Three Ellings will make the leap
Three Elling motorboats will attempt a transatlantic trip this December from Gibraltar to the Caribbean.
The three are unmodified Elling E4 production boats with standard Volvo engines and the boat’s normal CE category A rating, which means that it is capable of handling ocean conditions up to Force 8.
Elling have been in production for more than 11 years at Neptune Marine Shipbuilding in Aalst, The Netherlands.
They say: “No one has actually taken an Elling across the ocean.”
Neptune Marine are organising the trip and general manager Anton van den Bos will be joining one of the boats. They will stop off at the Canary Islands.
Neptune Marine say: “We know that an Atlantic crossing with a motorboat less than 15m long is quite an adventure, but we believe that we are not taking an irresponsible risk because the design of this particular boat has standard safety features that will minimise the risk.”
Among these, Neptune say, are the reinforced hull, designed to resist impacts with containers, the boat’s claimed self-righting ability, commercial strength windows, and its 30hp wing engine which gives a speed of 5 knots if the main single engine breaks down.
The boats can do 20 knots but will cruise across the Atlantic at around 7.5 knots with a predicted fuel consumption of 1 litre per nautical mile, or 7.5 litres per hour.
Fuel capacity is 1,500 litres, meaning the subsequent range of 1,500 nautical miles at 7.5 knots is not enough for the 2,500 trip.
Therefore an additional fuel bladder of 800 litres will be fitted on the foredeck and a hard plastic fuel tank of 400 litres on the aft deck.
An additional spare 200 litres will be taken in ten 20-litre jerry cans.
Two of the three Ellings will be equipped with 435hp Volvo D6 engines. One Elling will be fitted with 570hp Volvo D9.
All three Ellings will be equipped with the 30hp Volvo D2 wing engine.
MBY will be following the story as it progresses.
