Seahorse Ferry

[redwood1]

19 hours ago, MarcelV said:

I hope that one day a comprehensive ferry service across the Gulf of Thailand is going to happen, but it won't be with the current operators or fleet, I'm afraid.

I think there have been 3 tries now to make a Pattaya to Hua Hin boat service work....They all failed.....

[Espanol]

7 hours ago, redwood1 said:

I think there have been 3 tries now to make a Pattaya to Hua Hin boat service work....They all failed.....

 

I knew the last attempt.
It was more comfortable, beautiful and faster than going on the bus, but the price was much higher.
I guess that's what made it unsuccessful.

 

[Bobthegimp]

3 hours ago, Espanol said:

 

I knew the last attempt.
It was more comfortable, beautiful and faster than going on the bus, but the price was much higher.
I guess that's what made it unsuccessful.

 

Boats are incredibly expensive to operate,  maintain and certify.  Busses are dirt cheap to operate in comparison and don't require surveys, sea trials and Lloyd's inspections. 

[Espanol]

19 hours ago, Bobthegimp said:

Boats are incredibly expensive to operate,  maintain and certify.  Busses are dirt cheap to operate in comparison and don't require surveys, sea trials and Lloyd's inspections. 

 

Yes, I completely understand that that is the reason the boat is more expensive.

But I guess the fact that the boat is more expensive is what has made most people prefer to go by bus.

 

 

[Woof999]

23 hours ago, Espanol said:

I knew the last attempt.
It was more comfortable, beautiful and faster than going on the bus, but the price was much higher.
I guess that's what made it unsuccessful.

I was looking forward to using it until I realised it was not a car ferry... not even motorbikes if I remember correctly.

 

The inconvenience of a couple of extra hour in the car over the use of a foot-traffic only ferry was a no-brainer for me. I never once used it.

[jacko45k]

3 hours ago, Woof999 said:

I was looking forward to using it until I realised it was not a car ferry... not even motorbikes if I remember correctly.

I don't think you do, was it not this one.

 

[EVENKEEL]

On 9/10/2023 at 11:27 PM, HammerMan said:

The ferry completed the dry dock and endless surveys/inspections and is currently at anchor outside Sattahip port. The plan is still to revive the Samui service but there are ongoing discussions with various commercial partners, alternative port options etc. Bangkok was a bust as there is no suitable/practical jetty available. Delays have arisen due to changes is government departments, more rules and ongoing requests. During this month a final decision will be made, one way or another.

Yep, I see her twisting around on her anchor, from my beer drinking beach.

[redwood1]

23 hours ago, Bobthegimp said:

Boats are incredibly expensive to operate,  maintain and certify.  Busses are dirt cheap to operate in comparison and don't require surveys, sea trials and Lloyd's inspections. 

The overhead expenses are what killed the Pattaya to Hua Hin run.....

Even if the boat is not operating ,all the employees still must be paid....Also docking fees and maintenance etc.....

 

They had loads of EEC money behind them and even blessings from Prayut, and they still bit the big one...

[Bobthegimp]

9 hours ago, Woof999 said:

I was looking forward to using it until I realised it was not a car ferry... not even motorbikes if I remember correctly.

 

The inconvenience of a couple of extra hour in the car over the use of a foot-traffic only ferry was a no-brainer for me. I never once used it.

It is a car ferry. 

[Woof999]

18 hours ago, jacko45k said:

I don't think you do, was it not this one.

 

  

12 hours ago, Bobthegimp said:

It is a car ferry. 

We were drawing parallels with the Pattaya > Hua Hin ferry and why it failed.

 

This is that ferry:

 

 

It was 100% not a car ferry.

[MarcelV]

Where's the updates, Captain Steve?

Your potential customers deserve an explanation why there's still nothing, nor ships, on the horizon. Pun intended.

[redwood1]

6 hours ago, MarcelV said:

Where's the updates, Captain Steve?

