What’s been happening at Stella
Here’s our month at a glance:
- Work continues on the fully customised Hydraulic Swim Platform for the Ocean Alexander 78.
- The Pangea Refit Project kicked up a notch with some extensive pipe work happening right through the guts of the vessel. (see Pangea pipe work project)
- TRAC Stabiliser upgrade and Quick 300mm stern thruster install on M/V Sassy.
We used our cnc lathe to fabricate many of the parts necessary for the lifter, keeping it all in house.
Ocean Alexander – Hydraulic Swim Platform Project
From the Computer to the Workshop –
You’re seeing it all happen as this lifter comes together
The digital drawings were passed along to Paul, Manager of the Stella team operating out of The Boat Works, and now work is well under way manufacturing the lifter arms and platform frame.
We used our cnc lathe to fabricate many of the parts necessary for the lifter – no need to wait on outsourcing.
Our specialist welders have been putting in the hours to give these lifter arms some life.
We’re really looking forward to seeing this in the water, not long to go now!
Product Review – A Stella Success
240AC Watermaker
Matt Oakley – Ningaloo Discovery Owner “After thoroughly researching the market I bought my first AC 240lph watermaker from Stella in 2015, and installed it myself in our charter sailing catamaran. I’ve opted for the full manual option as I prefer to keep things simple on boats. Our business has grown and we now have three boats and three AC 240lph water makers. The modular design allows for easy installation into smaller spaces. Our original watermaker is now five years old and has been making water daily without any issues. David and his team have provided great after sales service including the supply of minor parts and advice. We operate in the remote north west of Australia so reliability and dependability are major factors when considering new equipment, for this reason I’d have no hesitation in recommending Stella Systems watermakers.”
You can check out Matt’s award winning Whale Shark Swim Tours here.
M/V Sassy – Stabilizer Upgrade
We enjoy being the exclusive Service Agents for ABT TRAC in Australia, and we love it when vessels visit for a service or install.
Sassy has chosen to upgrade from an old obsolete system to a brand new TRAC system with Zero Speed stabilisation. STAR (Stabilisation at Rest) is a feature that can be added to most existing TRAC stabilisers and is an available option for all new TRAC stabilizers. Feel calm even at anchor
Quick ABT TRAC Stats
- Began as a premium marine thruster manufacturer,
- 1989 became a full system hydraulic service manufacturer
- 1999 introduced the first hydraulic stabilizer to their arsenal.
- Two strong decades have followed, where TRAC has continued to manufacture powerful products with high quality, un-replicable features.
- TRAC products are installed as standard equipment by more of the world’s most prestigious yacht builders than any other brand.
Stella has been the exclusive ABT TRAC service agent in Australia for 10 years now!
Pangea Pipe Work Project
Pangea has required a lot of love and attention these past couple of months.
It’s been a huge project to make her ready for deep sea research but we have enjoyed the challenge.
Pictured to the left you can see 15 pipes ranging from 8″ Nb down to 2″ Nb which will all house wiring that will be running down to an underwater gondola full of all sorts of sensors.
What you can’t see is the work that’s been happening in the engine room. We have manufactured all new cupronickel pipes supplying Generators, Watermakers, Air conditioning and Sewage Treatment plant. Cupronickel is extremely corrosion resistant and considered the best material for Seawater Pipe work. In addition, we have modified the Black water tanks to incorporate a new sludge tank for the sewage treatment plant.
Machine of the Month – CNC Lathe
This is Blake, and behind him, his CNC Lathe – Herbie 😊
The CNC Lathe is just one of Stella’s investments for 2020, many of which will enable us to become a more self-sufficient workshop.
Prior to the arrival of Herbie this year, our guys were using the manual lathe. Now, there’s nothing wrong with that (besides the fact it is labour intensive and time consuming) but we can now ensure every piece being manufactured is exact, time per piece is cut down to literal minutes, and we no longer have to outsource for larger quantity jobs.
Since firing up in May, Herbie has gotten quite the workout.
Blake has been machining all the parts for our Hydraulic Swim Platforms and at his feet are the 60 deck inserts machined for lashing down shipping containers to a ships deck.
