This one's gotta be a contender for most ugly vessel in history

[ombugge]

This one may be seen as ugly, but how else to tow 24 cables?:

[z-drive]

Joanne, the old bow poking out kills me.

[jdcavo]

[QUOTE=z-drive;176822]…The bow fell off![/QUOTE]

Bow[U][B]S[/U][/B]. It was a tandem tow and both barges lost their bows, within 6 hours of each other. Did you take note of who the judgewas?

[z-drive]

[QUOTE=jdcavo;176835]Bow[U][B]S[/U][/B]. It was a tandem tow and both barges lost their bows, within 6 hours of each other. Did you take note of who the judgewas?[/QUOTE]
I didn’t, but now i do know!

[ombugge]

[QUOTE=z-drive;176822]I read through some of the case that I found online, as a non-attorney I found it absolutely ridiculous. The bow fell off![/QUOTE]

Apparently it is not that unusual that the bow falls off: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T587NHM-f9o

[Oil_Is_Evil1]

@"ombugge"

This one may be seen as ugly, but how else to tow 24 cables?:

The Bow fell off, and it’s getting away!

[NAUTICART]

[QUOTE=ombugge;176751]Whatever the designer was on must be banned!!![/QUOTE]

That’s so ugly it’s cute.

• • • Updated - - -

[QUOTE=c.captain;176708]I mean BUTT FUCKING UGLY![/QUOTE]

It’s shaped like a butt ugly shoe…OMG This thread has made my day…

[ombugge]

Another but ugly Ramform is ready to take to the waters of GoM.
It may be ugly but it beats the competition when it comes to efficiency and innovative solutions to problems nobody had even thought of: http://www.hellenicshippingnews.com/vestdavit-mission-accomplished-on-ramform-safety/

BTW; The Ramform design is nothing new, it has been around for years. First out was a Norwegian spy vessel: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marjata

[ombugge]

Found a picture of an American push tug of “modern”(??) design an thought it may fit into this category.
To me this is butt ugly and scary:

I assume there is an elevator to get up to the bridge, but I still wouldn’t want to be on this one, especially “out of the notch” in bad weather.
Anybody with experience from similar tugs who would like to elaborate?

[Capt_Phoenix]

@ombugge

I still would want to be on this one, especially “out of the notch” in bad weather.

That boat isn’t designed to go outside protected waters and it is never in a “notch” in the first place.

[ombugge]

Looking at those push knees being heavily fendered on the side, I looked it up:
http://www.professionalmariner.com/American-Tugboat-Review-2011/Chesapeake-Coast/
Looks like they intend to work both inshore and offshore in rough weather and be able to push in the notch, but without being “rigidly” connected.

[Capt_Phoenix]

@Capt_Phoenix

That boat isn’t designed to go outside protected w

It appears I’m wrong.

@ombugge

Looks like they intend to work both inshore and offshore in rough weather

I doubt they intend to work in rough weather but if they get caught it in it out shouldn’t be too terrible.

@ombugge

be able to push in the notch, but without being “rigidly” connected.

The push knees on the bow pretty clearly signify it’s NOT going to push in a notch.

[ombugge]

Another interesting feature of the push knees is that they will fit into the biggest notch that one of DMTs customers has on its biggest barge. “We designed the knees so that they will take the weight of the barge on their shoulders and sides,” said Robert Jr. The knees will either fit into or span all of DMT’s fleet of barges as well as the barges in their customer’s barge fleets.

No I agree that they probably don’t intend to operate in really bad weather offshore, but they are prepared to take the barge in tow if they do:

Those other features include an Intercon single-drum towing winch, model SD175, with 2,000 feet of 1.75-inch wire, and equipped with a warping head. In yet another departure from the norm, there is only one wheelhouse, with a 50-foot height of eye.

Besides, they appear to have a different way of thinking from the majority of the US tug and OSV owners.:

When Chesapeake Coast joins the DMT fleet, the push/tow combination tugboat will be fully-classed with ABS for ocean service. “It’s not a requirement,” said Robert Jr., “but we’re just doing it. We did it on the last two boats, so we’re going to do it on these two. It just holds your boat to a higher standard and hopefully keeps us ahead of the curve when new rules come out.”

[Capt_Phoenix]

@ombugge

No I agree that they probably don’t intend to operate in really bad weather offshore, but they are prepared to take the barge in tow if they do:

I would hope they plan to try to not be out in bad weather. Looking at that bow I can’t imagine it would take seas very well.

[ombugge]

I’m not all that familiar with American push tugs, especially the inshore type, but I have seen some of them, both afloat and on dry land, and I respectfully have to say that none of them look like they should have been allowed into open waters.

The argument about this one is that the bow configuration is much more suited for rough seas:

The late LeRoy Molaison of Main Iron Works commented last fall, when Chesapeake Coast was still on the slipway, that the push/tow combination design was the first one like it he had encountered. “But they will work a lot better offshore with that V-hull and the push knees,” said Molaison. “The barges won’t stray from side to side (as they might with a tow made up on a model bow), and if it gets really rough they can just put them on the string. These are the first of a kind for us.”

[Traitor_Yankee]

They very rarely leave the Delaware river or Chesapeake bay. Occasionally run up the coast to New York or out Long Island sound in nice weather. Sometimes even on Chesapeake bay you need to tow because the differences in movement between the tug and the barge will break your push gear.

[Traitor_Yankee]

@ombugge

Another interesting feature of the push knees is that they will fit into the biggest notch that one of DMTs customers has on its biggest barge. “We designed the knees so that they will take the weight of the barge on their shoulders and sides,” said Robert Jr. The knees will either fit into or span all of DMT’s fleet of barges as well as the barges in their customer’s barge fleets.

No I agree that they probably don’t intend to operate in really bad weather offshore, but they are prepared to take the barge in tow if they do:

Those other features include an Intercon single-drum towing winch, model SD175, with 2,000 feet of 1.75-inch wire, and equipped with a warping head. In yet another departure from the norm, there is only one wheelhouse, with a 50-foot height of eye.

Besides, they appear to have a different way of thinking from the majority of the US tug and OSV owners.:

When Chesapeake Coast joins the DMT fleet, the push/tow combination tugboat will be fully-classed with ABS for ocean service. “It’s not a requirement,” said Robert Jr., “but we’re just doing it. We did it on the last two boats, so we’re going to do it on these two. It just holds your boat to a higher standard and hopefully keeps us ahead of the curve when new rules come out.”

They hardly have a different way of thinking than other companies, just about everything that just might move oil is ABS classed. Hell there are a lot of absolute pieces of junk that are classed.

You’re a pretty knowledgeable guy in a lot of areas, but our domestic tugboat market isn’t one of them. I’m just a young punk and I can still safely say that.

[Capt_Phoenix]

@ombugge

I respectfully have to say that none of them look like they should have been allowed into open waters.

They frequently are limited in their max speed when they aren’t pushing because their flat bow ships water.

@ombugge

The argument about this one is that the bow configuration is much more suited for rough seas:

I realize that, but it’s still somewhat flat above the waterline and would still not ride seas very well.

[ombugge]

I presume that X-Bow is out for push tugs??

[Traitor_Yankee]

With enough chocks I’m sure I could still make up alongside.

I like the X-Stern, most of my favorite sailboats are double ended.