Utah ferry comes overland

[BrianWilliams]

Sorry, I haven't been paying close attention lately. Perhaps this story has already been posted here.

I heard an interview with BCF's engineering manager today (3 Jan) on CBC Radio. Here's the scoop:

BCF has bought a landlocked 26-car ferry in Utah. It's a 25-yr old double ender that runs on Lake Powell in the SE corner of the state. (Check your maps, it must be the Hwy 126 link at Hell's Crossing).

The ferry is beached at Page, AZ; and is being cut into four pieces: superstructure and three hull sections. All will be transported by road to Tacoma, barged to North Van (WMG or Allied, I don't know which) for reassembly.

BCF will add a longitudinal section, increasing beam to bring capacity to 35 cars. Arrival in North Van is about Jan 25. They expect service to begin this summer.

The unnamed boat will be for "the Northern Gulf Islands" -- I guess it's probably Hornby-Denman.

The BCF guy said total cost is about $6 million, compared to $20 million for new construction.

Whaddya know.

[BrianWilliams]

Correction to the above: Utah Highway 276 is the Hell's Crossing road.

[Low Light Mike]

Yeah, we've talked about this a bit before. But it's interesting to know that it was talked about again on CBC today.

Thanks for posting, as this ties a lot of the facts together in one succinct post.

Ferry name at Utah was the "John Atlantic Burr".

[QTeen]

So what is gonna happen to the Kahloke?

[BrianWilliams]

Thanks for the photo and the ex-name (John "Atlantic" Burr? I'll have to find the story behind that).

She'll look different, sailing in the BC drizzle.

[Low Light Mike]

Brian: here's some cut/pastes from a google search on the "burr" name. The 2nd excerpt below hints at why his middle name was "atlantic".

--------------------------
Burr Trail, UT
This route crosses some of the most stunning wilderness in the southwest. Visitors may envision being
on a cattle drive in the Old West as they retrace the path of rancher John Atlantic Burr, for whom the
trail was named.
------------------

The Burr Trail is a sinuous back-country road which angles eastward from the small ranching town of Boulder, in southwestern Utah, traversing Long and Muley Twist Canyons, and bisecting a corner if Capitol Reef National Park before joining Utah 276 inside the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area. It is a bone-jarring 100 mile drive, but worth it, Among the trail’s noteworthy geologic features are the Circle Cliff, and ice-age gutted uplift, and the Waterpocket Fold, a highly eroded wrinkle in the earth’s crust, much of which lies in the National Park boundary. The trail was first hacked out of the wilderness in the 1870’s by rancher John Atlantic Burr, who was born on the SS Brooklyn en route to the United States, to move his cattle from winter to summer pasture. In addition to the trail, his settlement, Burrvillle, Burr Canyon, and the ferry plying Lake Powell between Hite and Bullfrog Marinas on all bear his name.
-------------------------

[BrianWilliams]

Thanks for that!

I hope that John Burr's namesake will sail many years on Pacific Ocean water.

[NMcKay]

it will probably end up with another k class name,

[Shane]

Yeah, probably something like Kuper, Kitsilano, Kemano, Kitkatla, Kincolith, Kitsault, Klemtu and Kwakiutl.

[NMcKay]

actually Kitkatla or kuper wouldn;t be so bad.

[harbourlynx]

Funny names though.
Well, when was the John Atlantic Burr's replacement, the Charles hall, built?

[Curtis]

I think it was around 2001

[yvr]

It's been over 6 month's since the last posting on the Utah ferry. Do any of our members have an update on it's status? Also has the contract cost been disclosed as to the cost of stretching / reassembly?
Perhaps someone could get a current photo and post it on the site.

I would be interested to know what "Cascade" thinks about the economics of this project? Perhaps he might tell us about a hull design 25 years old, or power-plants that go back a quarter century. But I won't steal his thunder, I'm sure he could add some comments to this thread!

[Balfour]

The JAB is mostly together now. At last check the bridge has been put on and it's looks alot like a Q class.

[Retrovision]

Check it out, here's the link to the thread (a little mis-leading, granted):
ferriesbc.proboards20.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=newferries&thread=1152122324&page=3

[yvr]

Interesting photo's, thanks. Unfortunately the longitudinal split / stretch is not visible. One has to wonder how the propulsion package and rudder have been fitted. Are they off center, or does the new center section contain a new propulsion / steering package. It appears we need some helicopter shots. Or a member to approach the shipyard and ask if some pictures could be taken. (Strictly for good P.R. of course)

Interesting to note that if the pictures were not in colour, that shipyard would appear to be from the 40's! No wonder we can't competitively compete in the international market.

