Saul Nomad was actually launched on July 6th 2002, just after dawn.
She quickly had to be manoevered round to the Dry Dock,
where the keel would be attached. The reason for the haste,
is that the hole for the keel was covered by temporary plating
with the water protection of a collander!  Despite the fifty tons incorporated
in her build, it was easy to haul her around.   

   
 Ready to go over the edge...and Phil Trotter keeps a close watch.

Once safely supported in the dry dock, we were able to drop in the
245 hp CT6 - six cylinder 8.3 Ltr Cummins diesel, the 32 Kv Beta Generator and the 360 degree
azimuthing drive. (The 340 Kg bowthruster was already in). We had
decided on an all hydraulic boat. It is some years since Dad played
for Oldham Athletic F.C., and most of our cruising could be single
handed. Thus the two 2000 kg windlasses, the two 900 kg capstans, the five ton
Hyab crane, and the steel engine room hatch covers could all be
driven and controlled on station or from the wheelhouse. Rotec
Hydraulics started work by the end of July 2002, and although
it seemed to take forever, they finished in December.

Commercial grade stainless hydraulic pipes pass along the saloon floor.
The Stainless water tank from Lee Sanitation lies waiting installation.
Traditional Brass Dutch portholes, chromed and supplied by Peter Dufficy of Brenmarl.

In early autumn 2002, Keith Meadowcroft of Ampower Services, commenced
the installation of the electrical supply, control and management system.
Our criteria was for a virtual no compromise normal domestic 240 volt system,
with 24 and 12 volt supply in there as well. A scenario would be, that we would
be anchored in some remote spot - say the Camargue, in the South of France.
Airconditioning might be running, and a machine wash is urgently needed, 
dinner would be in the oven, Hi-Fi ticking over, and icecubes for the fruit cocktail,
a report being filed on the internet to London...got the picture? 
However "no-compromise" is expensive and complicated. More of that later!

The "Power Take Off" bolted to the end of the Cummins CT6.
The engine revs at 750 (idle) or 1800 rpm by throwing a switch.
At maximum chat she should produce 245Hp which translates to a 
two ton bollard pull. However we will probably only need 1.5 tons.

                           Beta 32 Kv generator on left , Cummins CT6-8.3 on right.          

                   Adrian from Rotec Hydraulics pumps up the volume!

Steve Ivatt(Kort Propulsion), Craig at helm, and Chris Yeo (Rotec) realise
that some adjustments need doing to the steering!

It has taken nearly a year to get the steering right. To put it mildly we have been through many vicissitudes! All credit to Kort Propulsion, Rotec Hydraulics, and Cummins who have spent many man hours getting it spot on. That was the purpose of the system, which has had it's detractors. We have now got a bullet proof rig that any inexperianced person can pick up and place a quite large barge (by british standards) on a dollar..with only a few hours practice. There is also a large reservoir of power that can come on in an emergency situations.

We now have two steering systems. 1. mechanical linkage from wheel to power pod. The original setup, now used for direction of drive indicator purposes and emergancy backup and 2. a hydraulic drive on the Pod itself, with a 24v wired connection to two joysticks (one mobile) in the wheelhouse. 2005..and Marconi/Selenia are installing a Navitron 921G Autopilot.  It is specifically able to control an azimuthing drive like ours. It is also type approved in every european country, so no problem with our commercial insurance.

    The Mechanical Steering was helped with heavier guage connecting rods, but it is not our first choice system. The wheelhouse roof and glazing followed!

January 20th 2005. The engine room floor is in. The replacement exhaust insulation is fastened in place to comply with commercial requirements. The copper tubing of the central chiller unit are in view. (All part of the ship's digitally controlled climate control system.) The 32 kV Genny sits in it's accoustic housing below "Henry" the vacuum cleaner.  All the cooling hoses originally used to connect the genny have been replaced following premature failure, and it is also now plumbed into the 60 litre calorifier.  The 1200 aH gel batteries (below the chiller) are due to be sealed off and seperately ventilated to comply with regulations. The main engine now has a very powerful power take off on it to drive the main combined bilge and fire pump. By law we also have a seperate electrically driven fire pump in the saloon, and hand operated bilge pumps in every watertight section of the ship.  One thing about a newly built 1920's style barge, is that every modern safety feature has to be incorporated. Expensive, but one has a better chance of surviving a disaster...without trashing the local environment into the bargain.  One wonders at the actually safety on an original 1920's barge, where there are several crucial safety exemptions allowed and the thickness and consistency of the hull plates is uncertain.