Passengers will board onto the upper deck and purchase tickets in an enclosed area aft of the wheelhouse. They can remain on the open upper deck or proceed down wide stairs to the enclosed main deck where 80 purpose built upholstered seats are available. There is also a partially covered aft deck with space for 20 passengers and wheelchair access to the insulated and heated saloon and toilet compartments.

The wheelhouse at the forward end of the upper deck provides good all round visibility, with particular attention given to the port side where the vessel regularly berths. The vessel features manual hydraulic steering and there are single lever Morse type controls to each main engine. A comprehensive navigation and communications package was supplied by the SM Group and consists of Raymarine instruments.

Below the main deck are seven watertight compartments, including the engine room, steering flat, fuel, freshwater and holding tank compartments, and a collision compartment forward.

Designed to meet the latest EC regulations, Seabus is fitted with twin factory reconditioned Gardner 8XLB main engines producing 174 hp each and taking the vessel to a speed of 9.5 knots. Gardner engines were chosen as most of the other vessels in the Clyde Marine Services fleet are equipped by the same manufacturer. The engine room also contains a 17 kW Onan generator in a sound guard box.

Vessel building is very much a community function in the Cornish village of Millbrook, with all of the contributing trades either based in units at the Voyager Boatyard or in the village itself. The stainless steel freshwater and holding tanks and polished handrails were all constructed by yard based August Marine, as was the upholstery in the wheelhouse by Millbrook Upholsterers.

C&O Engineering supplied the 850mm diameter propellers, shafts and rudders as well as a second set of propellers once the first were successful in trials. Wagner Engineering supplied the manual hydraulic steering gear for the twin rudders. High quality windows and aluminium external doors were provided by Houdini Windows, whilst non-combustible linings throughout the vessel came from Promat UK. Completing the external finish is a protective paint system by Jotun.

The engine room CO2 system was supplied by Protec-Fire and the heavy sectioned solid rubber fendering by Technix Rubber and Plastics Ltd.

Commenting on Seabus, Voyager Boatyards’ manager and designer Jonathan Graham said, ‘We are particularly pleased with this vessel as one of the client’s requirements was for a good looking boat with good sea keeping qualities to replace the existing ferry, which is well known and loved on the Clyde.

‘She has to operate all year round so it was important that she is comfortable in rough weather. She therefore is deeper and heavier, with a finer bow than most of the passenger vessels constructed at Voyager. We have now carried out sea trials offshore with 30 knots of wind and two metre seas with very pleasing results.’

Voyager Boatyard has built similar vessels for other ports and estuaries around the British Isles, including 65 footers for Poole Harbour, the Exe estuary, Plymouth Sound, and Loch Ness, an 85’ catamaran on the River Dart, and a 52’ vessel for the Salcombe estuary.

Voyager also builds large round bilge cruising yachts in steel, with a 50’ example currently under construction in the main building shed. The yard is also negotiating for several other passenger boat projects, including a lengthened version of Seabus and a twin hulled passenger craft.

MJ Information No: 22514