Published on: 14 December 2022
Farndon Marina is proud to announce that it has been appointed the distributor for Bulldog Boats, a British company that hand-builds commercial vessels from HDPE (High Density Polyethylene).
With an outstanding reputation for boats built to withstand some of the world’s toughest marine environments, you will find the complete commercial boat range from Bulldog Boats at Farndon Marina.
“This is an excellent opportunity for us as a company to diversify into the commercial sector,” commented Alex Boden, yacht broker and marina manager at Farndon Marina.
“We are proud to be supporting not only a British boat builder, but a local business too. HDPE work vessels are extremely common in Europe and globally, however, there has been a slower take up in the UK. We believe that once people appreciate how robust, customisable and zero maintenance these boats are, the demand will greatly increase,” Alex added.
Bulldog Boats takes a consultative approach to the build, working with clients to build a work boat fit for purpose and can usually build a boat in under 12 weeks from the point of contract signing. To date they haven’t made two boats the same.
One of the key differences with Bulldog Boats compared to other HDPE European boats, is that they are built to fully comply with the UK MCA build regulations. The hull is fully certified by MECAL ready for outfit to comply with UK and EU CE requirements and they are also compliant for use globally too.
The vessels are designed, and all the fabrication is built to the scantling requirements of ISO12215 ASMA (Australian Maritime Safety Authority) NSCV C3 and are UK-CA&CE fully approved which is paramount for HDPE boats to operate in UK waters.
“It is very important for UK businesses/operators to realise that any HDPE vessel without these credentials is NOT approved to operate within the UK waters. Not all HDPE boats are built the same,” Alex explained.
The hull is constructed from HDPE300 with PE balls built in which provides the hull with 90% permanent buoyancy. As a result, being built from HDPE means that these boats are classed as almost indestructible. They are tremendously strong and require no maintenance, no anti fouling, or anodes.
HDPE is also rated as a No 2 plastic and is 100% recyclable. “Due to its properties, it doesn’t require anti-fouling, which in turn helps prevent putting toxic pesticides into the water, and from a commercial angle, saves those costs and reduces commercial down time by the boat being out of the water for routine maintenance. It also has a five times less carbon footprint compared to aluminium,” Alex added.
To find out more about Bulldog Boats and Farndon Marina visit https://www.farndonmarina.co.uk/brokerage/bulldog-boats-dealership-farndon-marina
