31-12-2021 – Kreps Fishing
Seems like some very big kreps are living around here… 250g for the biggest so far!
14-12-2021 – Mounting the Canopy
Taking advantage of the engine service to mount the canopy realised by Seilmaker in Stavanger. Very professional work!
28-11-2021 – Getting Cold…
I was looking forward to enjoying the cabin in cold winter days. However, leaving the boat place backwards with the ice around has been way more challenging than expected… Once turned, the boat is breaking the ice easily!
07-10-2021 – Long Line Fishing
Successful first attempt to fish for cod with the long line in Sandnes Fjord.
03-10-2021 – Season is Open!
Time to discover a new area for fishing lobsters… Compared to Ulsteinvik some years ago, lobsters seem smaller in the region and clearly more difficult to catch!
29-09-2021 – Ready for Action!
After working on the upgrades and details every day for a few weeks, the boat is finally ready for the autumn at sea. Lobster season starting in 2 days!
28-08-2021 – Working on Upgrades
With the fishing season approaching, the boat has been dry docked for 2 weeks to perform some upgrades: reinforcement of the cabin sides, storage bench in front of the cabin, lifting of the aft platforms, welding of fishing rod holders, setting the antifouling level, navigation lights and LED projectors on the roof, clean cabling of the electronic compartment, power plug for the hauler in the front, etc. (welding done by Adrian Cita).
25-07-2021 – Summertime!
Finally time to enjoy some family trips, the sun, some fishing trips and get to know this boat a bit better…
03-06-2021 – Some Photo Shoot
While fishing results are still disappointing around Høle, we enjoyed the warm and windy weather with Sorin Lavrik to take some pictures and drone videos.
06-05-2021 – First Net Out
Some apprehension before trying to set-up the net for the first time with the new boat. It turns out that it is as straight forward as expected. The joystick allows quick course corrections in a very intuitive way. That was definitely a fantastic idea from Denis! 100m of net in the water in less than 5min, quite a success!
28-04-2021 – Arrival at Destination
Last step of a long journey today: after successful customs clearance, the boat has been transported by truck to Sandnes centre where it has been unloaded and put in the water before sailing for 1hr to Høle marina, its final destination, for now…
23-04-2021 – Cargo Transport
After arriving safely to the general cargo terminal of Rotterdam yesterday, the Prophil-650 is now ready to be loaded on the Samskip Kvitbjørn before a direct sailing of 900km towards the port of Stavanger.
21-04-2021 – Road Transport
The Prophil-650 is finally loaded on a transport trailer during the afternoon, to be delivered in Rotterdam the next day. This is now getting exciting and I hope to see the boat in Stavanger soon…
17-04-2021 – Final Trials
Exciting times coming with these final trials. For two days, I was wondering if the position adjustment of the engine would compensate for the additional drag of the windshield. And it did! Easily! 42kt of top speed achieved. Propeller ventilation does not happen anymore and it is now possible to lift the nose over a generous range by tilting the engine up. Max speed is achieved around 6000RPM as required. We are all very satisfied with the end result.
16-04-2021 – Finishing Details
As they say, “the devil is in the details”. We are now working hard on the last details that must be finished before transport/export planned for the middle of next week: handrails, last welding, non-return drainage flap, window frames, wiper, antifouling touch, stickers, anodes, CE marking, remaining doors, back rest, etc…
15-04-2021 – First Trials
After this intense week of work, I am getting pretty nervous about the trials. With the Yamaha F200G, the Prophil-650 with cabin was expected to reach about 37kt. Trials have been made during late afternoon, with 5BF of wind and the boat achieved a top speed of 40kt (without windshield), far above expectations! Behavior in waves is excellent, but some ventilation occurs in steep turns and the trim range is relatively short. At this stage, it is decided to adjust the engine position by lowering it by 2cm. To be verified during later trials..
15-04-2021 – Bow Steering
After making the electrical part operational, the bow steering is set-up in the morning, just in time for the first trials later during the day. The joystick was an idea from Denis. It has the advantages of saving a lot of space at the bow, and to be connected by one single electric cable, as the throttle. So no hydraulic in the front!
13-04-2021 – Antifouling
This week, I have seen the boat with my own eyes for the first time after a long trip from Stavanger to Marennes, in the middle of the Covid 19 period. With the target of performing sea trials at the end of the week, I am fully motivated to help finishing the boat. While the team was applying 3 layers of epoxy coating and 2 layers of antifouling, I have discovered the joy of sanding the aluminium cabin!
09-04-2021 – Engine & Electric Cabling
It is now time to mount the engine on the boat. The step allows to set it 7cm higher for better performance. To be confirmed during trials… Also, the heavy task of installing all cables and electronic has finally started.
19-03-2021 – Transom & Platforms
The stern is getting a final touch this week: the platforms have been added and the transom has been reinforced with a 20mm aluminium plate able to take up to 300HP without problems.
15-03-2021 – Cabin Structure
The cabin structure is now being assembled after being laser cut directly from 3D drawings. Aluminium window frames are to come.
09-03-2021 – Stern Compartments
The stern compartments have been designed to maximize storage space while leaving enough space for the engine to lift and turn without contact.
11-02-2021 – Closing Deck
Quite some progress achieved in the last two weeks: installation of a 150L fixed tank under deck, two tubes within the hull to protect future cabling, extra large deck drains, and side hull reinforcement tubes. Hull foaming is now done by default at the yard. It has the advantages to ensure silent slamming and floatability in case of serious hull damages.
18-01-2021 – Stern Lines Customisation
The rounding of the stern lines is the first deviation from the standard Prophil hull shape. Definitely some additional work for the yard, but the result was worth it.
28-12-2020 – Underwater Hull Assembly
Impressive progress just before Christmas! The underwater part of the hull has been made in less than two weeks, including the step in the aft, aiming at reducing fuel consumption by 5-10%. The hull is then being sanded and prepared for antifouling after mandatory waterproofing of the hull.
15-12-2020 – Hull Structure Assembly
The project is finally starting with the first welding of the hull structure around mid-December 2020. The assembly is spot welded to start with, continuous welding coming next. The structure seems extremely robust by design, as desired!
04-10-2020 – Order Confirmation
Less than two weeks after the first contact with Denis Proteau from Soud’alu 17, the order is already confirmed. This has been made possible thanks to Denis communication skills, experience and reputation. At this stage, we have agreed on the customisation headlines, but most details are still under discussion.
