The end of another year is fast approaching, a year where the ABA has been very active.

Members have visited many places of interest including Caister lifeboat station, Neatishead Air Defence Radar Museum and the Time and Tide museum Gt Yarmouth. Meetings have been held with guest speakers from the marine industry and suppliers to the industry. The ABA have also been active in school visits and challenges relating to the design and building of model boats. This also included ‘sea trials’ in a local swimming pool to find a winner.

It has also been a very proud year for the ABA being nominated for the Eastern Daily Press business awards and also our Hon President, Jack Chippendale receiving the MBE. This honour we are sure recognises his immense contribution to the British Boat Building Industry over many years, particularly his work on behalf of the small boatbuilding sector and the dedication to training new recruits in all aspects of the boatbuilder's craft.

In 2010, the ABA has been very active in promoting the marine industry to local schools.

Having fun with boats is at the heart of a growing and exciting partnership. It was set up to foster closer links between schools and the local boatbuilding industry; it began as a pilot scheme in 2008 with Coltishall’s Year Six pupils. Working with boatyards, youngsters spend several weeks constructing battery-powered model boats from balsa wood and then race them in a swimming pool. They also get to visit a boatyard and learn more about possible careers in the industry. Six local schools are now ‘on board’ and this year over 130 children will benefit from the scheme.

Because this partnership has been so well received, it has been nominated for the Eastern Daily Press, Industry and Education award. The awards will be held in mid October 2010.

But of course the enthusiasm of the children is really what makes it all work, with the teachers and schools also putting in a lot of time and effort. Thanks must also be given to Broadland High for hosting the event and Landamores for support and sponsorship.

New Henley Umpires' Launch delivered by ABA Member

On 17th June the Stewards of Henley Royal Regatta took delivery of a new Umpires' launch, Herakles, in time for 2008 Regatta.

Built by ABA member Creative Marine of the Secret Boatyard, Matslake, Norwich Herakles went straight into service throughout the five days of the Regatta in early July.Constructed using a set of lines taken from Umpires' launch Amaryllis in 1992 by ABA member Yacht Designer Andrew Wolstenholme, Herakles has a GRP composite hull and is powered by a 4.3 litre V6 petrol engine. Construction work has taken about 9 months to complete. The topsides and decking received seven coats of varnish to give a deep lustre to the wood.Simon Read, founding partner of Creative Marine, recalls how he saved the hull mould, used to build three similar launches for the Regatta, Ariadne, Argonaut and Ulysses, from being destroyed when it was taking up valuable space at the moulders.The Chairman of the Regatta's Committee of Management Mike Sweeney commented - 'I'm very pleased that, with the addition of Herakles to our fleet, we have gone a long way toward safeguarding the continued use of traditional style launches at the regatta whilst embracing the advantages of more modern construction materials and techniques.

CADCAM evening held at Landamores on 28th February 2008

Thirty members and guests attended the CADCAM evening held at Landamores on 28th February.

Andrew Wolstenholme started the proceedings with a brief history of the development of computer aided design and how this has transformed the transfer of information between the designer and the boatbuilder, streamlining the build process and increasing accuracy and efficiency.He was followed by David Lewin who had come up from Burnham on Crouch for the evening to tell us about the French company Naviline. Naviline produce interior joinery kits and subassemblies for builders such as Dufour, Jeanneau, Beneteau, and Rhea, using the latest CADCAM techniques. The interiors are computer modelled in full detail in 3D prior to the cutting of components on CNC machines. Materials and components are tracked through the factory using bar coding methods and just-in-time and lean manufacturing principles are employed resulting in high levels of efficiency. At least one UK boatbuilder has started using Naviline to supply yacht interiors.

We then had short talks by several ABA members describing how more modest use of CADCAM methods had been of benefit to them. Colin Buttifant talked about using CNC cut moulds in strip plank timber construction, and Adrian Harmer from Aquafibre showed how CNC cut and 5-axis milled components has changed their approach to plug building.

Oliver James from Windboats then described the use of their Proline digitiser and how it enabled them to digitise timber patterns for bulkheads and sole boards so that these components could then be cut on Landamores CNC machine. Windboats aim is to do away with the need for storing timber patterns and rely on digital information.

Kevin Webster and David Wolstenholme from Landamores talked of their experiences with their CNC machine and how they were continually discovering new ways in which they could utilise the machine to significant effect. We were then taken down to see the machine and the evening finished with a fine demonstration by Simon Barker from Windboats who digitised a vanity top pattern and then had it cut in Corian by David on the Landamore machine.

The message of the evening was that CADCAM isn't rocket science and it is a development which is cost effective for even the smallest boatbuilding company. Anyone who didn't attend the evening but would like to learn more could contact any of the people listed below.

Landamores - CNC facility

Windboats - digitising service 01603 782236

DC Marine - laser CNC facility

Wolstenholme Yacht Design - computer aided design