Vessel Launch Pride of Exmouth

The yard specialises in the construction of yachts and commercial vessels in steel and has built vessels as large as a 100 tonne, 85ft long passenger catamaran with a 30ft beam within its modern and spacious covered main shed. The yard also stores small craft and has covered space available for owner-completed projects.

During the winter, Voyager slip and repair other local passenger vessels brought into the shed on a purpose-built cradle capable of hauling out vessels up to 85ft LOA. The yard is currently working on a 70ft Dutch barge which is to be completely refitted with a new steel superstructure.

The latest newbuild from Voyager, commissioned just in time for the peak of the summer’s ‘school’s out’ tourist season, is the Pride of Exmouth , a 65ft passenger boat for Exmouth based Stuart Line Cruises. The boat takes tourists along Devon’s geologically interesting ‘Jurassic Coast’ and on the Exe Estuary. With sheltered seating for over 100 people and a large galley, Pride of Exmouth is also a perfect craft for events such as wedding receptions, birthday parties and company functions.

For evening trips, the flush fluorescent lights can be switched off, replaced as illumination sources by an array of discrete and mood enhancing down-lights.

Pride of Exmouth has a 21ft beam and three passenger decks providing ample space even when operating at peak capacity. The passenger saloon on the main deck alone has seating for over 100 people as well as a bar and a disabled toilet. Ladies’ and mens’ toilets are on the lower deck along with the galley, engine room and tank room.

Stairs from the foredeck and covered aft deck lead up to another large passenger area which can be covered when required with a roll-back awning. This upper deck also features a full width superstructure forward with the wheelhouse in the centre and additional sheltered passenger space.

From the wheelhouse the skipper can monitor his ship for safety via video cameras located in all the main spaces, while also improving his vision astern.

An unusual feature of the Pride of Exmouth and a first for a Voyager Yachts design is a ramp which lowers from the foredeck with steps built into it, enabling passengers to disembark comfortably and safely to shore with the vessel run onto a beach. The bow stem folds down through 90º and lands approximately 3m forward of where the boat has come to rest, allowing passengers to keep dry feet during transit.

The sight of a 65ft vessel loaded with people running deliberately onto shore has turned heads more than once in Devon this summer but Pride of Exmouth has been carefully designed with a draft of only 1.2m at average load and an especially shallow forward section to make such manoeuvres both possible and commercially unique.

Stuart Line Cruises has a happy relationship with Watermota, which supplied two Daewoo 230hp main engines and a pair of Westerbeke generators.

The engines drive conventional twin screws through PRM gearboxes. Drop-down shafts result in higher engine mountings for improved maintenance access. Stern gear and steering gear was provided by C&O Engineering, with Wagner Engineering supplying hydraulic steering controls and electronic engine controls. A bow thruster in the forepeak is the most powerful electrically driven unit available.

The vessel has been built in compliance with all the latest EC and MCA regulations and meets Department for Transport Class 6 requirements. There are fixed CO 2fire fighting systems, fire alarms in every compartment, bilge alarms, fuel leak alarms and even engine room door alarms. There are also bilge pumps and fire pumps on the main engines backed up by diesel and manually powered emergency pumps. A navigation and communications package was supplied by the operator.

With the summer season now drawing to a close, Pride of Exmouth will confirm its ‘year round’ credentials as a comfortable conveyance for locally popular bird watching cruises as well as the aforementioned special events.

Voyager Yachts’ yard manager and designer Jonathan Graham tells Maritime Journal that the yard has plenty of maintenance and refit work booked but is always hopeful of another order similar to the Pride of Exmouth .

MJ Information No: 18617