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Displaying items by tag: Red Bay Boats

Leinster Boats offers a Redbay Stormforce 7.4m RIB for sale.

The 'complete package' includes a 250 hp Suzuki outboard engine, a Rollercoaster trailer, and full instrumentation.

As regular Afloat readers know, this RIB range is Irish-built in the Glens of Antrim at Cushendall under master builder Tom McLoughlin and his team. The range is well known for its sea-keeping abilities.

Yacht Broker Ronan Beirne of Leinster Boats says this example is an 'all weather' RIB that is well cared for and recently serviced.

"The Redbay 7.4 is a true open sea adventure rib with many having circumnavigated Ireland," he says.

"This rib is meticulously maintained by a caring owner, with everything in full service. The perfect family rib is available now and ready to go", he adds.

See the full advert here

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Volunteers at Red Bay RNLI saved a swimmer on Monday evening (13 June) after she got into difficulty 200m from the shore at Cushendall in County Antrim.

The inshore lifeboat helmed by Emmet Connon and with three crew members onboard, was on a training exercise in Red Bay when at 7.35 pm, a crew member standing on the shore outside the lifeboat station spotted a swimmer in great difficulty. He immediately raised the alarm and the crew on exercise diverted the short distance to the scene.

Weather conditions at the time were good, with an overcast sky and calm seas.

On arrival, the crew observed that the swimmer was struggling to stay afloat. Two crew members jumped into the sea and went to her aid before rescuing the casualty from the water and bringing her onboard the lifeboat where casualty care was administered as the lifeboat made its way back to the station.

Back at the shore, the casualty was handed into the care of a waiting ambulance crew and subsequently transferred to hospital.

Speaking following the call out, Red Bay RNLI Helm Emmet Connon said: ‘This was a frightening experience for the swimmer, and we would like to wish her a speedy recovery. Time was of the essence this evening and we would like to commend our fellow crew member who spotted the casualty was in danger and immediately raised the alarm which allowed us to get to her so quickly and bring her to safety.’

Published in RNLI Lifeboats

The Red Bay Boats 1150 offshore RIB launched by County Kerry boaters John and Adam Brennan two years ago is on the market.

As Afloat reported in December 2018, the stunning all-white vessel has filled the role of luxury day cruiser and long distant explorer but after two years of service is up for sale.

According to the advert on Afloat here, the 'extremely capable cruiser' is in 'perfect condition with every option installed by the manufacturer'. 

Launched November 2018 with just over 3,000 miles covered in the 2019 season. It can entertain up to 12 people on day trips. Priced at €295k you can see full specs and photos here.

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Renowned hospitality specialist John Brennan of Dromquinna Manor and the Park Hotel in Kenmare in County Kerry is best known for his entertaining and informative “At Your Service” double act on television with his brother Francis. In it, the brothers bounce ideas off each other as they bring their unrivalled expertise to bear on some difficult challenges in product-improvement across a wide range of problematic hospitality establishments all over Ireland.

Yet as anyone who has ever enjoyed the superb food and glorious location of his Boathouse restaurant down by the harbour at the Dromquinna Manor wedding venue and glamping holiday set up on the shores of the beautiful Kenmare River will know, John Brennan has a secret life as a serial boat development enthusiast. His Dromquinna-based flotilla does offer hotel guests the possibility of a speedy voyage down the Kenmare River for some unexpected lunch venues. But those who know him are well aware that really it’s all about John’s abiding impulse to create the perfect fast multi-purpose boat and in pursuit of that he and his son Adam have been working with the specialist RIB development team at Redbay Boats at Cushendall in County Antrim.

boathouse dromquinna2 The Boathouse Restaurant at Dromquinna Photo: W M Nixon

It’s intriguing that father-and-son boat connoisseurs from the distant southwest of Ireland should be so closely linked to a design and production unit in the far northeast of the country. But the reality is that the development of big multi-purpose high speed RIBs is simply a world apart from the humdrum existence of most of us, and we can only watch in wonder as it attracts folk like infrastructure construction magnate Kevin Lagan, who has steadily worked his way up through the Redbay Stormforce size range such that his current machine – with very comfortable cruising accommodation for six - is all of 58ft long.

