Sydney First Fleet Ferry Refurbishment - As Good as New!
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- čas přidán 26. 01. 2021
- The Sydney First Fleet Ferries have been given a makeover that will extend their life by 10 years. Golden Grove was the first of the Sydney First Fleet Ferries to be gutted, overhauled and bought back to life with brand new engines, gear boxes, new seats, floors, ceilings and air conditioning.
The Sydney First Fleet ferry makeover has given them a new lease of life. In this video, I'll take you on a tour of one of the refurbished first fleet ferries, so you can see how different they now look.
The First Fleet Ferry Makeover started in 2020 and by January 2021, 4 Sydney ferries had been refurbished. These are Golden Grove, Fishburn, Sirius and Borrowdale. The remaining ferries will be refurbished during 2021.
The First Fleet Ferry Refurbishment is being undertaken at Birdon's Shipyard at Port Macquarie. Here is a link to an article on their website about the refurbishment program.
www.birdon.com.au/golden-grov...
Recorded on an iPhone 11 and using the Rode Smartlav+ mic for iPhone. Voiceovers done using the Blue Yeti USB Microphone. Editing done in Final Cut Pro.
Wow huge improvement! I didn't even know that the ferries were being refurbished! Great detailed before and after tour of the ferries! Thank you!
It was a total surprise for me too, when I first got on Golden Grove a few months ago. Glad you enjoyed this video.
These honestly look much nicer and inviting than they ever did when they were built.
Yes they are! They are really nice to travel on now, especially inside.
It is great to see that the Sydney ferries are being refurbished. I remember, my dad and I had the annual practice of always riding a Sydney ferry on the first day of Daylight savings. We usually went to Manly or Taronga Park Zoo. I have also been to Mosman and Cremourne by ferry there.
That was a lovely way to celebrate the first day of daylight savings! The Taronga Zoo ferry is very popular these days, and also the Circular Quay to Barangaroo service via Luna Park and Balmain East which now runs every 15 minutes on weekends!
The refurbished version is better than the original
Absolutely awesome video! I have been wondering for quite a while now, what these refurbished First Fleet ferries actually looked like inside. There hasn't seemed to be many photos online (I'm not on any other social media). The video has certainly filled that void.
Also, congrats heaps on 1K subscribers. I too was quite surprised how quickly you gained subs. :)
Thanks! Glad you enjoyed this video. Yes the first fleet ferry refurbishment has received very little coverage, so I'm glad this video filled the void! Since recording this video, Friendship has been refurbished and is back in service. I haven't seen Scarborough for a while, so I think that may be next.
Sorry for late reply.
No worries. Thanks also for the info. Looking forward to the completion of the first fleet refurbishment. :)
Great Work !
Thanks Darren!
Neutral Bay wharf is such a nice.spot to arrive into on the ferry, glad you went there
Yes it is! Good cafe at Neutral Bay wharf too!
@@TransportVlog Thelma and Louise is a favourite!
The First Fleet class boats are my favourite Sydney ferry and the refit has made them even better. As well as the points you make, the new LED lighting means the ride at night is much more pleasant - the old fluorescent lights had a cold and slightly scary feel about them.
For those who don't know, the First Fleet Class ferries were designed by one of Australia's best naval architects, Alan Payne, who also designed the Americas Cup challenger yachts Gretel and Gretel II. He was renowned for his attention to detail, which can be seen in aspects of the First Fleeters, including twin rudders on each hull (for more agile manouevring) and ensuring good views are afforded from almost every seat.
Some of the quirks are due to things that were outside his control, including poor wash characteristics. The initial plans were for a 30 metre boat, which tank tests and prototypes demonstrated would have excellent low wash performance. But at the last minute, he was required by Sydney Ferries management to shorten the boats to 25 metres to reduce crewing requirements from three to two. As a result, the boats create a lot of wash when travelling faster than 12 knots. In the end, unions insisted on the boats having crews of three anyway!
Hi Robin, Thanks very much for all this extra information. I might use some of this in future first fleet ferry videos. Yes they do seem much more pleasant at night with the LED lights. Very interesting about how the boats were shortened from 30 to 25 metres. Those extra 5 metres would come in very handy now, especially on the F4 service via Milsons Point, Balmain East and Barangaroo. I think there are only 3 unrefurbished ferries left to do - Charlotte, Alexander and Supply.
@@TransportVlog I love it all and I know it only makes sense but God I love manual windows and it's a shame to see them go but air con Is the way to go.
Hi Paul. What an amazing job you have done here. I haven't been on a ferry for more than a year and from what I've seen here I must get out and about and explore our magnificent harbour. I think the refurbishment is great and what a journey it would be to Port Macquarie if they did sail them up the coast. Have you been on the new Parramatta ferries? I believe the new feature on those is decapitation. Well done Paul and I am looking forward to your next presentation.
Thanks very much John, Yes I've wondered how they got to and from Port Macquarie! - I guess it was on a freight ship. No, I haven't been on the new Parramatta ferries as yet. I'm not sure if they're in service as yet.
they sailed to Port and Back
@@nivekab I didn't think they were seaworthy and would probably bounce around like a cork.
