13 minute read
POWER TALK
Simon Everett is the man in the know when it comes to what is being launched and the latest technologies emerging in marine engines. Get the inside scoop right here… Changing Tiers
Previously this time of year has traditionally been awash with news and product launches across the marine spectrum, many being showcased at the once annual London Boat Show. As Bob Dylan wrote: “the times, they are a changin’”.
There is a storm brewing in the marine power industry. It is following a similar path to that of the automotive industry, with calls for decarbonisation and finger wagging at internal combustion engine users. While the effect of this is a couple of years away for leisure users, commercial operations are already starting to feel the effects of the new directives.
All new keels laid from 1 January 2021 must have power installations that conform to Tier III emission standards, and the requirement also includes repowers, unless the engine can be replaced with an exact exchange unit. This is causing problems for some engines, with a direct replacement that conforms to the Tier III requirement unavailable and the old engine no longer being made, or available.
On top of these difficulties the vessels themselves are proving problematic, especially smaller launches, where they simply do not have sufficient room in the engine bay for the bulkier, modern replacement. It is a conundrum.
The difference between the current Tier II NOX levels and those required to meet Tier III requirements amounts to a reduction of some 70 per cent, so it is a huge ask of the engineering departments.
Cummins are addressing the situation with their current application of the SCR (Selective Catalytic Regeneration) unit, which is a low back pressure system. Cummins are backing it with a two year warranty.
I expect news of other developments as the year develops and Tier III is now upon us.
Of course, the other option is to rebuild your existing engine, provided spare parts are available, or used parts can be sourced. However, even spare parts are proving problematic in some quarters, with distribution chains disrupted thanks to staffing shortages throughout the entire chain, from manufacturing through shipping to customs and the stock holders themselves, all thanks to the pandemic.
Image: Robert Biedermann / Shutterstock
UK OMAX DISTRIBUTOR
That leads me neatly on to the next snippet of news. Specialist Small Craft have been appointed exclusive distributor for the British Isles of OMAX spare parts for marine engines across the spectrum, including PWCs.
This is a very interesting development for anyone, private, commercial, dealer or independent mechanic, who services their engine and ancillary equipment. OMAX branded products come in their own special packaging, complete with confidence inspiring holographic security labels to avoid illicit counterfeits and ensure customers receive original OMAX parts.
Why this is such good news for everyone is that OMAX source their parts from the original factories. They have tracked down more than 50 manufacturers of OEM parts across the globe, from the USA to Japan and Indonesia. Whilst the OMAX name might be new to boaters in Britain, they are well known and highly regarded in much of the rest of the world as the items are, in most cases, identical to the original part and produced by the same factory on the same line, with only the branding changed.
Mark Pullinger, director of Specialist Small Craft, said: “Use of genuine OMAX marine parts offers peace of mind to customers, together with competitive pricing due to a shortened supply chain. Genuine OMAX parts can help keep outboard motors operational when replacement OEM parts are either not cost effective or not immediately available.”
The range covers electrical, mechanical and cooling system components. Marine professionals are already singing the praises of the OMAX parts, with Duncan Bradford of S.W. Marine Store in Salcombe saying: “The OMAX parts are great value for money and offer customers a cost effective option with no compromise on quality.”
Parts are available to private customers and trade alike through the Specialist Small Craft website: www.specialistsmallcraft.co.uk.
Carburettor units are available for various fitments across a range of engines
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Volvo Penta deal for Mylor Yacht Harbour
Volvo Penta has appointed Mylor Yacht Harbour as an authorised UK service and sales dealership, placing the Cornish yacht harbour within a global network of dealers and distributors.
Nathan Percival, Mylor Yacht Harbour’s engineering manager, said: “We have worked extremely hard to ensure we meet Volvo Penta’s exacting standards and we are looking forward to being able to provide this additional service to our customers in 2021.”
The appointment means that Mylor’s Marine Team are fully equipped and trained to be able to supply and fit the latest marine engines, generators, parts and accessories and provide specialist diagnostic, repair, servicing and repower facilities for all Volvo Penta marine leisure and commercial customers in Cornwall and beyond.
Graham Pretty,Volvo Penta’s dealer business manager for UK and Ireland, said: “We welcome all the Team at Mylor Yacht Harbour Ltd to the Volvo Penta family. With Mylor’s impressive facilities and extensive skill sets, they will be able to provide assistance and advice to all our customers and be sure to enhance their ‘on water’ experience.” www.mylor.com www.volvopenta.com/marine/leisure-solutions
Afterwards Sir Ben said: “That race was one for the fans. Pretty awesome race, great to take part in. Lots of lead changes, neck and neck all the way to the line, credit to the Luna Rossa guys for pushing hard.”
To comply with Regulations, both competitors then had to start a ‘ghost race’ against American Magic to allow the Regatta Director to award the points.
As overall winners, INEOS TEAM UK was awarded the Christmas Race trophy, which was not won in December as races were cancelled due to lack of wind, in recognition of being the top qualifier of the Prada Cup Round Robins.
At the end of January the remaining two Challengers went into a Repechage series for the right to join the British team in the Prada Cup Final (13 – 22 February). It was a credit to the immense work carried out by the American Magic team on Patriot to even see the AC75 back racing just 11 days after the near sinking, but in the end it was Luna Rossa who took four straight wins to take them through to the final against the British.
One step closer…
Victory over Luna Rossa is all that stands between the British team and a place in the America’s Cup Match…
INEOS TEAM UK have achieved an incredible comeback in the Prada Cup Round Robins against American Magic and Luna Rossa, winning all five of their races and qualifying for this month’s Prada Cup Final.
