The 13.7m long. The Ebre Class is a result of creative and imaginative thinking and design data gathered throughout the previous seventy years. Heron's requirements were for a workhorse, part of a charter or timeshare fleet, - annual service should extend over 260 days. Maintenance and repair time should be low, while life cycles should not. It was therefore necessary to carefully consider the construction method employed.
Steel is a cost effective and very tough hull material.
While construction weight is greater than any other material, increased displacement provides additional and coveted hull volume. Steel however is prone to oxidisation and corrosion during fabrication and when damaged and so a thorough surface and paint treatment is necessary's steel hull plate thickness are greater than would normally be specified, guaranteeing an unbolt extension of life. Of equal importance is, we believe, the fact that all Ebre's interiors, cabins, bulkheads and systems are of modular construction and may be simply repaired or replaced. The engine and machinery can be easily removed, so in the long term not only can the vessel be quickly re-furbished but the hull can be completely stripped bare for maintenance or repainting. Tank capacities are large and where possible tank structure is external - again an important maintenance point.