Edencraft Manufacturing

Edencraftsmen

TrailerBoat was given a rare invitation to visit Edencraft's manufacturing plant for an insight into how great boats are made. Don't expect much automation, just craftsmen hand-making each stage. This, coupled with the design and quality of workmanship, is what differentiates Edencraft from other boat manufacturers.

Edencraft boats are built tough for Australia's challenging coastal oceans, catering to skippers like abalone divers, government agencies plus hard-core fishermen – both amateur and professional. While meeting these demands, they're easy to maintain. As Edencraft's managing director, Warren Lyons, says: "Come home from fishing, give it a quick wash, hose it out and within half an hour the job's finished.

"We take pride in our boat building, because it's not just a process, it's a passion. Every Edencraft boat is different, built to the customer's individual specifications, that's what makes us different to the larger mainstream boatbuilders," he said.

EDENCRAFT HISTORY
Edencraft changed owners a number of times, was built in Bairnsdale, Vic, mostly as a specialist abalone dive boat, dominating that market. Edencraft again changed hands, to be built at Corowa on the Murray and finally acquired by Lyons, for production in South East Qld. Edencraft continues to be the solid, standard trailerboat which others are judged by.

Bernard Clancy noted the rugged quality during an Edencraft test in TrailerBoat: "I just love the feeling of weight and strength beneath me, particularly in a blow. Those attributes are missing in some large trailerboats, as manufacturers try to build big but within towing laws. The result is often a boat which is great to tow, but too light to perform adequately in rough water.

"With an Edencraft, it's not just the bottom of the boat that's solid, the coamings and deck all pass the 'fist-knock' test. It's like head butting concrete, even on the dashboard. Nothing moves, nothing bends. It's as tough as a D11 bulldozer," he said.

Reg Vincent, Edencraft sales manager, emphasises their great attention to detail and unyielding strength.

"We know our customers are after a boat that will handle anything and an Edencraft will. They often take their boats out in conditions that might break other boats," said Vincent.

BUILD PROCESS
As with all fibreglass boats, the first process is gel-coating and this can be in any colour selected from the colour chart. But what sets Edencrafts apart from other fibreglass boats is the attention to detail in the laminating process of the hull and deck. They use a combination of hand and chopper gun laminating techniques. Each layer of fibreglass, whether chopped strand matt, woven-roven or biaxial fabric, is hand rolled by some of the most experienced laminators in boatbuilding.

When we talk layers of fibreglass, Edencraft hulls have an incredible eight individual layers in the hull alone before the fibreglass stringer matrix or transom are fibreglassed in.

Edencraft don't use timber for their stringers and bulkheads, rather a moulded fibreglass stringer matrix. While the hull is still in the mould, the stringer matrix is firstly bonded into place with a polyester adhesive, then fibreglassed at the stringer hull join, so that the hull and the stringer matrix become one unit, creating enormous rigidity to the hull.

Holes are drilled in the top surfaces of the hollow matrix to enable filling with a positive-displacement foam. A chemical reaction produces air-bubbles trapped in the foam for floatation. As the chemical reaction progresses, it becomes a solid, permanently trapping millions of tiny air bubbles.

VIRTUALLY UNSINKABLE
An added feature of the foam is to act as a sound deadener so you don't hear the slap and pounding of the water. The solid foam also adds to the rigidity of the hull and its overall strength. Edencraft boats are then virtually unsinkable. They have sufficient foam floatation under the floor, in the matrix and in the upper deck, that the boat will remain afloat.

The 12mm marine-ply floor is fitted after being fibreglassed on the underside and then secured in place with a polyester adhesive. Finally, the floor is fibreglassed all over, tying it to the hull sides and stringer matrix so it becomes an integral part of the hull.

Watching these skilled boatbuilders in action, it's no wonder that Edencraft have type approval for all their models to build robust survey vessels to Marine Safety Victoria's stringent requirements. This approval allows the boats to be used for commercial applications for their class of survey in any state of Australia.

The 6.0m Offshore has the bulkheads, sidepanels and cabin as an integral part of the upper deck. The 565 Sports and the 233 Formula have marine ply bulkheads treated exactly as the floor.

All the fittings and fastenings are 316 marine-grade stainless steel. The stainless steel seat pedestal has welded floor plates and is polished like glistening chrome. The seat base is recessed in the floor and glassed in, so it's flush with the floor. Not a mechanical fastening in sight going into the floor, strongly secured to avoid movement. Then the seat is bolted to the plate.

PHOTOGRAPHIC RECORD
Many customers request progress photographs of their boat as it is manufactured, so they see regular updates. This is part of the Edencraft production service.

Reg has found over the past 18 months that five, six or even seven-year-old Edencrafts are sold for more than the original purchase price.

Edencraft are so confident in their quality, they offer a 10-year structural warranty. The quality-control process throughout the construction of the boat is to the highest marine standards. With each layer of fibreglass applied to the boat, the start time, humidity, temperature and batch numbers are recorded and submitted to Marine Safety Victoria, along with a weighbridge certificate for the completed boat, before a certificate of survey will be issued.

Customers include the NSW Dept of Fisheries, Vic and NSW Water Police, abalone divers, fishing charter operators and offshore fishermen.

For more info, phone (07) 5546 6274 or visit http://www.edencraft.com.au/