Re: Out of Character 2
I found on the net some information of the "pre-war" activity of the Celtic Shipyard back in 1997. A bit long but interesting. sorry for the overall presentation, I just lifted from a .pfd doco:
The Musqueam Band's Celtic Shipyards manufactures aluminum-welded boats such as
those used for emergencies, although not precisely the type featured, for example, on Baywatch. The band's main clientele need light-weight, high-speed boats specially
designed for fast-response fire-fighting, and search and rescue vessels.
There are several advantages to the boats Celtic Shipyards makes, but it is their weight that separates the aluminum-welded boats from the pack. These lighter boats are strong, and can operate with smaller engines and smaller fuel tanks. With a larger engine, an aluminum boat is still quicker than other conventional sorts with the same-sized engine.
"I think aluminum is more resilient and I think it's a safer boat," says Celtic Shipyards' General Manager Nathan Kew. "If the metal scrapes against gravel, for example, it will not damage the impermeability of the boat, but fibreglass will begin absorbing water once the outside layer is penetrated." And if you're dealing with emergency situations, any number of challenges can be thrown at a boat.
Fire boats manufactured by Celtic Shipyards for the City of Vancouver are ultramodern in concept and design. Because of their size, they do not require a specially licensed operator and full-time crew. This saves the city money. For the five fireboats, Celtic Shipyards used the same cutting and building technique as Boeing, delivering strength, durability and precision.
"Because all of our products are custom-built, they're all quite expensive high-end products. They are usually high-performance boats," says Kew, who started with the company in 1989 as a night watchman.
"Customer requirements will vary. Sometimes a customer will have a complete design package and Celtic Shipyards Building the Boat-Building Business sometimes they'll only have a mission profile," he adds, explaining that they might have only a concept to start with. "The largest that we've ever built was a 65 by 28-foot boat that holds 200 passengers... a dinner cruiser for Vancouver Harbour."
Among clients whose demands and expectations Celtic Shipyards meets are the Canadian Coast Guard, Department of National Defence, the RCMP, the Fraser River Harbour Commission, the Vancouver Fire Department and the Republic of Slovakia. "It's specialized and good aluminum welders are hard to come
by," says Kew. The aluminum welder works more by feel and sound, he explains, rather than by watching a pool of molten weld.
"It's an easy material to work with if you're set up for aluminum. It's good for handling and manufacturing because of its weight and flexibility," says Kew. He has held most of the positions within Celtic Shipyards. "I was never an expert in any of them," he says, "but I have a good idea what each one entails."
The company which shifted from strictly repair and service to construction in 1996, has as many as 40 people on staff for some projects. The number varies between projects. "We have one welder on staff but we'll have as many as a dozen when we're in full swing. We'll have shipwrights, a couple of electricians, a couple of CADs (computer assisted draftsmen), purchasing agents, accountants and security," says
Kew. "We're training Musqueam people in ship-fitting and as Canadian Welding Board-certified aluminum welders."
"Last year we built six 40-foot boats that were all delivered to National Defence," he says, without revealing the cost of the boats. In 1995, a 12-metre Sonobuoy Recovery Boat would go for about $700,000 and some boats have million dollar price tags. Where the weight and performance of a boat make the difference between rescue and disaster, Celtic Shipyards builds its business.
