Staff at a west coast boatyard are designing and building their own unique boat cradle to improve safety and efficiency at the yard, with assistance from Argyll and the Islands Enterprise (AIE).

Through its Innovation Support programme, AIE has awarded the Crinan Boatyard £18,375 towards the £36,750 project.

Owners and directors of the yard have teamed up with local design consultant Simon Horne, experienced engineer Paul Marshal and slipping manager John McIndeor, to design and manufacture a hydro-mechanical system of getting boats from the water and through the yard for maintenance and repair work, increasing the speed of handling.  Their unique design will cater for differing sizes and styles of hull and the new technology will be able to withstand the hostile atmosphere of salt water as well as adverse weather conditions.

The method currently used to get boats out of the water and into the yard involves a number of staff, and at times can be a lengthy process. It is inefficient and takes up a considerable amount of staff time and effort.

This latest funding package for the Crinan Boatyard is part of an ongoing programme to enhance working practices and efficiency at the site.  Last summer the business was awarded a funding package worth £11,300 which included £5,100 from the HIE Efficiency programme - an EU-funded programme which aims to encourage businesses to upgrade their processes in order to improve efficiency. 

This assistance was directed towards making the most of the restrictive geography of the yard layout with the construction of a state of the art engineering and outboard workshop, including extra space created for outdoor storage which generates core income.

Assistance from AIE in 2000 worth £15,400 in the form of a building and development grant also helped the company to upgrade their slipway and extend storage space.

Over the past three years, employment levels at the yard have risen steadily with 16 full-time equivalent staff now working there.  Although this latest development is unlikely to create further jobs, improved efficiency will help free-up staff time and allow the company to move boats around faster and therefore allow the owners to bid for more work.

Commenting on the latest project, John Dunlop said: "It is important to continue to try and improve efficiency and working practices together.  The grants available for such projects help to make the business more competitive, and enables us to tender for a wider range of contracts.

"The completion of this project will further increase the already wide range of craft the boatyard is currently able to handle, fishing and fish farming vessels and sailing and cruising vessels alike."

AIE chief executive Ken Abernethy said: "The Crinan boatyard is a long established Argyll business and a crucial employer in this rural location.  By helping the owners to improve efficiency at the yard we can help to secure their position as one of the west coast's leading boat maintenance and repair facilities.

"At AIE we are particularly keen to support research and innovation projects, especially where it presents an opportunity for business expansion."