Photos & captions courtesy Commodore’s Boats, Ltd., except where noted.

When the crabber Lady Nell arrived at Commodore’s Boats in Richmond, B.C., she was a far more “svelte” creature than she was when, a few weeks later, renamed Stormie B, and looking like a powerhouse, she left the yard that has for years specialized in tackling – or transforming – almost anything that floats. Under Owner/CEO Bo Spiller’s leadership, Commodore’s has taken on everything from historic wooden vessels to the most modern working and pleasure craft with a can-do approach that would be startling if it weren’t business as usual. With Stormie B, the yard was asked to add sponsons in order to widen the hull for increased capacity to the limit allowed for crabbers, which have rigorous length restrictions.

In this case, the owner wanted first to widen the crabber for increased deck space, hold space, and stability, allowing the vessel to deal better with heavy weather conditions, especially when loaded. In addition, he wanted a bulbous bow fabricated and installed for both increasing fuel economy by reducing drag at the bow, and for trim control – with water ballast in the bulbous bow “hull.” The crew at Commodore’s set to work on the challenge, erecting partition bulkheads, welding the new hull sheeting/plating, and fabricating the bulbous bow unit fitted with a bow thruster and capable of filling with water on command. Commodore’s Boats engineers such projects as these in-house, and Stormie B was no exception. As usual, it’s the crew who do the work who make the difference in the finished result. The following photos and captions provided by Commodore’s illustrate the process by which Stormie B’s sponsons and bulbous bow were fabricated, assembled, and installed.

All photos are courtesy of Commodores Boats, Ltd.

Further Reading: 

Commodore’s Boats was the subject of a profile by Shelley McIvor in Professional BoatBuilder magazine No. 167 (June/July 2017) [http://www.proboat.com].

For information on the yard contact Commodore’s Boats, Ltd, 6911 Graybar Road, Richmond, B.C. V6W 1H3   http://www.commodoresboats.com