The full timeline of what went down (besides the boat) of the Polina Star

[hellosailor]

Cadence-

The full timeline of what went down (besides the boat) of the Polina Star - Page 4 - Cruisers & Sailing Forums

mentions the boats (plural) and I *think* it was during the initial sea trials for the 84 OSTAR that the problem happened. I remember thinking at the time that I didn't want to sail on any brand where the CEO's personally built boat fell apart.

Anything pre-internet requires so many hours in a really good library to research these days. Not that anyone is trying to re-write history, oh, no, certainly not. But...sometimes, they're just a little slow to bring up the past. Understandably.

[Cadence]

Originally Posted by hellosailor

Cadence-

The full timeline of what went down (besides the boat) of the Polina Star - Page 4 - Cruisers & Sailing Forums

mentions the boats (plural) and I *think* it was during the initial sea trials for the 84 OSTAR that the problem happened. I remember thinking at the time that I didn't want to sail on any brand where the CEO's personally built boat fell apart.

Anything pre-internet requires so many hours in a really good library to research these days. Not that anyone is trying to re-write history, oh, no, certainly not. But...sometimes, they're just a little slow to bring up the past. Understandably.

That was a quip on age. Nothing more or related to the Oyster going down.

[Rorzech]

Doesn't anyone read what happened ? The owners watched the final assembly of their brand new Oyster and it sank in a matter of months still in warranty.

[Cadence]

Originally Posted by Rorzech

Doesn't anyone read what happened ? The owners watched the final assembly of their brand new Oyster and it sank in a matter of months still in warranty.

I am not sure I get your point? We know it sank but what has the owner watching the assembly have to do with it?

[Dulcesuenos]

My take aways,,
1.How the He'll is keel movement considered "a Cosmetic issue"
2. The captain visited the builder while Polina was being built. Apparently his comment "They don't how to build a boat" was proven correct.

[double u]

how "one-sided" can the account be: the keel together with half the bottom of your huge, millions-of-bucks-"top-end"-of-the-market boat drops off, miraculously neither you nor your crew gets killed...
now how "one-sided" can this tale be told???

[NevisDog]

Originally Posted by double u

how "one-sided" can the account be: the keel together with half the bottom of your huge, millions-of-bucks-"top-end"-of-the-market boat drops off, miraculously neither you nor your crew gets killed...
now how "one-sided" can this tale be told???

If you are in the business of marketing "huge, millions-of-bucks, top-end-of-the-market" boats, as Superyacht News surely is, then anyone who dares criticise your advertising base, the superyacht builders, must be 'one-sided'.

Gotta keep those advertising dollars rolling in, even if it means regurgitating as gospel truth, the total verbiage spouted by your clients. (It's a sick world we live in sometimes.)

[cyan]

The WALLET OUTRAGE caused by one rich guy getting shafted by another rich guy is concerning but not at a gut level. Civil issues.

The HUMAN LIFE OUTRAGE caused by the cavalier attitude of a company owner that almost killed people is much more serious. If not for the noisy reluctance of the laminate to finally give up the poorly attached keel, giving the crew a few precious moments of warning, we would be posting pictures of the deceased. Criminal issues.

[JPA Cate]

Originally Posted by cyan

The WALLET OUTRAGE caused by one rich guy getting shafted by another rich guy is concerning but not at a gut level. Civil issues.

The HUMAN LIFE OUTRAGE caused by the cavalier attitude of a company owner that almost killed people is much more serious. If not for the noisy reluctance of the laminate to finally give up the poorly attached keel, giving the crew a few precious moments of warning, we would be posting pictures of the deceased. Criminal issues.

I have to agree with your assessment, cyan. If those guys are not held accountable, it only encourages the behavior.

Ann

[kmacdonald]

Just thinking out loud here, but how has everyone concluded it was an accident? A keel peels off a hull like a banana on a boat made by one of the premier boat builders. Interesting. Didn't someone say the keel was built different than the other three otherwise identical boats?

[kmacdonald]

It seems to me the boat owner hired the captain late in the build process. Boat was 80% complete when he first visited the yard. Was there friction or concerns between Oyster and the owner that prompted him to hire the captain?

[kmacdonald]

From the pictures, it looks like they were relying on the peel strength on of the hull laminated to hold the stub keel on. From an engineering perspective that should have been given ZERO strength. It's hard to tell for sure from the pictures though. It would be easy to tell what really happened by visual inspection of the carnage.

[NevisDog]

Originally Posted by kmacdonald

It seems to me the boat owner hired the captain late in the build process. Boat was 80% complete when he first visited the yard. Was there friction or concerns between Oyster and the owner that prompted him to hire the captain?

There is nothing to indicate this - appointing a captain prior to taking delivery would seem common practice (at least for a millionaire's build - you or I might take on that familiarisation responsibility ourselves on a lesser project). I guess with Oyster's reputation, the owner failed to see the need for a surveyor to oversee the entire project - BIG mistake!

And why would this not be an accident? Lots of keels fall off - just not so many companies suggest that it's a 'cosmetic' defect.

[kmacdonald]

I would think it would be extraordinarily unusual for an owner not to have an owners agent or project manager oversee a project that size and complexity from the beginning.

[NevisDog]

"... a project that size and complexity"? - it's just a production boat. You order it at the boat show and a year or so later it's delivered. You conduct sea trials and if everything works, you're good to go. Surveyors would only become involved if built under Lloyds survey or similar, unless the owner specifically requires it. (Or that's what should happen, with a reputable builder, and who would knowingly buy from a disreputable builder?)