We
have reached some of the most beautiful lakes in the world, which are situated
near the Argentina-Chile border. We prepared the car to be launched into water.
Here we had the opportunity to cross the border by travelling from one lake to
another, as it can be done only with an amphibious car. This is the
southernmost place where we planned to go and one of the highlights of the
trip. I decided to check my emails once more before launching onto the water.
Perhaps the Canadian pontoon manufacturer has informed us of the precise
schedule of the production of pontoons.
I
had indeed received an email. The email stated that they agree to manufacture
pontoons only if I submit a type approval of a modified and strengthened
version of the pontoon suitable for open water use. In actuality, their
pontoons are meant only to be used close to the shore. Granting such an
approval is impossible keeping in mind the content, the financial side and the
schedule. The pontoon manufacturer is probably aware of this too. From their
lengthy letter it can be deduced that they do not dare to produce and purvey
the pontoons as they fear the potential liability. Obviously, I have the
opposite opinion - they would be liable for leaving me stranded with broken
pontoons. In order to avoid remaining too general in the eyes of supporters and
followers, here are some extracts from our correspondence (names have been
excluded).
Before
the trip I asked the manufacturer if my pontoons would hold out, 16/10/2013:
As aluminium welding
does not tolerate vibration, or repeated bending forces, some engineers have
proposed it can crack as a result of repeated wave forces (develop micro cracks
that later lead to a structural break in a pontoon). But practise is usually a
better criteria – have you ever had these kind of issues over the years, that
welding between pontoon chambers will crack eventually as the result of lengthy
use of a boat?
I
had previously approached them with an overview of the journey and an
application for sponsorship, so they knew what was under discussion. The
manufacturer's answer to my question: 16/10/2013:
In 14 years of
supplying our pontoons we have never had a warranty claim on any of our
pontoons and I have never heard of any structural cracks of the welds in the
baffles.
Vibration is the big
enemy of aluminium welds and most of this type of damage occurs when
transporting / trailering the boat or lifting the boat with a fork lift and
then having it drop. For your application, I am very confident that the welded
baffles will not be an issue.
We
started the specification and production planning of pontoons in the beginning
of January. At first, everything went smoothly, but now we are suddenly
presented with new information and a new viewpoint. Extract from an email,
15/02/2014:
Round aluminium
pontoons are not meant for open water use and are only meant for use within one
nautical mile from shore in open water. I know and understand that vessels that
are privately owned for personal use do get used in open water conditions but
it should be determined if your vessel is for private or commercial use. It
might be determined it is for Commercial use.
For a Commercial
application like your application, the vessel gets evaluated under a different
ISO standard.
The stricter operating
conditions for commercial vessels operating in open water have to meet such
restrictions as.....
~ being able to
operate safely in wave heights up to 2m
~ being able to
withstand wind speeds up to 33 knots for example and there are also limitations
on class of voyage
Round pontoons do not
meet these conditions.
An
extract from another email, 16/02/2014:
My main fear is
liability against (pontoon producer name) and I understand very well what you
are attempting to achieve and I respect your decision. It has nothing to do
about me blaming anyone, or any project management decisions past or present
and it is everything to do with moving forward safely.
That is also another
type of fear and that is fear of knowing beforehand that our round pontoons are
going to be used for a Commercial application where our present round pontoons
do not meet the ISO standards. You or I don't need any help from a Naval
Architect or Marine Engineer to tell us that is not a good idea with regards to
protecting (producer name) from liability.
Additionally,
today's correspondence conveyed clearly that the experts who helped me are not
considered competent and, for safety reasons, they are not willing to
manufacture the pontoons on the basis of the specifications, since I have not
submitted new drawings that would meet the requirements. There is no point in
referencing from that email, it does not add anything here.
All
in all, the manufacturer is afraid of responsibility and is not willing to
purvey pontoons, unless a marine engineer has submitted drawings and thereby
taken the responsibility upon themselves. Unfortunately, in Europe such type
approval is the responsibility of the manufacturer and it cannot be delegated
to someone else. Thus, I do not know of a way to provide the necessary
documents, even though I have received qualified help when it comes to the
strength calculations of the new pontoons.
It
is not hard to guess how I feel when announcing that this journey will be not
completed. There is a possibility that we will find an alternative
manufacturer, who can make the pontoons by focusing on the content instead of
the juridical aspect. We need them in Peru by the end of March. This means that
there is very little time. This also means that it is unlikely to find a suitable
manufacturer in the Northern hemisphere. However, I do not even know who to ask
in the Southern hemisphere. Over here, the end of March might mean the end of
April in some cases, and this would not work.
We
decided not to go to the most beautiful lakes of the world. Although, this is
why we left the old pontoons attached. But if some chance of manufacturing
remains, we must have access to email, even though there might not even be any
mobile reception in the mountains and on the lakes near the border. Furthermore,
Peter has to be taken to Cusco in ten days for his flight, and it is necessary
to start thinking of ways to somehow get Amphibear back to Estonia. And to be
honest, this kind of information overshadows the beauty of these lakes.
Amphibear
travelled over three continents and crossed the Atlantic from St. Louis to
Praia without a hitch. It is probably the first amphibian built on a base of a
conventional car to accomplish this. That is an achievement in itself,
although, it makes up only a fraction of the initial plan.
This
does not bring the blogging to an end as there are a couple of posts about
South America waiting for their turn (i.e. availability of time and Internet
access). Additionally, it is quite tricky to transport Amphibear home without
the cost of an arm and a leg. Ironically, the cost of shipping Amphibear to
Estonia is in the same price range as the cost of new pontoons.
I
want to thank all the followers, supporters and sponsors! Without you this
journey would have found its untimely ending a long time ago as it has not been
easy. We have received a warm welcome in all parts of the world that we
travelled through and in many cases the help received has been invaluable.
Despite this, I do not believe that I will be able to embark on a similar
journey, even if it would be possible to attach world class pontoons. Unless a
miracle happens, this journey will be permanently halted.
Translated by Luisa Translation Agency
Pontoon boats are often cheaper, and there are two main reasons for this: Mostly alum construction. alum hulls are easier to mass produce, especially when its two pontoons and a sub floor / frame instead of one solid fully welded alum hull or a hand molded one at a time fiberglass hull. Learn more: boatingmagz .
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