[Retrovision]

yvr said:

Interesting photo's, thanks. Unfortunately the longitudinal split / stretch is not visible. One has to wonder how the propulsion package and rudder have been fitted. Are they off center, or does the new center section contain a new propulsion / steering package. It appears we need some helicopter shots. Or a member to approach the shipyard and ask if some pictures could be taken. (Strictly for good P.R. of course)

Interesting to note that if the pictures were not in colour, that shipyard would appear to be from the 40's! No wonder we can't competitively compete in the international market.

Although the pieces were on barges hidden among a raft of a few vessels, I was able back in February to get some photographs of what I could see of the hull sections, that were still tied onto the barges, near the shore (my pics of what could be seen of the superstructure are nothing to write home about as there was very little to see so I haven't posted them here)...

[yvr]

BCF / ALLIED - SCREW UP

All you armchair ferry operators have missed a very important deficiency on the M/V Kuper (Hull 259 - JAB). If you look closely at the hull of the vessel you will notice several newly welded areas without protective anti fouling / rust paint. These include the welds where the vessel was reassembled, plus a very noticeable scab patch numbered 79. It appears the only answer is to dry dock the ship and paint the hull. Why were the welds not spot painted before the launch??? Who was the person responsible for this screw up??? Who's going to pay for this extra work???

[Barnacle]

ferryfreakshane said:

Yeah, probably something like Kuper, Kitsilano, Kemano, Kitkatla, Kincolith, Kitsault, Klemtu and Kwakiutl.

...and Shane called it in January!

[Low Light Mike]

yvr said:

BCF / ALLIED - SCREW UP

All you armchair ferry operators have missed a very important deficiency on the M/V Kuper (Hull 259 - JAB). If you look closely at the hull of the vessel you will notice several newly welded areas without protective anti fouling / rust paint. These include the welds where the vessel was reassembled, plus a very noticeable scab patch numbered 79. It appears the only answer is to dry dock the ship and paint the hull. Why were the welds not spot painted before the launch??? Who was the person responsible for this screw up??? Who's going to pay for this extra work???

Out of interest, how do you know about this problem, considering how specific your above post is, and how you've concluded that it is a "screw up"? I'm not challenging your post as being incorrect, but I'm wanting some background as to how you came to your conclusion.....

Thanks.

[Dane]

I challenge it

They're painting all of that now. Unless they've stopped early for some off reason at this exact second they should be applying paint.

And cascade, my marine fear mongering friend, a plethora of ferries and vessels have changed from fresh water to salt water. Including a BC Ferry that had a near 40 year career; it survived the salt.

[Dane]

dane said:

I challenge it

They're painting all of that now. Unless they've stopped early for some off reason at this exact second they should be applying paint. A launch doesn't mean it's going into service. It's once again "in the dry"

And cascade, my marine fear mongering friend, a plethora of ferries and vessels have changed from fresh water to salt water. Including a BC Ferry that had a near 40 year career; it survived the salt.

[Ferryman]

My assumption on the day it was launched, was that it was going to be put on the floating drydock. They were starting to fill up the ballast tanks on the drydock as we were leaving. If you looked at our pics of the ways on the launch, you'd notice that it would be awkward painting the hull. So to sum it all up in a shorter sentance....

The ships get painted in the drydock, not the launch.

[Retrovision]

yvr said:

BCF / ALLIED - SCREW UP

All you armchair ferry operators have missed a very important deficiency on the M/V Kuper (Hull 259 - JAB). If you look closely at the hull of the vessel you will notice several newly welded areas without protective anti fouling / rust paint. These include the welds where the vessel was reassembled, plus a very noticeable scab patch numbered 79. It appears the only answer is to dry dock the ship and paint the hull. Why were the welds not spot painted before the launch??? Who was the person responsible for this screw up??? Who's going to pay for this extra work???

This is standard procedure. The adjacent floating dry-dock had earlier been cleared of the barge that was in it previously, and was obviously prepared to accommodate a vessel.

[Neil]

Dane/ferryman/tsawwassenterminal- You guys are no fun. You let the facts ruin a good panic.