Popeye Marine Services Co., Ltd.

Announcement.
Popeye Marine Services is pleased to announce that, following 2 years with 50 artisans working, Cariad was successfully launched on 1st October 2023 and is now in the integration yard in Port Takola Marina for finish work.
Restoration completion is expected to be March 2024 whereupon she will sail on her own bottom to the Mediterranean where she has been nominated for 2024 World Super Yacht Awards - Refit Category.

STATEMENT OF APPRECIATION
We consider ourselves privileged indeed to be appointed to restore a piece of British maritime history to her former sailing glory. The 125-year-old CARIAD was launched in 1896, circumnavigated the world three times, survived two World Wars and the Great Depression. We regard this as our opportunity to leave behind something tangible for future generations to sail and appreciate.

Brief Cariad History.
15th Jan. 1896
CARIAD launched from the Summers & Payne yard. She was built for the 4th Earl of Dunraven.
Cowes Week 1896.
First attempt for the Emperors Cup.
Feb. 1897
Set sail for the Mediterranean. Sustained damage to her rudder trunk and to return to Plymouth.
May 1898
Cariad leaves for Lisbon to participate in the “Vasco da Gama Cup”, a regatta to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Vasco da Gama’s voyage around the Cape of Good Hope to India. Achieved first place and returned home to the Royal Yacht Squadron with the Cup.
1900
Bought by J. B. Miller, a prominent yachtsman of that time.
1902
Bought by Captain C. B. Dixon Johnson of Darlington, a member of the Royal Yorkshire Yacht Club.
1913
Bought by Frank Chaplin, a member of the R. Y. S. Changed her name to FIDRA after an island in the Firth of Fourth. Fitted her with a Bergius 4 cylinder paraffin motor.
1919
FIDRA bought by a Swedish Navy Lieutenant and 4 other navy officers.
Sept. 1920
FIDRA departed from Sweden, then sailed through Magellan’s Strait to Tahiti, Honolulu, Suva, Yokohama, Hong Kong, Singapore, Colombo. Aden, Suez and Gibraltar, returning to Sweden in 1922.
1927
FIDRA bought by H. J. Wenburn and H. E. Evans of South Africa and sailed to Capetown.
1933
Wenburn desired to change the name back to CARIAD but Lord Dunraven had built another yacht called CARIAD II. To differentiate between the two yachts, it was agreed that CARIAD II would become CARIAD and FIDRA would become CARIAD I. (Current owner has returned to name to CARIAD)
1948
Bought by A. W. Flitton of South Africa. Flitton sails to Trinidad in the Caribbean.
1953
Flitton installs a new General Motors 4 cylinder, 80 H.P. diesel engine.
1963
Bought by Loring C. M. Rattray of South Africa.
1969
Bought by K. Sutie also of South Africa.
January 1981.
Following several years of chartering in the West Indies, it was decided to completely gut and restore her to her original style and beauty. This was commenced in Antigua, West Indies in January 1981 and, when the vessel returned to England to participate in Cowes Week in 1983, the work was completed by Southampton Yacht Services (SYS) who were previously Camper and Nicholson’s. Prior to that the yard was called Summers and Payne where Cariad was originally built.
Sept. 1983.
Bought by Pamela Anne Marvyn of London, England.
1986
Based in Parma de Mallorca.
Sept. 1987
Bought by a Japanese corporation.
October 1987
Departs Malta for Japan via Greece, Egypt, Djibouti, Singapore and Hong Kong. Arrives Naha, Okinawa.
March 1988
Arrives Yokosuka, Japan.
Jan. 1990
Cariad sails for Singapore.
2005
Cariad discovered as a derelict in Laem Cabang (Bangkok) anchorage.
Bought by British businessman Stuart Williamson.
2006-2008
Restoration carried out in Phithak Sinchai Shipyard, Satun, Thailand.
2008.
Bought by Singaporean businessman.
2021.
Bought by current owner.
Jan. 2022
Cariad returns to PSS Shipyard, Thailand, to complete the restoration.

5th in our series of the perils of not maintaining boats. Following a prolonged lack of routine maintenance for 14 years we got Cariad back. Master stateroom riddled with termites. Tanks and frames heavily corroded. Whole engine room submerged in seawater 3 times. It is terrible for us because we see all our hard work from 15 years ago destroyed. Please see a series of Before and In Progress photos.

NOTICE.
POPEYE MARINE SERVICES CO., LTD. HAS MOVED TO PSS SHIPYARD IN SATUN WHERE WE CAN BETTER SERVE OUR CUSTOMERS.

New sea water pump impeller and winch service just prior to launching Waypoint - Swanson 40.

Different ships, different fashions, said Paddy as he walked aft to haul down the jib.

The reason we are highlighting SCARLET RIBBON, the proper yacht, is because owners want th job done once, and done properly. The bane of any mechanic’s life is working on a Generator in situ. Traditionally, the bloody thing is in a box and shoved into a confined corner of the engine room. During a routine service we noted extensive corrosion and seawater in the sump oil. We didn’t muck round and just pulled it, then positioned the unit on a dedicated stand for overhaul and bench testing afterwards to confirm 24 volts output.

