I am seeking one or more
enthusiastic collaborators to buy shares in an unusual
and innovative electric canal cruiser currently being
completed in Littlehampton, West Sussex.
Sharers must be willing and able
to assist with the remaining jobs and would ideally have
an engineering or scientific background or at least an
interest in some of the technology involved. All of the
major metalwork and woodwork is complete, as is all
internal trimming, decoration and upholstery apart from
carpeting of the saloon and aft cabin, and the jobs
remaining are mostly concerned with electrical systems,
plumbing and instrumentation. The technical manual is
also a 'work-in-progress' and involvement in that aspect
would be a good way for sharers to become familiar with
the vessel. The vessel is due to be lifted in early
April 2018 to allow cleaning and anti-fouling and some
minor modifications and also the fitting of the
hydraulic drive leg which is currently under
construction. The opportunity will also be taken to make
good small areas of paint damage on the topsides caused
by fenders and general wear and tear, and to have the
boat surveyed. Given some input from sharers, it is
envisaged that the boat could be re-launched, carry out
sea trials and move to France, or another chosen
cruising area, in time for the 2019 season.
Lola is a 12.6m steel cruiser which
was launched in 2013 and is being completed afloat. The
vessel has been optimised for use in the inland
waterways of Europe and is an unusual project as it is
powered by electric stern-drives supplied from
batteries, which can be charged by solar panels, onboard
diesel generator or shore power. The boat is arranged
to sleep 6 under normal conditions (2 singles in bow
cabin, seat converting to double bed in saloon, and
twin/double in aft cabin.) A seventh and possibly eighth
person could be accommodated using the dining area
seating and table.
The construction has been fully
documented, with photographs, calculations,
specifications and surveys available to sharers on
request. Whilst the vessel is now exempt from the
Recreational Craft Directive, the requirements have been
complied with wherever possible and independent
surveyors and naval architects have examined critical
issues such as stability, scantlings and down-flooding.
Electrical systems have been installed in accordance
with ISO standards for vessels of this type and the
absence of petrol and LPG mean that the usual safety
concerns in those areas do not apply.
Lola has a number of interesting
features not generally found on a vessel of this type,
including some that are understood to be unique. For
example, the keel is designed to be full of water during
normal conditions but has the facility to be emptied to
increase buoyancy, raising the boat by about 45mm. This
feature allows the vessel to be floated off if aground.
The keel has been designed so that
Lola can readily take the ground and is strong enough to
support the vessel on a single point of contact. The
boat is stable when aground on a level or sloping
surface such as a slipway, and this has allowed work to
be done between tides without incurring the cost of a
crane. The keel also incorporates the cooling
compartment which is built into one side of the keel so
avoiding the usual pipes associated with closed cooling
systems of this type.
The keel cooling arrangement,
together with the grey water flush facility and holding
tanks, also mean that no sea water is introduced into
the vessel for toilets or cooling, thus avoiding the
problems associated with sea cocks and pipework.
The thruster system is also a novel
design in that it uses water jets, less than 50mm
diameter, to produce the thrust. This avoids the usual
tunnel passing horizontally through the vessel, and also
allows a fifth jet to be incorporated facing astern.
This can be used to move the boat out of weeds, ropes or
other obstructions without rotating any of the
propellers with the risk of fouling.
Lola has pin anchors, also known as
'spud legs' fore and aft, which can be lowered by
electric winches to hold the vessel stationary when, for
example, waiting for a lock to open. This avoids the
wasted energy usually involved in 'jilling around' in
order to maintain position.
The systems are fully instrumented,
allowing data to be displayed and recorded on power
usage, motor efficiency and other parameters. However,
the vessel can be operated simply by using the
conventional controls, familiar to any boat skipper.
Lola has been designed as far as
possible to allow single-handed operation. For example,
the side windows adjacent to the main helm can be
removed completely, allowing the helmsman to tie up or
cast off the centre line without leaving the driving
seat. The motors and thrusters can also be operated from
the bow deck, allowing the skipper to handle a bow line
while controlling the boat. The autopilot and hydraulic
steering allow the helmsman to leave the helm for short
periods when in clear open water.
Much effort has been directed
towards a very professional installation. Most of the
internal oak woodwork was undertaken by a professional
carpenter and the structural welding was all carried out
by a very experienced coded welder. The exterior
painting of the vessel was undertaken by a shipyard with
a proven track record in boatbuilding, using industrial
quality marine products and the electrical systems and
instrumentation were designed and installed by a
qualified and experienced electrical engineer.