John Brennan for his part is particularly interested in the detailed technical side and every aspect of planning, designing and creating a boat which provides good performance and onboard comfort with the maximum eco-friendly credentials. And in Tom McLaughlin’s creative team of Gary Fife and designer Owen McKinley, the Dromquinna duo have found kindred spirits with whom to push the envelope of boat development for John’s requirement for “a serious long-distance cruiser”.

john brennan3Hospitality guru John Brennan of Kenmare in Kerry has a secret life as a serial boat design-and-build developer, using the scope offered by the variations possible in the large Redbay Stormforce RIBs built at Cushendall in County Antrim.
In fact, with a Redbay Stormforce RIB, pushing the envelope is what it’s all about, as the company are cheerfully flexible about size changes as the specification develops. Thus although the Brennans’ Redbay 1150 Dromquinna is now nicely run in and functioning just as planned, even as she was nearing completion John and Adam were well aware that John’s busy mind already had the next boat taking shape in concept form, so the Redbay 1150 Dromquinna is now for sale as progress accelerates on a bigger and more sophisticated craft, due for delivery in April 2021.

redbay 1150 dromquinna4Home berth – the Redbay Storm 1150 Dromquinna at Dromquinna quay in Kerry
The most recent set of drawings for the new boat date from March 3rd and illustrate a customised version of Redbay’s Stormforce 14.50. But with a clear programme now in place to guide Dromquinna Manor through the lockdown, the boat team have gone back to the drawing board and we’ll be looking at a Stormforce 16.50 (that’s just over 54ft) with three engines, as an extra two metres length and an additional 0.5m beam were required to accommodate a smaller eco-friendly centre-line engine which will drive her at a gentle 5-7 knots of hyper-economy and minimal pollution for a range of 1800 miles.

However, if you’re in a hurry the big beasts either side will give a top speed of 38 knots, but that only provides 400 miles range, whereas 750 miles is available at 20 knots.

At this boat size, you’re able to provide a second layer of accommodation under the deck saloon, which is an irresistible challenge for someone with John Brennan’s turn of mind. Full-size three-dimensional jigsaw puzzles that would bewilder many of the rest of us are just his thing.

redbay 1150 dromquinna speed5Dromquinna shows her speed and style – after meticulous planning and attention to detail, this special machine is now for sale as the project is very successfully completed, and her owner seeks a fresh challenge in his new Redbay Stormforce 1650
With almost all waterborne life in Ireland on hold, it’s top creativity time for designers and concept developers to do their thing. At a time when sailboat designer Mark Mills of County Wicklow is our “Sailor of the Month” for his success in designing both successful racing machines and highly developed sailing superyachts, it’s good to know that the lines of communication are red hot between the Mountains of Kerry and the Glens of Antrim as another ingenious Brennan powerboat takes shape.

Published in RIBs
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County Antrim RIB builder Red Bay Boats Ltd has disptached its latest 11m RIB to a new home in the Isle of Man.

The slick black Stormforce 11–metre has twin Yanmar 370z inboard diesels, a joystick control system and two steering positions.

Building Rigid Inflatable Boats for over 30 years, Red Bay's Managing Director Tom McLaughlin now has a range from 5 metres right up to 16m commerical Pilot boats.

The complete range, appropriately named 'Stormforce', trade on their sea-keeping abilities, developed from years of McLaughlin's testing in the rough waters off the Antrim coast.

Also launched this month for some 'serious testing' was "Atlantic Dawn", (see vid below) the all new Stormforce 1050 fitted with the new flagship Suzuki DF350s.

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Dominic Daly auctioneer achieved good prices at the public auction of six RIBs at Kinsale Boat Yard, Co. Cork on Tuesday, 23rd May, 2017.

Daly told Afloat.ie the XS RIBs sold for €30,000 and €28000. The Redbay RIBs 6.5m sold for €14,000 13,500 and €8,700.

A Jet ski sold for €2000. 

Details of the boats are here

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Dominic Daly Auctioneer – in association with Promara Ltd – Noel O Regan will auction six RIBs and a jet ski (details below) at Kinsale Boat Yard, Co. Cork at 12 noon on Tuesday, 23rd May, 2017. 

