed and good fuel economy.
www.explorercharters.co.uk
has recently been operating a procharter 31ft for tripping.
Steve tells us this boat is burning 1 litre per mile.
In the past we have converted our wheelhouse
by widening it 8". Whilst this did the job it did look
like a conversion. We have now designed an extra wide wheelhouse
with 3 windows to the front.
ECO TOURER WHEELHOUSE
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PULLMAN WHEELHOUSE
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TRANSPORTER WHEELHOUSE
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These
Wheelhouses are available throughout the ProCharter Range.
We now make a 35 foot, 10 foot Beam fast
ferry with 12 forward facing seats in the heated wheelhouse
for 12 passengers with good visibility. With outside seating
on the deck for 12 or more. A deck toilet is optional.
Using a Mercruiser 230 hp diesel this boat
will make close to 30 kts loaded, this is with a bravo 2
leg. Using a 320hp mercruiser with a bravo 3 leg I would
expect this to be 35 knots. We also offer this boat with
a shaft drive 28 knots or Hamilton Jet drive 35 knots.
The cost of this boat with a COP 60 miles
licence not including lifesaving equipment is £95,000
plus vat for the 230hp, £98,000
plus vat for the 320hp and £112,500
for the shaft or jet drive. These prices can be reduced
for summer builds.
I know you charter skippers are shy to work
with sterndrives and although shaft drive is available I
strongly recommend you consider the sterndrive. Performance
and incredible economy from a 4.2 litre engine. The manoeuvrability
is fantastic. There is also a saving of around £14,000
pounds on the purchase price to a shaft or jet driven boat.
The reason for this is quite simple, the power unit is £1000's
cheaper to buy and around 2 weeks quicker to fit. They don't
last as long as the shaft or jet but they are only just
over £3000 to buy a new one or £1000 to fully
recondition your old one. Fitting time is less than an hour.
You can buy 4/5 new legs complete before the layout cost
is the same as the shaft. Whilst the years tick by your
diesel costs will probably be half of that of a shaft drive.
When you think how many ribs there are working as charter
boats, they all use sterndrives and don't seem to have a
problem. Then there is our Royal Navy. When you think they
are certainly the largest operators at sea in this country,
and with all of that experience, they use sterndrives or
water jets.
Not convinced? Ok, then consider the Hamilton
jet drive. Not as frugal as the sterndrive but just as fast,
although that is with a larger engine. The Hamilton Water
Jet will last longer than the gearbox on a shaft drive boat,
no propeller to snag, drives in 18 inches (45cm) of water
with 12 passengers and 2 crew. Manoeuvrability? they can
be made to move sideways. To berth I find them just like
parallel parking a car in the street. Incredible.
As with all Procharter boats the option
of fitted water ballast tanks is available, weight her down
when she needs and still enjoy the low fuel cost of a light
boat when you don't.
If this is of any interest
to you either now or for next year please give me a call
on 01208 812888. There are other ways of reducing the cost
of this boat.
Vayron 40 passenger Ferry
Our Vayron is also available as a ferry.
As a class six ferry there is enough deck area to seat 40
passengers, this can be either with a fully enclosed wheelhouse,
partially enclosed wheelhouse with an open back area, or
a partially enclosed wheelhouse with either a hard roof
to the back with canvas sides or full canvas canopy. As
a non-class six ferry there is room for even more seating..
As with all Procharter boats the option
of fitted water ballast tanks is available, weight her down
when she needs and still enjoy the low fuel cost of a light
boat when you don't.
Class 6 ferry. 40 passenger Procharter Vayron (www.procharter.co.uk)
Any length under 12m. 3.7m beam. We can build to any Countries
regulations. Your choice of layout. Choice of wheelhouse
design. Custom built to suit you in every way. cruise at
17kts with 320hp. This is the boat of the future. Ready
to go to work price from £175,000
plus taxes but not including life saving equipment or electronics.
