Royal Cape Catamaran Report

ROYAL CAPE CATAMARANS[pic 1][pic 2]

The aim of my internship at Royal Cape Catamarans was to gain valuable experience in the field of engineering. This was to be achieved both by learning about the actual design and engineering processes as well as the manufacturing processes involved.

Royal Cape has been manufacturing catamarans for the better part of 20 years. The company is owned by Ken Burta and employs a around 40 staff members. Senior staff consists of James Felgate who runs the operations within the factory and oversees all production, Arnold Vice is the engineer in charge and Joe Cooper heads up the procurement department.

Royal Cape works mostly with fibre glass, resin, wood veneer panels, various types of paint and stainless steel in the construction of their catamarans. Most of the other finishes are outsourced as each boat is customizable to the buyers preference. Therefore the majority of the finishing items cannot be kept on stock and must be ordered in.

Royal Cape set me to work initially on the factory floor to familiarise myself with some of the production methods that they employ and to become accustomed to the harsh working environment of boat building. Working with fibre glass, resin and paint associated with boat building presents health risks as the fibres and fumes can cause damage to individuals working with or around such substances.

The process begins with the construction of the hull structure from a massive mould of the standard hull that they use for all of their catamarans. The mould is waxed, it is then painted with a thick layer of specialised paint and the fibreglass is then applied to the paint layer once it has dried.

The company workforce is separated into specialised teams that tackle different areas of the catamarans construction. Once the hull is lifted out of the mould by massive gantries and moved to the working area, the interior fitters move in. These guys construct every bulkhead, assemble every section and create the inside skeleton of the catamaran. This includes planning the cabin layouts, bathrooms (plumbing), saloon construction, electrical wiring, air ducts and flooring. Many of the installed features such as benches, beds etc are modular and so they are pre-constructed on the factory floor and then fitted by this team.[pic 3][pic 4][pic 5][pic 6]

The deck of the catamaran is constructed simultaneously by some other teams. It is manufactured in exactly the same fashion as the hull except that it does not have an internal structure at all, but rather fits right over the internal structure built within the hull. Royal Cape was in the process of constructing a new deck design which incorporated a raised sitting area and a targa bar.

The new deck construction begins by altering the current design to feature the new additions. This solid body is called a float. The float is built up with various materials, plastered and then sanded to a smooth finish. The surface is then painted with a smooth coat and later fibreglass is applied to the surface to create a mould. This mould of the float will be used in future constructions of that particular deck design. [pic 7][pic 8]