Your potential customers deserve an explanation why there's still nothing, nor ships, on the horizon. Pun intended.

 

I have two words for you.....The Titanic.....

[HammerMan]

The lack of posts is simply because of the lack of development. The vessel is sitting at anchor off Sattahip.. Many potential partners have been in discussion, but they're always frightened off by the hidden costs of business in Thailand. We did look at alternative ports, but the investment/paper work involved made the investment not viable. The current plan now, I believe, is to accept defeat and sell the vessel.

[Wongkitlo]

10 hours ago, HammerMan said:

The lack of posts is simply because of the lack of development. The vessel is sitting at anchor off Sattahip.. Many potential partners have been in discussion, but they're always frightened off by the hidden costs of business in Thailand. We did look at alternative ports, but the investment/paper work involved made the investment not viable. The current plan now, I believe, is to accept defeat and sell the vessel.

Sorry to hear that. Good luck with the future. Sorry you had to put up with all the negative comments through the journey. It would have been a great service if it worked out. 

[watthong]

1 hour ago, Wongkitlo said:

Sorry you had to put up with all the negative comments through the journey. It would have been a great service if it worked out.

 

Sure, my thoughts and prayers too...But at the end things did turn out the way the general consensus had predicted. didn't they? So how could that be negative? To have read out loud the writings on the wall? For me the last nail on the coffin was when a (hole at the knees jean) street musician got top billing as "on-board entertainment." As the saying goes, "you've got to know when to hold/fold them." It was very early on  quite obvious to us who were initially truly excited for this prospect that some folks had more money than "vision." From then on it was a prolonged bedside vigil until the last gasp. RIP.

[Bobthegimp]

I worked on a passenger ferry for over 20 years and couldn't figure out how the Seahorse business plan was going to work.  Running a vessel is bloody expensive and (thankfully) rife with government red tape. That certainly proved to be the case in Thailand, too.  Another service attempt will pop up in a few more years. 

[Wongkitlo]

On 11/1/2023 at 11:38 PM, watthong said:

 

Sure, my thoughts and prayers too...But at the end things did turn out the way the general consensus had predicted. didn't they? So how could that be negative? To have read out loud the writings on the wall? For me the last nail on the coffin was when a (hole at the knees jean) street musician got top billing as "on-board entertainment." As the saying goes, "you've got to know when to hold/fold them." It was very early on  quite obvious to us who were initially truly excited for this prospect that some folks had more money than "vision." From then on it was a prolonged bedside vigil until the last gasp. RIP.

Over time I felt sorry for @HammerMan  needing to be the front for a business which seemed to have endless troubles with officials, covid, mechanical and other troubles. I know the Pattaya forum is full of friendly and caring people but from memory people seemed to condemn it before it even started. I thought it would be a great thing for the East Coast and would really open up tourism on the Cambodia/East Coast/ Southern Thailand  route. Is a pity the government didn't support it. I sent one of my wife's customers on it and he thought it was great. To me it is interesting that the ferry companies on Koh Chang, Koh Mak and Koh Kood are now running extra services to Cambodia and other destinations. If Sea Horse  was running you could have traveled virtually from the Hat Lek border to Koh Samui with only a 2 hour land journey from Koh Chang to Sattahip. 

[Henryford]

On 11/2/2023 at 5:25 AM, Bobthegimp said:

I worked on a passenger ferry for over 20 years and couldn't figure out how the Seahorse business plan was going to work.  Running a vessel is bloody expensive and (thankfully) rife with government red tape. That certainly proved to be the case in Thailand, too.  Another service attempt will pop up in a few more years. 

 

Plenty of these ferries seem to operate successfully around Europe, why not Thailand? you would think it would be cheaper.

[Bobthegimp]

On 11/3/2023 at 11:59 AM, Henryford said:

 

Plenty of these ferries seem to operate successfully around Europe, why not Thailand? you would think it would be cheaper.

 

Government subsidies and higher prices. 