Please call Rick or Alan 01208 812888 international 00 44
1208 812 888 or email prochartersales@aol.com
PULLMAN WHEELHOUSE
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TRANSPORTER WHEELHOUSE
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ECO TOURER WHEELHOUSE
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CABRIOLET WHEELHOUSE
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These
Wheelhouses are available throughout the ProCharter Range.
The 50/70 Passenger Ferry
£Call for a quote
At Procharter we have designed an extremely
stable hull. It has a beam of 13 feet and is available in
lengths from 33 feet to 50 feet. The underwater design is
unique to Procharter.A 50 passenger ferry at 40 feet when
launched weighed 8.25 tonnes and although it was propped
down for 50 passengers it still did 23kts with a 405hp Caterpillar.We
offer the choice of fully enclosed, partially enclosed both
with your choice of seating layout. At 50 feet in length
70 passengers is possible.
As with all Procharter boats the option
of fitted water ballast tanks is available, weight her down
when she needs and still enjoy the low fuel cost of a light
boat when you don't.
Click below to see the latest photos including
three artist impressions of three deck configurations:
ECO TOURER
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TRANSPORTER
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CABRIOLET
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STACKED TRANSPORTER
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These
Wheelhouses are available throughout the ProCharter Range.
Class 6.. 49/70 passenger ferry. Procharter
P4, (www.procharter.co.uk) any length up to 12.2m with a
4m beam.
17kts cruising speed from 400hp. Weight
around 7 tonnes giving a very fuel efficient operation.
Built from all composite construction for
lightness and durability, low maintenance.
Open or enclosed, your choice of layout.
Each boat is custom built to your exact
requirements.
From £195,000
plus taxes. Price does not include lifesaving equipment
or electronics.
Please phone Rick or Alan 01208 812888
Photos above are ferry
wheelhouse options, fully enclosed, partially enclosed with
a hard roof with side curtains and the cabriolet has a full
canvas back, removable if required. As with all Procharters
you can have the configuration of your choice, you sketch
how you would like your wheelhouse to be and that is what
we will build. You choose the height of you gunwale. Our
P4 hull is extremely stable so it is possible to have 2
decks. With the Cabriolet, it is your choice of how much
seating is in the wheelhouse and how much is under canvas.
Inside again the choice is yours, from the layout to the
type of seating. Helm port or starboard, or even both. Toilet
on the deck or down below, your choice. Your choice of drive,
single or twin, screw or jet. All colours are the same price.
The red boat in photos 1
to 12 below is a P4 ferry of 40ft
(12.2m) UK licensed offshore for 50 passengers up to 17kts.
Powered by a Caterpillar C9 @ 405hp. She was down propped
for a 4 tonne payload. When craned for launch the boat weighed
7.3 tonnes. On sea trials she had a top speed of 22kts on
an each way run on the GPS and can cruise loaded at 17kts.
The other photos are actual photos of the ferry working
between Mevigissy and Foye in Cornwall (the Dolphins are
not employed by The Mevigissy Ferry or Procharter, they
were merely spectators).
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Photos 4 to 10,
Captain John Woods wanted the seating layout to give his
customers the best opportunity to view the beautiful Cornish
coastline. He is a seasoned operator who knew what he wanted,
He designed the layout to the millimetre and actually worked
on it's construction.
Photos 14 and 16 are the boat on sea trials.
Photo 10 gives a good view of how
we use aquadynamics to lift the bow of the boat. We use
as much of the power possible to push the hull forwards
and rely on the hull design to lift the bow, you can see
in photos 11, 1 and 12
the lack of bow wave. Most common hulls part the water and
cut through but as you can see in photos 16 and 17 our hulls
encourage this "bow wave" to go under the boat
and create more lift. 405hp = 22kts.
A good hull design using modern materials
gives a fast and fuel efficient boat. We will print the
fuel burn rate when we have the end of season figures.