It was the dream scenario for the team after December’s World Series in Auckland, which was an undeniable disaster for the British America’s Cup team with six losses out of six.
INEOS TEAM UK skipper, Sir Ben Ainslie, is no stranger to comebacks though – who can forget his 2013 America’s Cup victory with Oracle Team USA. Whether he will lift the Cup again remains to be seen, but the team certainly saw a dramatic – and thrilling – turnaround in January’s racing.
The team worked around the clock ahead of the Round Robins to make much needed modifications to the AC75 Britannia.
Sir Ben said: “We have brought a lot of new parts online including a new rudder, rudder elevator, mast, mainsail and headsails. Then, alongside that, we have made modifications to our foils, to the aero package on our hull and we have changed the systems inside the hull.
“We are more competitive in the medium to stronger breeze at the moment than the lighter airs, which is where we need to improve our performance. In the America’s Cup development never stops.”
In a result few could have predicted, INEOS TEAM UK went from zero to hero by winning both races on day one of the Prada Cup against American Magic and Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli Team.
At the end of the day Sir Ben said: “It was a team effort and I have got to say our entire team back on the dockyards, the designers, the engineers, the shore team, the boat builders, they had three epic weeks working to turn this boat around.”
Day two of racing brought tricky light wind conditions that frequently forced the AC75s off their foils. Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli took their first win, against American Magic, while INEOS TEAM UK again surprised many by winning their third race in a row - against the Americans - in conditions they were expected to struggle in.
Ben Ainslie summed the day up: “On every manoeuvre, if you come off the foils, that might be the end of the race. The guys did a great job handling the boat, as did Giles trying to find the little breeze that there was.We are still not sure with light winds how we stack up, but it is definitely a huge improvement from where we were three weeks ago.”
Not for the first time in this America’s Cup cycle, there have been wranglings behind the scenes between the teams. In this latest one, Luna Rossa lodged a ‘Claim of Non Compliance’ against INEOS TEAM UK in respect of apparent intentional openings in their mainsail contravening AC75 Class Rule 18.1.
It was found that INEOS TEAM UK raced Races 1 and 2 while not in compliance with the Class Rule, but the Regatta Director determined that the non-compliance had not improved the performance of the yacht or had a significant effect on the outcome. The British team was fined $5,000 to be paid to the Sir Peter Blake Trust. The results of Races 1 and 2 were not affected.
Cup drama was to continue in a far more dramatic way on the next day of racing with a terrifying capsize by American Magic while leading around the final mark against Luna Rossa.
All team members on board were quickly accounted for, but the team’s AC75 racing yacht PATRIOT was badly damaged and began taking on water.
Terry Hutchinson, skipper and executive director of American Magic, said: “At the time, it felt like the boat was going to sink.
The race to save Patriot from sinking
Everybody around us, from the other teams to the local authorities helped us get the pumps in the boat, and we ended up with 16 pumps. We had a jib wrapped around the hole. And then the fire and rescue [units] deployedwhat I would categorise as two ‘airplane-style’ life rafts that we wrapped underneath the bow of the boat and inflated.”
On reviewing the incident it was clear that a significant puff of wind sent the American AC75 hurtling into the air, followed by a hard re-entry into the water. The shock of the landing tore a hole into the port side of the yacht, which was not immediately apparent to the sailors. PATRIOT capsized sideways into the water, port side down, which temporarily hid the extent of the damage.
For Luna Rossa the capsize meant their second win of the Round Robins after losing the first race of the day to INEOS TEAM UK, who were four for four.
The following day American Magic confirmed it would default the final Round Robin racing to be ready for the Prada Cup Semi-Finals. The racing schedule was therefore revised to just two final races in the Round Robin between Luna Rossa and INEOS TEAM UK in which the Brits took their fifth win – enough to see them head straight to this month’s Prada Cup Final.
It was not plaining sailing, however, with the weather pushing the start back by almost an hour, followed by news that INEOS TEAM UK needed to play their ‘delay card’ of 15 minutes as they struggled to repair a problem with the cunningham, one of the key controls for the mainsail.
Then, in the race, there with nine lead changes and the Italian Challenger of Record fought until the last jibe of the last leg of the race, which saw top speeds exceeding the 50 knot mark for the first time in racing. Image: Boris Herrmann / Seaexplorer - YC de Monaco
While the Italians and Americans were still focusing on the races, as well as practicing on the water, the Brits and Kiwis used their extra time away from racing to continue developing the AC75s, for example, working on boat speed using computers.
While the challengers were navigating the Prada Cup, Emirates Team New Zealand were working hard on Te Rehutai with pictures emerging in late January of a set of foils that are noticeably narrower. Although fast, they are thought to give less stability, and so the team will be practicing hard ahead of March’s America’s Cup Match.
On winning the Round Robins Sir Ben Ainslie said: “To come out on top buys you time and time in this game is everything. Some upgrades might be an over-night job, others might take three or four days. Winning the Round Robins will buy the team the flexibility to change things you would not have the chance to change otherwise. Now, we have got a little bit more time, so we can maybe make some slightly bigger upgrades than perhaps we would have done before. It is going to be significant in the overall outcome if this Cup.”
The winner of the Prada Cup Final will face the Defender, ETNZ, in the America’s Cup Match next month (6 – 15 March).
You can watch a video of the American Magic incident and fight to save the boat at youtu.be/S5K23GpiQCw.
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