P3 INTRODUCTION SECTION

In the first 3 years of the new millennium we built over 60 Offshore 25’s. Whilst this was a fantastic little boat and even today a good second hand one sells rapidly for over £40,000, it was dated. Customers were phoning and asking if we manufactured a larger boat than the Offshore 25, but smaller than our other model at the time being the Offshore 105. Quite clearly we were loosing sales. So in 2003 we began the design of the ProCharter range, and our first P3 was being built a year later in 2004.

At this time OPEC were saying the oil is running out and we must preserve our supplies. Weather this is true or not, I do not know, but the one thing we were sure of was, they were going to push the price of crude oil through the roof……and they have! They will not stop pushing the price up. Even our American cousins living in the land of plenty are “Bitchin’ bout it”. We knew that the workboat that would see the company through the future would need to be economical to run.

There are four things needed in the design of a boat to make it economical.
1 Design a fuel efficient boat that only requires low horsepower.
2 Design a boat that is cheap to build without compromising on quality or performance.
3 Design a boat that requires little maintenance.
4 Design a boat that will hold its value.

We took all of the clever parts of the Offshore 25 design and put them into the P3. Leaving the bow, the foredeck and the walkway along the side of the wheelhouse to be redesigned. We narrowed the wheelhouse to enlarge the walkway. By flaring out the foredeck 3ft (90cm) from the front, we had a large flat area on both sides of the foredeck which can be used for fishing etc. This area is particularly useful due to the new wider walkway (10 inches / 25cm). We sharpened the bow and increased the V angle of the hull, this reduced the slamming and increased the performance. The top 2ft (60cm) of the bow was flared out to meet the wider foredeck which also gives us a much larger front cabin with full standing height and enough room for a double bed. The spray rails from the water line at the bow were also removed.

We wanted everyone to know the ProCharter was a new design and concept so we made the dramatic decision to only have 2 windows at the front. Many customers preferred the look of the 3 windows, traditionally used for our boats, so some of the P3 boats were converted to 3 windows for those die hard customers, but all agreed the visibility was better in the 2 window boats.

All ProCharter hulls are based on the trihedral principle, they have extremely good stability even when compared to a catamaran. In other areas the P3 hull exceeds the catamaran. All ProCharters are designed to be as low as possible to keep windage to a minimum. Nobody wants their boat blowing around when mooring or drifting.

The P3 was designed to be a stable work platform whilst drifting yet have good forward performance. Most importantly we wanted a hull that was good at 25ft (7.6m) as it was at 35ft (10.6m) and at any length in between. This was very important. We now have a 35ft (10.6m) hull mould and a floating transom blank so we can make a boat of any length literally to the millimetre without compromising the hulls performance. One mould for all sizes, bringing down the cost of building a boat (see 2 above)

In 2003 the housing boom was well on its way, Carpenters were at a premium, wood had become more expensive to buy, and in a boat had a quite a short lifespan. We needed to find another product to build from. Carpenters wanted more pay than Michael Jackson and the wood only rotted away. We looked at the composite sheets available at the time and chose to use a product called Nidaplas. Unlike plywood, Nidaplas cannot ingress water or fluid and will not biodegrade ever (see 4 above). The strength of plywood with only quarter of the weight. Our P3 at 35ft (10.6m) weighs 2 tons less than if built with plywood. We estimate that alone saved us 80 horsepower. Burning less fuel (see 1 above). Being able to use engines that are 80 horsepower smaller brings down the cost of a boat (see 2 above). The P3 wheelhouse mould is 21ft (6.4m) long so we can build a wheelhouse any size between 12ft (3.6m) and 21ft (6.4m) see (2 above).

The P3 with just 230hp has a top speed of 28/30kts and burns just over a litre of fuel per mile. 68 litres per 100 kilometres. Cruising at 16kts burns 4.4 gallons or 19.5 litres per hour. This just about stays the same whether the boat is 28ft (8.5m) or 35ft (10.6m)

I would like to draw your attention to the speeds we quote. Most boat builders quote their hull speed as “up to ??kts”, saying “up to” doesn’t mean it will go that fast, “up to” just means it wont go any faster. We quote actual speeds based on the boats we have built in 2 directions. These are boats that have not been propped up to show good turn of speed, in fact, they have been propped down for work.