SCARLET RIBBON, the Buizen 48, the proper yacht. Despite light usage, after 18 years the steering gear, rudder bearings and auto pilot required overhaul. There is nothing worse than repairing critical components like steering gear in a confined space. Our engineers were happy when Owners gave us permission to remove the entire system for a full bench overhaul. Not only did this approach probably save time but it meant nothing was overlooked.

SCARLET RIBBON, the Buizen 48, again today. Besides a complete service, technical and cosmetic, owners requested we install a Fresh Water Flushing System on the Main Engine, the Genset and the Air-conditioning units. Every outboard motor has this system whereby fresh water is used to flush out the seawater cooling components. A simple garden hose will do the trick and it is easy to install. We are at a loss to understand why all engines aren’t supplied with this as standard. See photos of the devices and how we installed them.

4th in a series of the importance of routine maintenance during long Covid layup periods. The principle is simple. Pay a small amount now - save huge costs later on.
We are highlighting the Buizen 48, a well-engineered Australian ocean-going yacht. To date it has been an 18-month, “work as-required” program. Besides the usual cleaning and mould issues, Owners instructed us to periodically test and run all systems, then remedy any exceptions noted.
We begin with the engine control levers. This vessel is dual station, so the lever/control system is more complex. Although the units were high quality they were found seized from the control lever through to the engine itself. We removed the entire system, dismantled down to the last nut and bolt, cleaned, serviced and reinstalled. System is now smooth and ready for owners when they return from Australia.

Laying the foundation stones for Popeye Marine Services .... Daybreak on 30th March 1967.... From the deck of our tiny 30-foot timber sloop, after 5,000 miles of open ocean, looking for the headland. Aha there it is, Cape Horn on the port bow.

Kanchala Krissadaraksa, "Ked," Owner and Operator - Popeye Marine Services Co., Ltd.

Ae, our paint quality specialist....

Our Customers.....

Our Team...

All the skills under one roof. Some photos when we serviced Phatsara’s watermakers. Inside any boat access is always a problem so we decided the easiest, and probably the most cost effective way, was to yank them out of the boat and service them on a bench.

Thailand haul-out facility at Pranburi - upper Gulf of Thailand. Polaris Harbour Shipyard in Pranburi on the east coast of the Gulf of Thailand. The yard accepts all types of vessels however for anyone planning a large refit or big yacht repair Polaris could be a good, cost-effective option. The yard has a 250-ton trolley railway haul-out system, a 65-ton travel lift (but limits lifts to 60 tons) with separate concrete piers, Four large boat-building sheds to accommodate boats to 30 metres. Most skills are available. Friendly service. Kite surfing and good accommodation close by. Good quiet beach.
For more information:
Contact Vlad, Polaris GM - [email protected] or +66 8 3593-6523.

We have temporarily moved Popeye Marine Services to Pranburi (600 Kms north of Krabi) where we are preparing a super yacht for sale. Meet Ked's new friend, dumped by owners, a victim of Covid, battle scared but lovely.

To pipe in a new era of expectation we went out and bought new Popeye shirts to welcome yachts from far and wide.

After being shut up in tropical Thailand heat for 1 1/2 years we just opened up a relatively new, brand name production yacht. Please see photos of mild steel backing plates. This is a clear example of what happens when you let the "bean counters" take control of a yacht building company. We found rust falling off in sheets and even found its way through the head-liner and fell down into the saloon. See last two photos.

An Introduction to Popeye Publishing.
“Beyond Boundaries – the trail that is always new,” from Popeye Publishing, begins with a young Australian surfer who first learnt about the ocean by physically challenging its waves. His circumnavigation of the world under sail served as an apprenticeship to a commercial career at sea treating work as adventure. This work would take him from Cape Horn to exploring for oil under the Polar Ice Cap and eventually earn him the title of Master Mariner with a sobering weight of responsibility when moving the world’s largest oil structures on the oceans.
It is a story of one man’s lifelong voyage facing unpredictable events, unclear odds, and stacked decks. An insightful look into the human condition and into the importance of truths, morals and integrity.

Popeye Publishing (Thailand)
ISBN 978 64440 831 5.
Available from www.deskearns.com and [email protected]

Polite notice to boat owners who have "mothballed" their vessels due to Covid we cannot stress strongly enough the need to have your boat checked by a competent authority. This week's findings include expensive settee upholstery destroyed by a deck leak, a new engine half submerged from a deck hatch leak and extensive mould throughout soft furnishings. Broken battery charger with resultant loss of a full set of batteries.

Popeye Marine Services to the rescue..... but by the time I finished quarantine and ridden that bloody camel across the desert I arrived too late at the Suez Canal. The Evergreen Container Ship had already been freed.

Teak deck in progress.

If you would like your steering gear overhauled and the finished product to look like this, please come and see us at Popeye in Krabi Boat Lagoon.