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Ok so we had some questions on why we would replace Terra Nova with a rubber boat..... so here goes a bit of a long and detailed thread to answer those that were interested. https://twitter.com/hmsprotector/status/1250348058761555980">https://twitter.com/hmsprotec...
Terra Nova was a great little boat. Jet drive and GRP hull with some aluminium sheeting to reinforce the bow ramp to prevent damage during landings onto rocky shores.
The problem we have found with GRP in Polar regions is small chunks of brash ice often put holes into the gel coat which can then be difficult to repair in extremely cold temperatures.
If left water can get into the glass fibres and weaken the hull.
If left water can get into the glass fibres and weaken the hull.
Also she had a single jet drive engine. Jet drives often suck up small pieces of ice and can get blocked resulting in reduced manoeuvrability.
As an aside James Caird IV has a slightly different jet drive configuration and has two drives so is much less prone to such loss of manoeuvrability.
The rubber boats have standard outboard engines which perform quite well in icy conditions. Propellers can be damaged by ice but are easy to change.
The rubber hulls are sufficiently strong that when pushing through brash ice they are unlikely to be punctured.
The rubber hulls are sufficiently strong that when pushing through brash ice they are unlikely to be punctured.
And finally.... we get 4 boats for the price of 1!