Nidaplas is a difficult product to work with mainly because you cannot screw or nail 2 pieces together like you can wood. Carpenters didn’t like using it and fairly quickly we found ourselves without Carpenters and training a new workforce. Our staff are now experts with the use of all composite sheeting, and we don’t have to pay Hollywood wages any more. As all ProCharters are built by hand our wage bill dropped by 40%, and now even our build times have reduced. See (2 above). The boat is now a much better product. The only way to hold Nidaplas in place is to fibreglass it in place. Our boats are fully bonded for strength and durability and we only put wood in the places that require screws, like the sides of the engine bay. It is a well known fact that a fibreglass boat with ply deck and bulkheads can weigh as much as 1 ton more a couple of years after being built due to water ingression. Compare an old ProCharter to other workboats of the same age, you will see the benefits of NOT using wood! See (4 above). In 2004 we were the only UK builder in our class of boat using Nidaplas, today there are quite a few.

The P3 hull and wheelhouse are hand made and comply to LLOYDS SPECIAL SERVICE CRAFT REGULATIONS, SEAFISH (European) REGULATIONS and MCA CLASS 6 (offshore ferry) REGULATIONS, and the new EUROPEAN DIRECTIVES. The gel coat is brushed into the mould to ensure a thick gel coat. We do NOT use rollers or spray equipment. We also use several layers of Rovimat which is a combination mat containing 800g/m2 of woven rovings with a 300g/m2 of chopped strand mat to give maximum strength to weight ratios. We use isophthalic resin as an osmosis barrier. For those of you who don’t fully understand. This is the dog’s wotsits.

Most of our fittings such as doors, dashboard, locker boxes, engine boxes, seating are made in moulds and fully bonded or nut and bolted. There is no wood deck to look after and very little to maintain. See (3 above). You even use your deck wash to clean out your wheelhouse and front cabin. Our stainless steel is marine grade 316 or above. There is no compromise on quality!

The ProCharter P3. From 25ft (7.6m) to 35ft (10.6m) and every length in between.

One day all boats will be built like this! Not just ours.

The P3 is built to the customers specific requirements. As a ferry the P3 is capable of seating over 40 passengers. As a tripping / sightseeing boat at just 28ft (8.53m) the P3 can seat 3 crew in the wheelhouse with seating outside for 12 passengers.

The P3 is available with the Camargue (extra wide) wheelhouse.

A major cruise line company specializing in Arctic cruises has asked us to design and build 8 glass bottom boats to go on their cruise ships and excursions whilst at sea. These boats are 27ft (8.23m) in length, can seat 18 passengers inside the wheelhouse around a vast glass viewing area. Our quote for these twin engine boats will be around £80,000 per vessel.
We can custom build your total boat. We can increase or decrease all dimensions of our wheelhouse, hull and gunwale (height, length, width, etc). We have in the past built boats from the ProCharter range for many different and diverse operations, such as, ambulance boat, floating office. Boats with glass viewing areas in the hull for survey and scientific research. Boats for hauling creel pots and nets, fish farms, a service boat for the Sport Scotland Yacht Club, and many private customers who want something special from a stable work boat. A number of boats have been built 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 expect to be manufacturing the ProCharter range in Greece for 2009. www.procharter.nl will be on-line spring/summer 2008. 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 that 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.

When building a ProCharter for a customer, a 24 hour live stream Webcam is put on the boat. The customer can not only watch his boat being built, he can record it to DVD. Just like the Discovery Channel but without the sound. Although we would like anyone who visits our Website to be able to watch our build programs to boost our sales, only the customer can watch their Webcam, as it is password protected. We do this because to many people using the stream slows it down and this is not fair on the customer. As with all ProCharter boats the option of fitted water ballast tanks is available, weight her down when she needs it and still enjoy the low fuel cost of a light boat when you don’t.

