Cork Sub Aqua Club

Easter weekend the club went down to Kilcrohane for our first dive weekend away of the season. Easter was particularly early this year, so cold, rain and wind were always going to be on the agenda. We were able to put our brand new custom-built Excalibur RIB out on the water nonetheless. This was the culmination of a lot of effort by members of the club in fundraising, chasing up Sports Capital funding, drawing up detailed specs, inspecting the building process and test-driving and running-in, so we were very happy to see her used for her intended purpose.

The boat was built by Gael Force Ventures in Carrigaline to our own specification. From the beginning, members had a very definite idea of what they wanted to see in their new RIB. Having a large space for kitting up was a very big consideration. Having a slightly larger RIB than the previous ones we’ve used meant that, with a little extra thought put into the design, we could have a space large enough for two pairs of divers to don their gear and complete their buddy checks in comfort at the same time. Secure storage space for bottles, hand-holds for rough weather and ease of entry for divers were also very important considerations.

When it came to engine size, enough power to get up on the plane with ten fully-laden divers was the minimum criterion. That had to be balanced with economy, ease-of-maintenance, and the need to be forgiving to inexperienced coxswains. In the end, we settled for a 175 horsepower Suzuki 4-stroke. A large capacity fuel tank will help to minimise delay and spillage from messing around with extra fuel containers.

As the build progressed members were on hand to inspect how things were going and provide feedback to the rest of the club. As the plans materialised, Jim, our equipments officer, was able to carry the opinions of the club members back to the boat builders and fine-tune the specification. Decisions were made on the ideal dimensions of the A-Frame, fitting of the O2 bottles etc, even as the workers put the finishing touches to the fibreglass hull.

Time will tell if our new boat lives up to all our expectations. With a bit of luck, we’ll get the good weather soon to let her show her full potential, but if the weather stays a little choppy, well she should be able to cope with that too. We’ll be having a little ceremony before the end of the month to welcome her officially to the club and show our appreciation to everybody, in the club and out, who made this possible.