The main features are:
12.2m steel hull (12.6 LOA), 3.8m
beam, 11m LWL, cruiser format, similar to a Stevens or
other Dutch Steel cruiser
Hull, cabin and topsides in 5mm
steel; box keel of 10mm sides and 12.5mm base
Hull insulated with spray foam and
Thinsulate quilt
Inside of hull finished in Jotun
epoxy following mechanical cleaning
Exterior finished in Jotun epoxy
paints following grit blasting
Twin electric motors on outdrives,
7kW (10 hp) each, for silent low speed canal cruising
Hydraulic steering from upper and
internal helm positions
Traction batteries 48v 800Ah lead
acid with central venting and filling
Instrument/domestic batteries 24v,
240 Ah, with 3 stage 230v charger
Bow cabin with twin bunks and
adjacent heads and shower/wet room
Galley with sink, fridge, toaster,
induction hob and combination microwave, grill and fan
oven (all electric galley no gas on board)
Saloon with dining table and bench
seats
Aft cabin with en-suite wet room
containing basin, shower and macerator toilet.
Aft cabin has one fixed and one
moveable bed allowing double or twin configuration
Generator SDMO 6kVA with Mitsubishi
3 cylinder diesel engine running at 1500rpm
Dual redundant fuel filters and
water separation
Shore power via spring-retract reel
and 32A isolation transformer
Electric heating by 3 built-in fan
heaters and heat pump in keel cooling circuit
Victron Quattro 10kVA inverter/140A
charger with inputs from shore power and generator
Dry exhausts for both engines
Solar array on cabin roof, 7.2 m2
with tilt mechanism to port/starboard or forward
Solar charge controller Victron
150/70 MPPT type
Auxiliary engine Kubota V2203 51 HP
diesel, driving hydraulic pump
Hydraulic motor outdrive, 26 kW (35
hp), for additional thrust when required
Keel cooling for generator and
auxiliary engine with 230v circulation pumps and
thermostatic mixer valve
Calorifier with coils for each
engine plus 230v immersion heater
540 litre fresh water, 560 litre
black water and 734 litre grey water tanks
Grey water flushing of heads
540 litre main fuel tanks plus 40
litre day tank on generator with changeover valves
Bow and stern thruster jets
supplied by water pump and hydraulic motor
Stern platform with davits for
dinghy
AIS, GPS
Autopilot
Main computer feeding 3 monitors at
lower helm, one of which is also TV, plus a fourth
monitor at top helm position
CCTV cameras and recording for
security and to aid manoeuvring
All cables and pipes numbered at
each end and recorded in spreadsheet with details
Sharers are sought who would
bring the skills and enthusiasm to help complete the
fitting out of this unique vessel, and would then
have the use of the boat, (in France probably, but
subject to collective decision of sharers), for 4 or
more weeks annually. I would consider splitting 12th
shares into single weeks (1/24th) if someone only wanted
1 week summer plus one winter.
It is proposed that ownership of Lola shall be in 12
equal shares, with each sharer owning as many of
those shares as they wish. Each share would allow
the owner 2 weeks in the (24 week) summer season and
two further weeks in the remainder of the year.
Owners would then pay their proportionate share of
both the annual running costs, and also any
remaining construction costs. The running costs are
estimated at a maximum of £600 yearly per share, and
the remaining construction costs are fairly trivial
as most of the required material has already been
acquired.
The precise wording of the
sharing agreement would be agreed by the initial
group of sharers. It would be informed by the
wording of similar agreements known to have been
used successfully by established syndicates sharing
comparable vessels. Subject to those discussions,
the sharing agreement is expected to involve a
rolling list of sharers, in order of joining the
group, who would bid in that order for their
preferred weeks in both the summer and winter
seasons. In the first round of bidding, each sharer
would be allowed to bid for 2 weeks in each season
which might be consecutive or separate as desired.
Following allocation of weeks to each sharer, the
process would be repeated until all shares were
allocated for the coming year. Every year, the
sharer at the top of the list would move to the
bottom and the others would move up the list by one
place. It is envisaged that the allocation bidding
would occur in about September for the coming
calendar year, in order to allow time for planning.