For further details, please contact: Dominic Daly 087 2550486 [email protected] and Noel O Regan 087 3435666 [email protected]

Scroll down for specs and more photos of each RIB

VENDORS:      SFPA (Sea Fisheries Protection Authority)

RIB 1              Maker             XS RIBS           Model             7.0m

Built                2010                                        Length             7.0m

Beam               2.6m                                       Engines            2 Yamaha 100 HP 4-stroke

Console             Patrol with 4 jockey seats      Road trailer     4 wheel road trailer

Fuel tanks       2 tanks fitted under decks       Storage            Storage box aft

XS RIBS P1060669XS RIBS P1060669XS RIBS P1060669XS RIBS P1060669XS RIBS P1060669XS RIBS P1060669XS RIBS P1060669Above: photos of RIB 1 Maker: XS RIBS Model : 7.0m

 RIB 2              Maker             XS RIBS           Model             7.0m

Built                2010                                        Length             7.0m

Beam               2.6m                                       Engines            2 Yamaha 100 HP 4-stroke

Consol             Patrol with 4 jockey seats      Road trailer     4 when road trailer

Fuel tank         2 tanks fitted under decks      Storage            Storage box aft

XS RIBS P1060670XS RIBS P1060670XS RIBS P1060670XS RIBS P1060670XS RIBS P1060670XS RIBS P1060670XS RIBS P1060670XS RIBS P1060670 Above: Photos of RIB 2 Maker: XS RIBS Model: 7.0m

VENDORS:      IFI (Inland Fisheries Ireland)

RIB 3              Maker             Redbay           Model             Stormforce 6.5

Built                2000                                       Length             6.5m

Fuel tanks       2 tanks fitted above decks     Storage            Storage box aft

Console            Single 4 jockey seats           Engines           2 Suzuki 90 HP 4-stroke

                                                                      Road trailer     4 wheel road trailer

Redbay P1070813Redbay P1070813Redbay P1070813Redbay P1070813Redbay P1070813Redbay P1070813Redbay P1070813Above: photos of RIB 3 Maker: Redbay Model: Stormforce 6.5 

RIB4               Maker             Redbay            Model             Stormforce 6.5

Built                2000 (or earlier)                      Length             6.5m

Console          Single 4 jockey seats            Engines            2 Honda 90 HP 4-stroke

Road Trailer 

RedbayIMG 3830RedbayIMG 3830RedbayIMG 3830RedbayIMG 3830RedbayIMG 3830RedbayIMG 3830RedbayIMG 3830RedbayIMG 3830Above: Photos of RIB4 Maker: Redbay Model:Stormforce 6.5

RIB 5

Make RIB350 Rigid Inflatable
Built 2006
Engines Yamaha 25 hp electric & manual start
Engine detail model 25NEO
Console Single seat behind console
Fuel tanks Portable tanks
Road Trailer two wheel trailer
Equipment paddles, cover, fish finder, air pump

P1070898P1070898P1070898P1070898P1070898P1070898P1070898P1070898

RIB 6
Maker Redbay
Model 6.5
Built 2001
Road trailer trailer
Engines 2 Evinrude 90HP

IMG 5693

IMG 5650

Jet Ski

jet ski 2

jet ski 2

jet ski 2

For further details, please contact: Dominic Daly 087 2550486 [email protected] and Noel O Regan 087 3435666 [email protected] 

dominic Daly Logo Promara logo

Dominic J. Daly & Co. FRICS, MSCSI

CHARTERED SURVEYORS & VALUERS

Pembroke House Tel: 021 – 4277399

Pembroke Street Mobile: 087 – 2550486

Cork. Email: [email protected]

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Irish RIB builders Red Bay Boats launched a new Stormforce 12–metre fitted with twin 350 Verado outboards last week.

According to the Northern Ireland firm, the sleek boat has been built for Better Moments As, based in Norway.

This will be the second Stormforce 12 delivered to the company in the past year. The boat has been loaded and is en-route from Cushendall in County Antrim to Norway for its role in guided wildlife trips in Svalbard.

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Irish Rigid Inflatable Boat (RIB) builder Red Bay Boats is exhibiting one of its giant 16–metre Pilot Boat Stormforce RIBs at next month's Seaworks commercial exhibition in Southampton.

Intended for a variety of commercial applications including Pilot, Patrol, and passenger carrying usages this new Stormforce 1650 is a development of the County Antrim firm's Rigid Inflatable Boats. Of particular interest is the keen handling of the 'keel–less' demonstrator craft 'Caledonia' (pictured above and vid below) when manoeuvring alongside ships during recent trials.

The Cushendall firm headed by Tom McLaughlin has been busy working on the commercial side of the RIB business and is seeking Port customers for The 1650 which has a deep-V hull, with foam filled collars bonded to the hull sides.

Red Bay is also exhibiting a new 12 metre jet powered RIB, a 7.4m with a new Hyundai diesel and two more outboard driven 7.4s with Suzuki engines.

