Macduff Shipyards has completed the building of the Amethyst BF19 which replaces the previous Amethyst 11, for partners David West and Ralston Johnston. The new vessel is a stretched version of the ''Excel'', also built by Macduff.
The layout is conventional and the hull formed of double chine with a bulbous bow and bulbous skeg forward of the propeller. The keel is arranged in box form to carry ballast, and profiled bilge keels are fitted.
The steel deckhouse is fitted rail-to-rail athwartships and is weather-tight; the rest of the deck-shelter being non-weather-tight and constructed in steel aft of the deckhouse and aluminium alloy forward of the deckhouse.
The steel kit for the hull, including the deckhouse section and steel aft shelter was processed by the Yards Profiling Facilities in Macduff, and fabrication of the hull was sub-contracted to Richards Dry Dock and Engineering in Great Yarmouth. The hull was towed North by Targe Towing, and the aluminium alloy deckshelter and wheelhouse fabricated and fitted by Macduff. Machinery installation and all fitting out was completed by Macduff.
Layout below deck from forward - forepeak with storage and chain locker, fishroom, engineroom, and cabin with steering gear compartment. On the main deck from forward is the fish-handling area with trawl winch at fore-end, deckhouse and net handling area.
A Caterpillar 3412 rated 291HP at 1,400RPM, drives a 1900mm diameter four-blade hard cast Kort propeller in a fixed nozzle ring, through a Reintjes WAF274L reverse reduction gearbox with 7.043:1 ratio. Mitsubishi 6D16T auxiliary engine rated 126kw at 2,200RPM is fitted on the tank top to port for driving the deck machinery hydraulics through a JBJ clutch. This engine can also be run at 1,500RPM to drive the standby 44kw 415/3/50 Stamford generator on the other end. A Mitsubishi S4KT rated 54kw at 1,500RPM is fitted on the tank top to starboard, driving a 44kw 415/3/50 Stamford generator.