We can custom build your total boat. We can increase or decrease all dimensions of our Wheelhouse, Hull and Gunwale, height, length, width, etc. We have in the past built boats for many different and diverse operations, such as, ambulance boat, floating office. Boats with glass viewing areas in the hull for survey and scientific purposes. Boats for hauling creel pots and nets, fish farms, service boat for the Sport Scotland Yacht Club and many private customers who want something special from a stable workboat. We have built a number of boats for commercial use in Ireland, Holland, Spain, Gibralter, 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 http://www.procharter.gr and we will be manufacturing the ProCharter range in Greece. We have built high speed ferries which are working 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.

 

P3 SPECIFICATION

 

P3 Sailaway Build Specification and Prices

CONSTRUCTION

The hull, wheelhouse and gunwale are laid up to comply with the requirements of The MCA CLASS 6 (offshore ferry) REGULATIONS, LLOYDS SPECIAL SERVICE CRAFT RULES (Lloyds SSC), SEAFISH REGULATIONS, RECREATIONAL CRAFT DIRECTIVE (RCD) and the new EUROPEAN DIRECTIVE or to the regulations of the country in which the boat will be operating.

The gel coat is brushed into the mould to ensure a thick even coating. We do NOT spray or use rollers to apply gel coat.

The hull lay-up consists of layers of Rovimat Combination Cloth all of which are applied by hand in a one piece mould with overlaps as per the requirements of the authorities in paragraph 1.

Whilst still in the mould, the hull is framed. Generally the frames are at 60cm intervals although this may vary due to the length of the craft. The size and spacing of frames will be to the regulations in paragraph 1.

The deck shelf is laminated at the height required by the customer.

The wheelhouse and gunwale has strengthening pads bonded for seacocks and the stainless steel rails and bow roller. The wheelhouse and gunwale is bonded to the hull.

This completes the mouldings stage
The longitudinal and lateral bulkheads are fitted and fully bonded to the hull at 120cm intervals from the transom to the front crash bulkhead creating a series of separate compartments. Drain off taps are fitted to each compartment.

Trunking is fitted from the engine room to the wheelhouse and fully bonded in place.

All pads are now bonded to the hull where required for seacocks and associated fittings.
The fuel tank(s) is/are now installed.
Composite deck panels are bonded and screwed down and then laminated over.
Engine box fitted and secured with hinges and over centre clips.
Ventilation to engine room formed to underside of gunwale.
Aft Wheelhouse bulkhead constructed.
Door and frame constructed in G.R.P. Door opens outwards and can be lifted off and then stowed on its hinges secured behind the anchor locker box.
Full width console in wheelhouse with door access to forward accommodation with full standing height.
GRP helm boxes fitted in the wheelhouse.
Interior layout to your choice with storage under all seats.
Twin anchor locker boxes behind wheelhouse bulkhead. .
Internal surface of cockpit gel coated and walking surfaces finished in non-slip. All in the colours of your choice.
Engine beds fitted.
Two Scuppers each cut to 250 sq. centimetre’s in transom. [125 by 200 mm]

MECHANICS
Fuel system connected in fire resistant pipe work to the tank and filters.
Primary fuel filter / water separator fitted.
Wheel operated hydraulic or cable steering.
Engine controls for throttle and gear.
Engine of choice, mounted on flexible feet, bolted to steel encapsulated engine beds.
Seacock sighted in engine room with cut off valve and inspection access above water line.
Engine instrumentation as manufacturers standard but will include Rev counter, charging meter and light, Water temp gauge with alarm, Oil pressure gauge with light and alarm, ignition key start, and push button stop.
Wet exhaust system, straight through exhaust pipe with transom fitting and non-return flap. Or through leg on outdrive.

ELECTRICS
Auxiliary system battery isolator.
12 way distribution switch panel with circuit breakers.
Two 12-volt batteries of 128 amp hr each.
Isolator / changeover switch.
Split charging relay.
Cabin light and forward cabin light.
Pantograph screen wiper on helm window.
Full navigation lights fitted .
Viking 32 diaphragm electric bilge pump with manual override handle.

