How we strength tested a Protector with two trucks and a giant winch

Protector vessels are the boat of choice for many of the world’s most demanding commercial users. From support vessels for Sail GP and the America’s Cup, to Police, Coast Guard, and superyacht tenders. 

 

That’s why we recently put our Protectors through a rigorous strength point testing regime, to make sure they’re rated to handle everything thrown at them. 

Applying 4.5 tonne of force

 

To test the strong points on our Protector vessel we needed to apply up to 4.5 tonnes of force. So Andrew Stables, Rayglass Operational Support & Systems Development, called the construction company that helped build the new Rayglass facility:

 

“We ended up with a flatbed truck with a huge, grunty winch on the back. Behind that we had the boat, which was strapped to another truck. Then on each side of that setup we had a fork hoist, holding a strop over the top of the boat to hold it in place just in case.”

 

Last of all, the team needed something to measure directional force. The load cell in Rayglass’ warehouse was only rated to 3.5 tonne so they grabbed one rated to 5 tonne from Kennards Hire. 

 

Andrew says it sounds like a fun day at the office, but it wasn’t all roses:

 

“It was a little nerve wracking to be honest. I had to think about what would happen if it were to go wrong because 4.5 tonnes is a lot of force. If something were to fail, we could have a boat flying across the warehouse. I also wanted to be sure the boats would pass.”

Flying colours (not flying boats)

 

Andrew needn’t have worried. There were no flying boats, and after an initial test, some adjustments were made and the Protector vessel’s strong points passed with flying colours. 

 

“The results were pretty impressive. We tested the wichard shackles to 3.5 tonne, the aft cleats to 3.2 tonne, and the samson post to 4.5 tonne and they all passed.”

While Andrew says he sourced the most accurate equipment he could, there were a few quirks:

 

“The funny thing is, the winch was not very sensitive and we’re just under 4.5 tonnes on the samson post. I’m waving the guy on to give it a bit more. Next thing it jumps up by 500 kg to 4.9 tonnes. My heart was in my mouth. Thankfully the boat was strong enough to handle this and no damage was done.”

 

While this experience might have been a little stressful for Andrew (sorry Andrew) it provided valuable peace of mind for all of Protector’s customers. 

 

These vessels have always been built to be capable, durable and incredibly hard wearing. These results are just further proof that they can handle anything our customers throw at them.

 

Read the story behind the original Rayglass testing regime