ThePod

Mr Blobby is the best yet! In earlier days when people asked me what color i was going to paint it I said "green", because if it turned upside down it could be called the apple turnover! .* One extinguisher is the one which came with the boat, the other is more in case of a grass fire near the boat. I will check the type though, and replace...isuspect they are both well overdue. Thanks. * Yes stuffing box. * There's plenty of windows but they are small. I have thought about cameras, but I think that on the river I will connect a linear actuator to the steering inside and steer from above on a beanbag with rods..... * Electric backup might be the go, but I might be towing a little tender to squirt about in as well? If it should pass its river apprenticeship, and it should end up in the sea, Id like to get a boat Kite as backup..... *Ventilation is great. Two air vents, an upper hatch, and the old Co2 scrubber will be jumped across to the stove an be a powered exhaust fan as well. also there is an oscillating fan and a gas detector/oxygen sensor. * The inverted dish is the Keel / Stabiliser. *The upper area is two large foam filled buoyancy devices. they have no internal access. They are shaped like seats and I have a table to put up there. * The criteria it had to fulfill when built said it must be able to do 6 knots fully loaded for 24 hours non-stop. I believe (hope) that it will do better due to being relatively empty. As far as tracking goes....good question...Im guessing it track along strangely but nicely.... preferably not in a sickeningly spinny kind of way *The vessel can get into about 1 meter of water. it needs to be unloaded by crane truck directly into the drink....maybe a rear crane down a boat ramp?, the windows are reinforced glass and will need something to give vision in the rain....probably a wiper id say. The Panda never entered my mind, its a goodone! Good questions, i hope for some more. Thanks for your interest, cheers, Troy.

I imagine that there will be some odd reactions! If you notice there is a big curved lightbar up front which might help me clock up some miles at night time to "avoid the crowd". She only does 6 knots, so I wont exactly be skipping along! Cheers, Troy.

Blending in will be difficult alright ! The rubber straps are temps until I work out how to install the steel cables so the stove can be swung horizontally in order to access the fuel cap. thanks mate.

If anyone is interested there is some before and after footage on Youtube. cheers. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oDEyw27LswY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ASyzZKqmu_M

Yes mate it has been a quirky bit of fun. I imagine it will continue... amongst all sorts of antics on the water! stay tuned.....cheers Troy.

Lets see how she goes when it hits the water, it may become a sub!

Hey Frank, I believe the winching up and down was controlled from the rig. The quick release is intact and operated from inside the vessel. Apparently, the issue with these rescue pods was, that when lowering they couldn't control the spinning and may end up hitting the water facing into the rig structure which was problematic because although there is a reverse gear, with a 10 degree prop it has little power. I dont think they popped them in the water that often because the 40 HP Westerbeke engine has only 105 hours. Cheers Troy

when the floatation devices and oxygen bottles were retrofitted after its installation on a Bass Straight Rig. It is 11 foot high, 14 feet diameter. weighs approx. 3 tons with the fitout I've done. it will be moved by crane truck....permit and escort vehicle required. Check out its earlier condition just after I started. Cheers.

Hello all, I grabbed an unusual project boat in order to dream away the Covid hours/years, and now she's almost ready to get wet ! This Brucker Survival Capsule has been an interesting job to fitout and adapt into an odd little cabin cruiser, and its fair to say that some of the reactions from from friends have been as unfavourable as some of the faces pulled by people who have seen this little gem! Undaunted, I'm sticking with my plan to do a little mission down the Murray later in the year, and I'm hoping to share the adventure with the Deckee community as I'm sure to need advice from bright boatie folk before during and after I manage to let go of the shore.... I would be appreciative to hear from anyone who has some experience with this kind of vessel, or any relevant info/observations or input that might be helpful or interesting. I have a range of mad plans for this vessel if it should survive its stint on the river and I will answer any curiosities as briefly as can. I also have some walk around , before and after video grabs to check out the inside and its improvements if there's somewhere i can post them. Thanks!