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Displaying items by tag: Boat Repairs

An inquest into the death of company director Kevin Keeler, who was crushed while working on his boat in Weymouth a year ago, has heard that he had made the boat’s cradle unstable while painting the bottom of its hull.

As previously reported on Afloat.ie, the 56-year-old was crushed by the half-ton yacht in a Weymouth boatyard on 16 April 2018.

Keeler had been a member of Weymouth Sailing Club since the previous year with his partner Tatiana Saltykova and had purchased the 29ft yacht Ginny Kwik that Christmas, according to Mail Online.

The yacht was lifted out for maintenance in March 2018 and Wheeler, an electronics engineer, borrowed a cradle from a fellow sailor to carry out the work.

However, the inquest heard that he had made this cradle unstable when he lowered one of its supporting props to reach the underside of the hull, which caused the vessel to collapse on top of him.

Another man on a nearby slipway told the inquest how he heard a ‘loud crash’ as the boat fell in his direction — and how he attended to the fallen Wheeler whose condition deteriorated quickly before paramedics arrived.

Mail Online has more on the story HERE.

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A man has died after he was crushed by the half-ton yacht he was working on in a Weymouth boatyard, as Mail Online reports.

The 56-year-old, believed to be a company director, was carrying out repairs on his 29ft sailing yacht yesterday (Monday 16 April) in advance of the summer sailing season when the boat suddenly fell over.

“The man in question was a full member of the sailing club and he joined last summer,” Weymouth Sailing Club Commodore Euan McNair said in a statement. “He was coming up to a year of membership and it’s tragic what has now happened.”

The incident occurred at a time when many boats are being worked on and lifted back into the water around Britain and Ireland ahead of the summer season. 

Mail Online has more on the story HERE.

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About the TP52 Racing Yacht

The TP52 racing yacht is a remarkable example of cutting-edge technology in the world of competitive yachting. Measuring 52 feet (15.85 metres) in length, this vessel is constructed entirely from carbon fibre, making it an incredibly light and agile craft.

The TP52 features a 6.25-metre high rig, complete with a fractional asymmetrical spinnaker and a self-tacking jib. This design reduces the workload of the crew, allowing for more efficient manoeuvres and freeing up the crew to focus on the mainsheet upwind and on two-sail reaches.

The spinnaker rigging set-up, measuring 15.00 m2, presents a challenge to even the most experienced crews, requiring them to be fit and perfectly coordinated. Maneuvering the boat requires athleticism due to the vessel's lack of inherent stability and the high speed generated by the fully battened mainsail and jib.

The TP52's hull is constructed of fibreglass-reinforced polyester in a foam sandwich layout, resulting in a weight of just 74kg. The fully battened mainsail and jib are made from a transparent Mylar laminate with orange or red Dacron trimming, while the spinnaker is manufactured from ripstop Nylon.

The mast is made up of three parts, featuring an aluminium bottom and middle section, with a polyester-fibreglass composite tip to increase mast bend and decrease overall weight. The capsizing moment, which can be generated by a heavy mast tip, is also reduced through this design. The TP52's foils are constructed from either aluminium or fibreglass, depending on the specific requirements of the vessel.

Overall, the TP52 racing yacht is an exceptional example of the latest advancements in yacht design and technology. Its lightweight construction, advanced rigging, and high-speed capabilities make it a top contender in the world of competitive yachting, challenging even the most skilled and experienced crews.