[redwood1]

On 11/3/2023 at 11:59 AM, Henryford said:

 

Plenty of these ferries seem to operate successfully around Europe, why not Thailand? you would think it would be cheaper.

 

Their biggest problem by far was the Thai government did not support them they also threw up loads of roadblocks....

 

But they also had bad timing...Covid....Also big doses of Bad luck ( blown engines) 

 

Plus massive overhead plus bad promotion plus bla bla bla.....Nothing went right, really....

 

It would have been cheaper just to pour petrol over a pile of money and set it on fire..

 

 

[Lee65]

On 11/3/2023 at 11:59 AM, Henryford said:

 

Plenty of these ferries seem to operate successfully around Europe, why not Thailand? you would think it would be cheaper.

I would think it would be cheaper, poor quality, unreliable, corrupt, and never really work properly - like everything else.

[MarcelV]

Hammerman, Hammerman, where are you?

[HammerMan]

On 3/2/2024 at 9:32 AM, MarcelV said:

Hammerman, Hammerman, where are you?

 

Still here..  The Blue Dolphin shifted to Bangkok.

[MarcelV]

1 hour ago, HammerMan said:

 

Still here..  The Blue Dolphin shifted to Bangkok.

Is it easier to depart/arrive from BKK than Sattahip?

[Olmate]

[josephbloggs]

4 hours ago, Olmate said:

What happened in the hot and spicy yummy food eating challenge episode 329?

[josephbloggs]

10 minutes ago, josephbloggs said:

What happened in the hot and spicy yummy food eating challenge episode 329?

In all seriousness the boat looks great, and sailing from Bangkok will be a winner. I recently drove from Bangkok to Samui and it was eight hours there, nine hours back, plus 90 minutes for the ferry and a bit of waiting around time. 23 hours is a long time, but I know it is a long way, so it is what it is.

Personally I feel it's just too expensive. I can drive there for about 2,000 baht in petrol plus 550 for the ferry. And I can take four adults in comfort.

2,500 baht for a car, plus 3,500 for the most basic seat is 6,000 minimum one way for one person and you have nowhere to sleep. I know it's an "experience" and it looks great but for me it's not worth it at that price, I would just drive.

I wish them luck as they have had a huge run of misfortune over the last couple of years, it looks very professional and well designed and the route makes sense, but for me they've priced themselves too high. I hope I am proved wrong.

[HammerMan]

On 3/3/2024 at 7:58 PM, MarcelV said:

Is it easier to depart/arrive from BKK than Sattahip?

 

Obviously, there is the river passage to the berth which is quite time-consuming but may offer a unique experience of seeing the fabulous Temples etc. I'm told the demand from passengers is significantly higher in Bangkok and therefore worth trying.

[Wongkitlo]

On 3/7/2024 at 12:31 PM, HammerMan said:

 

Obviously, there is the river passage to the berth which is quite time-consuming but may offer a unique experience of seeing the fabulous Temples etc. I'm told the demand from passengers is significantly higher in Bangkok and therefore worth trying.

It is probably easier to get to BKK from the Eastern Seabord- Koh Chang, Koh Kood, Pattaya than to Sattahip. There are plenty of operators going there. Then you have the choice of bus, plane or boat to Samui. I would choose the boat. I have had customers who took Seahorse from Sattahip and they enjoyed it but getting to Sattahip can be difficult. Bangkok sounds good. I could send customers there.

[beautifulthailand99]

On 3/7/2024 at 5:31 AM, HammerMan said:

 

Obviously, there is the river passage to the berth which is quite time-consuming but may offer a unique experience of seeing the fabulous Temples etc. I'm told the demand from passengers is significantly higher in Bangkok and therefore worth trying.

The concept of a cruise/ferry/travel choice maybe be one that works, so it is a bit of everything. Starts in Bangkok goes to Sattahip then Samui and terminated at Songkhla. But this is Thailand with endless vested interests to keep happy. Good luck - we wanted to use it this year but sadly you have paused the service.