@@aussiejohn5835 all the boats in the fleet are registered for limited coastal operations, the lower deck gets boarded up and they wait for calm weather then go for it! I wouldn't want to be on one of them for the trip though 🤢🤮😂😂😂
@@nivekab Thanks for that information and I agree, not a trip I would enjoy.
Paul, you are so thorough! I do like the refurbishment but i never thought these ferries were nice to see on our harbour. They're too much like metal boxes. The Emerald class are worse! Surely we can do better.
Thanks! - they've done a nice job! Refurbishment seems to have slowed down. Still only 4 ferries done at the moment.
I like the first fleet ferries i rode on the refurbished Golden Grove
Golden Grove was the first one to be refurbished back in mid 2020. When I first got on it, I thought I was on an Emerald ferry!
Hi, and thanks for this informative vid. I became a ferry fan in 1961 when I moved to Sydney. I have ever since loved the harbour and the ferries and loved the old South Steyne class on the run to Manly. Do you know of any old footage of these remarkable vessels?
There's some old footage in this video - czcams.com/video/Cr3NIraSM0o/video.html. My next video which should be out tomorrow (Sunday) has some brief footage of South Steyne, so look out for that.
As a ferry buff, it's a fair upgrade but no where near as good as the old one. These new ones have a lot less aisle room and aren't as comfy. The upgrade also slowed them down by a good knot.
Better than them heading to the scrapyard mate
love the new vessel for the manly service its nice but i love the old vessel to with the 2 decks to but cant wait get on board the manly ferry this week while im in sydney
Hi David, the old vessels are back on the Manly service now! The first fleet ferries generally cover the shorter inner harbour journeys.
It’s a bummer that a lot of the windows have been fully glassed and have now been downgraded. Just like the freshwater upgrades
I was on Fishburn yesterday. This ferry has been refurbished, but did seem to have more windows that could be opened, especially towards the back of the lower deck. Let's see what happens with the others.
i will be headding to manly this week when im in sydney im so keen for day trip to manly to and from the city when im in Sydney cant wait
Enjoy your trip to Manly. It's always fun to take the ferry there!
yer i hope the wether is nice for it when im in the harbor dueing my visit in sydney@@TransportVlog
Any idea if there is any significance between the different coloured seating, blue, grey and orange or is that just branding?
Good question Mike. I think it's either branding or to add some variety to the seat colour scheme.
Nice to see my NSW tax dollars (and increased fares) being spent to benefit all.
:-)
Hi Paul, do you know when were those ships built?
They were built between 1984 and 1986. You can find out more about them here - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Fleet-class_ferry
6:31 What is that on the left side of the air conditioning unit? Like water-cooling system?
Not sure, it may all be part of the aircon unit.
i think
Can You another ferry video
Yes will do! - I have a couple filmed already, just need to edit and narrate them. My next video will have some ferry footage in it, so look out for that!
You could see a new rivercat
Yes definitely, once they're in service. I think they are having a few problems with them, and that's been delaying their entry into service.
were you on Golden Grove
I can't remember now. The footage was on two separate ferries, and there's a good chance Golden Grove was one of them.
Does the NSW government have any plan to replace the Diesel engines on those ferries with electric ones or go electric like the sydney buses?
I'm not aware of any plans at the moment, but I'm sure someone in the government is thinking about. In London, they are building a hybrid ferry that will run on electric power through the city and then diesel further out.
Yes do you no what are they are going to replace
Are you referring to the new Parramatta ferries?
yes
How many in the fleet overall?
Hi Alex, there are 9 in total and I think 6 have now been refurbished.
Wow the inteior has had a huge improved inteior gove them a makeover the seats look like the ones on the emerald class ferries well they are differnt the emerald class ferries have a bubbler well the first fleet does not the emerald class have no door to the bridge
Yes, the refurbishment seems to be based on the Emerald ferries.
Don't be fooled by the engines, they only sound gutsy!
LOL!
I think of these as the Greiner class after the conservative party premier at the time these were ordered. These remind me too much of that dreaded era when he and transport minister Baird changed too much stuff in Sydney for the worse.
I am surprised that the new engines have a more sporty note than the previous ones. It's nearly always the opposite -more boring dull engine noise the newer they are!
Hi James, yes, that surprised me too! - I think its great that these ferries will be around for another 10 years. Friendship has now been refurbished, so up to 5 now!
Not of a fan of the desto information screens, they seem smaller, I think they should of been bigger
Yes they are smaller.
opps know
They are very noisy hight revving engines Paul I'm Ethan
Hi Ethan, Yes they are! It will be interesting to see if many residents living close to the water have noticed this!
should keep the old ones, the new ones imported from indonesia are cheap and nasty
I don't think I've seen those yet. Are they the ones for the Parramatta river?
I preferred how they looked before the renovations a lot of money spent for not much outcome, no character just new ugly gloss
Hi Mary, It may not be to everyone's taste, but most people that I've spoken to like the refurbished ferries, and aircon is certainly useful in the summer. Remember, they also have new engines, gears and other mechanical components that passengers never see. And they will now be in service for another 10 years. That's got to be a good thing!