 

Published in RIBs

#RIBS – Redbay Boats is holding a demo and secondhand boat weekend on the 31st March/1st April at its home port of Cushendall, Co. Antrim. A wide range of secondhand boats will be on display as well as sea trials available on its range of Stormforce RIBs from 6.1m to 11m. The firm is having a clear-out sale with a large range of parts and boat building materials available too.

This is also a chance to have a look around the impressive Red Bay facilities and see the new Stormforce 1650 in build. There will be a BBQ on Saturday evening. More info directly from Red Bay here

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Ireland's Offshore Renewable Energy

Because of Ireland's location at the Atlantic edge of the EU, it has more offshore energy potential than most other countries in Europe. The conditions are suitable for the development of the full range of current offshore renewable energy technologies.

Offshore Renewable Energy FAQs

Offshore renewable energy draws on the natural energy provided by wind, wave and tide to convert it into electricity for industry and domestic consumption.

Offshore wind is the most advanced technology, using fixed wind turbines in coastal areas, while floating wind is a developing technology more suited to deeper water. In 2018, offshore wind provided a tiny fraction of global electricity supply, but it is set to expand strongly in the coming decades into a USD 1 trillion business, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA). It says that turbines are growing in size and in power capacity, which in turn is "delivering major performance and cost improvements for offshore wind farms".

The global offshore wind market grew nearly 30% per year between 2010 and 2018, according to the IEA, due to rapid technology improvements, It calculated that about 150 new offshore wind projects are in active development around the world. Europe in particular has fostered the technology's development, led by Britain, Germany and Denmark, but China added more capacity than any other country in 2018.

A report for the Irish Wind Energy Assocation (IWEA) by the Carbon Trust – a British government-backed limited company established to accelerate Britain's move to a low carbon economy - says there are currently 14 fixed-bottom wind energy projects, four floating wind projects and one project that has yet to choose a technology at some stage of development in Irish waters. Some of these projects are aiming to build before 2030 to contribute to the 5GW target set by the Irish government, and others are expected to build after 2030. These projects have to secure planning permission, obtain a grid connection and also be successful in a competitive auction in the Renewable Electricity Support Scheme (RESS).

The electricity generated by each turbine is collected by an offshore electricity substation located within the wind farm. Seabed cables connect the offshore substation to an onshore substation on the coast. These cables transport the electricity to land from where it will be used to power homes, farms and businesses around Ireland. The offshore developer works with EirGrid, which operates the national grid, to identify how best to do this and where exactly on the grid the project should connect.

The new Marine Planning and Development Management Bill will create a new streamlined system for planning permission for activity or infrastructure in Irish waters or on the seabed, including offshore wind farms. It is due to be published before the end of 2020 and enacted in 2021.

There are a number of companies aiming to develop offshore wind energy off the Irish coast and some of the larger ones would be ESB, SSE Renewables, Energia, Statkraft and RWE.

There are a number of companies aiming to develop offshore wind energy off the Irish coast and some of the larger ones would be ESB, SSE Renewables, Energia, Statkraft and RWE. Is there scope for community involvement in offshore wind? The IWEA says that from the early stages of a project, the wind farm developer "should be engaging with the local community to inform them about the project, answer their questions and listen to their concerns". It says this provides the community with "the opportunity to work with the developer to help shape the final layout and design of the project". Listening to fishing industry concerns, and how fishermen may be affected by survey works, construction and eventual operation of a project is "of particular concern to developers", the IWEA says. It says there will also be a community benefit fund put in place for each project. It says the final details of this will be addressed in the design of the RESS (see below) for offshore wind but it has the potential to be "tens of millions of euro over the 15 years of the RESS contract". The Government is also considering the possibility that communities will be enabled to invest in offshore wind farms though there is "no clarity yet on how this would work", the IWEA says.

Based on current plans, it would amount to around 12 GW of offshore wind energy. However, the IWEA points out that is unlikely that all of the projects planned will be completed. The industry says there is even more significant potential for floating offshore wind off Ireland's west coast and the Programme for Government contains a commitment to develop a long-term plan for at least 30 GW of floating offshore wind in our deeper waters.

There are many different models of turbines. The larger a turbine, the more efficient it is in producing electricity at a good price. In choosing a turbine model the developer will be conscious of this ,but also has to be aware the impact of the turbine on the environment, marine life, biodiversity and visual impact. As a broad rule an offshore wind turbine will have a tip-height of between 165m and 215m tall. However, turbine technology is evolving at a rapid rate with larger more efficient turbines anticipated on the market in the coming years.

