The Winter of Ladram Waterdance Fishing Vessel

Pipekit has recently supplied family-owned fishing company, Waterdance, with the innovative Geberit FlowFit pipe system to meet the individual needs of the producer's latest vessel, The Winter of Ladram.

The Winter of Ladram, operating across the South West, is a 21-metre crabber, and the Waterdance company was looking to improve the water quality of the vessel’s holding tank to maximise the life and freshness of the shellfish when still at sea. Pipekit worked alongside the Waterdance team to advise on and supply Geberit FlowFit, as part of the bespoke pipe solution required, and Geberit FlowFit was specifically selected due to its innovative jointing system and simple installation process.

Part of the Greendale Group, Waterdance owns over 20 boats in Devon and Cornwall, and part of its strategy is to continually modernise its fleet to ensure the best quality of fish is sustainably caught and sold. The multi-layer Geberit FlowFit system, in 32mm and 63mm sizing, was installed in the Winter of Ladram’s Vivia tank, an existing shellfish sea water tank, alongside a new air pump to create a superior aerating system. Holes were drilled into the Geberit Flowfit pipework, designed to run down the frames of the water tank, and to aerate the water in the tank. Not only helping to improve the life and freshness of the shellfish but just as significantly, allowing the crew to enter shallow harbours without fear of dragging up dirty muddy water into the Vivia tank.

The Geberit FlowFit system was selected due to ease of installation, reducing the constraints of working in a small space and optimising the quality of water supply. The simplicity of the system offers significant reduction in installation times, which was particularly favourable for the fishing company to ensure the vessel would be back in the water as quickly as possible.

As it is not essential to fully envelop the pipe during the pressing process of Geberit FlowFit, it makes it easier to work safely in space restricted situations, which was ideal for working on the tight constraints of the Winter of Ladram. Plus, the flow optimised design of Geberit FlowFit results in minimal pressure losses, which means it can be designed with smaller diameters and helps offer shorter draw off times, reduced water volumes and less stagnation in the pipe. All big plusses for ensuring sustainable fishing methods and high-quality standards are met for the Winter of Ladram crew.

Commenting on the installation, Ollie from Waterdance said: “We had budgeted two days to refit the sea water tank and improve its water quality, so we were delighted when we completed it in a day. The press fit technology of Geberit’s FlowFit system was very impressive, being both quick and easy to install, and allowing us to complete the new aerated system ahead of time. Saving a day in installation allowed the Winter of Ladram to be back at sea a day earlier than expected which for our operation is priceless. We will certainly be using Geberit FlowFit and the services of Pipekit for other Waterdance vessels in the future”.

For further information on Pipekit, visit www.pipekit.co.uk. Pipekit stock and supply various leading pipework systems and drainage solutions and offers a dedicated sales and customer service team to support customers across a range of sectors.