STAINLESS (all 316 or marine grade).

Pulpit extending back to start of wheelhouse windows.
Pushpit in two sections with mid rail through.
Stainless grab rails on roof.
Stainless scupper flaps fitted to transom.
Stainless mooring bollards. [Three].
Bow roller.
Stainless mast
Fuel filler in deck or gunwale.

REMAINING HARDWARE

3 inch “D” Section rubber gunwale protection all in circles with aluminum end caps.
Sea toilet. with seacocks, inlet and discharge.
Toughened glass anodised aluminium windows. Side windows half drop.
ABS hinged hatches fitted to moulding cut outs.
Antifoul applied.

P3 PRICES

Many times customers ask me why our boats are so cheap. There are a number of reasons for this. Firstly, every manufacturing business is the same, in that the total cost in overheads of the company such as; rent, rates, advertising, utilities, insurance, wages and maintainence costs to name just a few are included in the final price of the product they sell. We currently make around 30 boats a year. If we only make 10 boats a year, overheads would remain the same and only the wages bill would be lower. So if we add our current overheads to just 10 boats a year we would need to be charging on average another £20,000 per unit

Soon we will be building many more boats every year. We have designed and are currently producing 3 new models. The first is the Americana, the second is the Vayron and the third is the camargue which brings our model range upto 5. More importantly we can now really attack the ferry market and seriously undercut the current ferries being offered, in the same way we have the charter market. Our aim for the entire ProCharter range is 60 boats per year. As we increase our annual manufacturing numbers we will continue to reflect the saving in manufacturing costs into our products. Cheaper boats for the customer!

So how do we make our money? Our philosophy is quite simple. A small profit from each customer, and have a lot of customers instead of the normal English approach to business, which is make as much as you can from each sale. We believe it is better to have an egg every day rather than eat the chicken! During the summer and autumn when boat sales are low we manufacture part built boats for the next season which brings down build times for the spring, the busy part of the year. All of our profit is reinvested into the company. We have on average £1,000,000 in stock. When we are building 60 / 80 boats per year the company will be worth £millions. That is when we will make our profit which will come from a company like one of the multinational recreation boat builders like Princess or Fairline.

P3 Kits 1 & 2 & Sailaway Specifications & Prices

If you require something different to the offers/options below, please phone or email us for a quotation of work to your specification. We can buld a kit that suits you.

We can supply you with everything you need to finish building your boat. We do this as a service and not as a way to make money so all goods are supplied at our cost prices. We will gladly show you our purchase invoices. Please look at our engine prices further down this page. You can buy your engine at any time during your build.

P3 Stage One Kit comprises of and includes;

Hull moulding joined and bonded to;

Wheelhouse/gunwale moulding.

4 engine vents are bonded to the hull if required.

Hull fully strengthened with foam ribs. Wheelhouse and rear deck support shelf is fitted at the customers chosen height.

Gunwale strengthened for hand rails and bow roller.

To celebrate our new Website and for a limited period only. Check these prices!

A Stage 1 kit plus supplying and fitting all watertight bulkheads at every 120cm intervals and 2 longitudinal bulkheads all with deck beams and fully encapsulated in fibreglass. 1 red diesel fuel tanks and 1 white diesel fuel tanks (2 fuel tanks) 75 gallon (340L) capacity each with water/silt catchment sumps. Engine room with engine beds. Rudder shelf if shaft drive or strengthened transom for sterndrive. Deck and wheelhouse floor fitted and bonded using composite sheets. 4 deck hold compartments. 2 wheelhouse floor hold compartments. Back bulkhead and door temporarily fitted. Wheelhouse length of your choice. Gel painted bilge. This is now a fibreglass completed boat to deck level leaving the wheelhouse fit out and above deck fit out to be done.

It has just got better!

To celebrate our new Website and for a limited period only. Check these prices!