6319 replies to this topic

[Mike K.]

Yes, and benefits from a nearly one month annual refit.

[57WestHills]

But... but.. look at the Coho! It still runs! We don't need no cruise liners in the fleet!

With the exception of Northern ships, we don't have these. I don't know where this ridiculous idea keeps propagating from. The Coho is a piece of junk that has required the retirement of several BC Ferries to keep it running. She is, mechanically, essentially the Queen of Sidney below the car deck.

If you tried to build the Coho today you'd be laughed out of the Transport Canada offices and not welcomed back. The safety standards on that bad boy are archaic and far out of line of what would be required on a Canadian flagged boat.

Edited by 57WestHills, 16 February 2017 - 10:09 AM.

[HB]

Ya but they serve Ivar's Clam Chowder in the cafeteria so I can over look the safety standards on COHO

[Mike K.]

And Nate's hot dogs!!

[jonny]

I think we already determined the Coho runs far less hours per year than the old BCF ships.

The Coho also goes out of service for maintenance for several weeks every single year.

[jonny]

With the exception of Northern ships, we don't have these. I don't know where this ridiculous idea keeps propagating from. The Coho is a piece of junk that has required the retirement of several BC Ferries to keep it running. She is, mechanically, essentially the Queen of Sidney below the car deck.

If you tried to build the Coho today you'd be laughed out of the Transport Canada offices and not welcomed back. The safety standards on that bad boy are archaic and far out of line of what would be required on a Canadian flagged boat.

The Coho actually has a relatively new propulsion system. They re-engined her 10 or 15 years ago.

Edited by jonny, 16 February 2017 - 11:41 AM.

[57WestHills]

... with the guts of a BC Ferry. So "new". It's actually a really old, now uncommon, engine which needs to be stopped before it can be reversed.

I'm not criticizing the Coho. It's a great service but it's depended on lots of favourable acts of history to stay afloat. And when people compare it to BC Ferries it's like comparing your buddy that has an old car he preserves versus a taxi fleet. It's asinine.

[AllseeingEye]

I wonder since the Maritime Museum of BC needs a new home and also because the CoV could use some sort of new tourist attraction, whether there is any sense at all in considering using one of the old ferries to achieve both aims, in addition to preserving a piece of BC marine/ferry history?

 

Just a thought, not sure what the annual cost to maintain and 'keep the lights on' would be but the thought of having one of the old girls moored somewhere with the CoV harbor area and also being the home to the MM appeals to me.....

[Bingo]

I wonder since the Maritime Museum of BC needs a new home and also because the CoV could use some sort of new tourist attraction, whether there is any sense at all in considering using one of the old ferries to achieve both aims, in addition to preserving a piece of BC marine/ferry history?

 

Just a thought, not sure what the annual cost to maintain and 'keep the lights on' would be but the thought of having one of the old girls moored somewhere with the CoV harbor area and also being the home to the MM appeals to me.....

 

Those old ferries are ugly. Victoria missed the boat when they let the Marguerite leave to be scrapped.

 

[AllseeingEye]

/\ ......of course back then the MM had a home so that wasn't a consideration back in the day. What would you have had the city do with the Marguerite had it been retained? After the BC Stena Line went out of the business had it been economical and fiscally viable to maintain the Victoria-Seattle run, presumably some individual or corporate entity would've emerged to take over the business. 

 

And of course as was discussed earlier in the thread beauty ultimately is in the eye of the beholder. Ain't nuthin' fuglier than those new ferries IMO especially having seen the first one up close and personal now. I kind of like the clean lines of the older boats, and it is a fact the MM does need a home: what better place than a ship?

 

Ultimately though I suspect the size and age of the Burnaby would make it prohibitive in terms of heating and lighting, not to mention moorage costs so I'm sure like all past their prime ships, it'll be broken up for scrap.

[Old Esquimalt]

Burnaby sold for something like $25 over asking. But in all seriousness I am amazed they got what they were looking for. Almost all BC Ferries go for way under because they're very unique and basically junk.

Don't worry, whoever bought it knew what they were doing.  The two old brothers in Vancouver who bought a similar ferry have it moored up the Fraser and have made more money selling parts back to BC Ferries than they ever paid for the vessel.

 

As for the Princess Marguerite, I remember going to meeting at the Newcombe Auditorium to try and save her. There were probably 40 people there.  Complete lack of vision.  I think they call that "blindness" don't they?

Edited by Old Esquimalt, 18 February 2017 - 10:13 PM.

[HB]

 

thats the way Victoria is.

You dont know what youve got till its gone.

 

Perfect Example is E&N  Dayliner.

When they inform its not making money and it will be shut down people start crying and whining about dot take it away.

then there is a big push to get riders to ride it bringing numbers up for a couple weeks, then thats it no one rides it again after the protest period and now look...its gone for good never to return.

 

Just like the Princess Marg.

[HB]

Queen of Sidney on Fraser River

[Nparker]

This would make an awesome setting for some sort of post-apocalyptic movie.

[Old Esquimalt]

Jack Ratcliffe who was the last or one of the last engineers on the Maggie said there was nothing seriously wrong with her propulsion systems.   Again, had there been a "can do" attitude the vessel would have been saved, at least for static use.  The Maritime Museum of BC needs a new home, supposedly.  The Swiss run steam vessels a lot older than the Maggie. The William J. Stewart functioned for 40 plus years as a floating hotel in Ucluelet.

 

Maybe we should call this city "Uclueless"?

Edited by Old Esquimalt, 18 February 2017 - 11:25 PM.

[Rob Randall]

^^^And the poor old San Mateo next to it. Almost 100 years old!

http://www.evergreen....com/mateo.html

[HB]

Off subject ^^

not a BC Ferry

[Rob Randall]

I'm trapped at Tsawwassen. The 7 pm ferry can't close its bow doors and can't leave until it does. They don't know when the problem will be fixed.

[VicHockeyFan]

Trapped at Tsawwassen would be a cool name for a rock band.

[VicHockeyFan]

I'm trapped at Tsawwassen. The 7 pm ferry can't close its bow doors and can't leave until it does. They don't know when the problem will be fixed.

 

BS, back when I was kid our ship sailed with or without bow doors closed!