 

The Renewable Electricity Support Scheme is designed to support the development of renewable energy projects in Ireland. Under the scheme wind farms and solar farms compete against each other in an auction with the projects which offer power at the lowest price awarded contracts. These contracts provide them with a guaranteed price for their power for 15 years. If they obtain a better price for their electricity on the wholesale market they must return the difference to the consumer.

Yes. The first auction for offshore renewable energy projects is expected to take place in late 2021.

Cost is one difference, and technology is another. Floating wind farm technology is relatively new, but allows use of deeper water. Ireland's 50-metre contour line is the limit for traditional bottom-fixed wind farms, and it is also very close to population centres, which makes visibility of large turbines an issue - hence the attraction of floating structures Do offshore wind farms pose a navigational hazard to shipping? Inshore fishermen do have valid concerns. One of the first steps in identifying a site as a potential location for an offshore wind farm is to identify and assess the level of existing marine activity in the area and this particularly includes shipping. The National Marine Planning Framework aims to create, for the first time, a plan to balance the various kinds of offshore activity with the protection of the Irish marine environment. This is expected to be published before the end of 2020, and will set out clearly where is suitable for offshore renewable energy development and where it is not - due, for example, to shipping movements and safe navigation.

YEnvironmental organisations are concerned about the impact of turbines on bird populations, particularly migrating birds. A Danish scientific study published in 2019 found evidence that larger birds were tending to avoid turbine blades, but said it didn't have sufficient evidence for smaller birds – and cautioned that the cumulative effect of farms could still have an impact on bird movements. A full environmental impact assessment has to be carried out before a developer can apply for planning permission to develop an offshore wind farm. This would include desk-based studies as well as extensive surveys of the population and movements of birds and marine mammals, as well as fish and seabed habitats. If a potential environmental impact is identified the developer must, as part of the planning application, show how the project will be designed in such a way as to avoid the impact or to mitigate against it.

A typical 500 MW offshore wind farm would require an operations and maintenance base which would be on the nearby coast. Such a project would generally create between 80-100 fulltime jobs, according to the IWEA. There would also be a substantial increase to in-direct employment and associated socio-economic benefit to the surrounding area where the operation and maintenance hub is located.

The recent Carbon Trust report for the IWEA, entitled Harnessing our potential, identified significant skills shortages for offshore wind in Ireland across the areas of engineering financial services and logistics. The IWEA says that as Ireland is a relatively new entrant to the offshore wind market, there are "opportunities to develop and implement strategies to address the skills shortages for delivering offshore wind and for Ireland to be a net exporter of human capital and skills to the highly competitive global offshore wind supply chain". Offshore wind requires a diverse workforce with jobs in both transferable (for example from the oil and gas sector) and specialist disciplines across apprenticeships and higher education. IWEA have a training network called the Green Tech Skillnet that facilitates training and networking opportunities in the renewable energy sector.

It is expected that developing the 3.5 GW of offshore wind energy identified in the Government's Climate Action Plan would create around 2,500 jobs in construction and development and around 700 permanent operations and maintenance jobs. The Programme for Government published in 2020 has an enhanced target of 5 GW of offshore wind which would create even more employment. The industry says that in the initial stages, the development of offshore wind energy would create employment in conducting environmental surveys, community engagement and development applications for planning. As a site moves to construction, people with backgrounds in various types of engineering, marine construction and marine transport would be recruited. Once the site is up and running , a project requires a team of turbine technicians, engineers and administrators to ensure the wind farm is fully and properly maintained, as well as crew for the crew transfer vessels transporting workers from shore to the turbines.

The IEA says that today's offshore wind market "doesn't even come close to tapping the full potential – with high-quality resources available in most major markets". It estimates that offshore wind has the potential to generate more than 420 000 Terawatt hours per year (TWh/yr) worldwide – as in more than 18 times the current global electricity demand. One Terawatt is 114 megawatts, and to put it in context, Scotland it has a population a little over 5 million and requires 25 TWh/yr of electrical energy.

Not as advanced as wind, with anchoring a big challenge – given that the most effective wave energy has to be in the most energetic locations, such as the Irish west coast. Britain, Ireland and Portugal are regarded as most advanced in developing wave energy technology. The prize is significant, the industry says, as there are forecasts that varying between 4000TWh/yr to 29500TWh/yr. Europe consumes around 3000TWh/year.

The industry has two main umbrella organisations – the Irish Wind Energy Association, which represents both onshore and offshore wind, and the Marine Renewables Industry Association, which focuses on all types of renewable in the marine environment.

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