Date: Issue 45 - August 2013
Any heavy industry in today’s modern world is usually seen as dated, and “agricultural” rather than “cutting edge” or “high tech” and certainly not fast moving, this view in itself, seems to be fuelled by the constant demands through life in general, for newer, faster or just more fashionable designs, to demonstrate the advance of technology and satisfy an ever increasing consumer appetite.
Vessel design has historically been the preserve of function and practicality, because the capital cost of vessels in almost any culture of civilisation has always been high, and this remains unchanged. For smaller vessels and particularly patrol boats, the driving force has always been efficiency, meaning compact, small, and in most cases the bare minimum required to carry out the role, in the current climate this is no exception.