Page 42: of Marine News Magazine (May 2011)

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42 MN May 2011

RIBS & Combat Craft ended up buying the boat building company he was work- ing with to construct his vessel.

McLaughlin said that later “the Navy came to Russ and asked if he could build a boat for them,” meeting a spe- cific set of criteria. The series was called Fast Attack Craft

Target (FACT) vessels. These first boats were delivered to the Navy in 2007 and are stationed on the West Coast, out of Point Mugu, north of Los Angeles and south of St.

Luis Obispo. “We are all about building boats that are very fast and very fuel efficient,” McLauglin said. Today, he said, “the Navy has tens of thousands of hours on our boats.”

The Hann 50 is a composite hull and can function as a civilian or government vessel with outboard or inboard engines. “It’s still the same hull shape, same hull bottom as the FACT sold to the Navy.”

To expand into new markets, McLaughlin said they are looking at a few different models now. “There seems to be a growing interest in aluminum patrol boats. We now offer a 40-ft aluminum patrol boat that also has a 50 knot cruising speed,” he said, “with wide open throttle it will probably do 55 to 57 knots.” McLaughlin said Hann

Powerboats will be delivering the first of these aluminum boats in May.

Hann Powerboats is also offering the Peacemaker series with extended cabins. “The Navy wanted this feature and we’re finding that other people are interested in the cabins as well. There are three different variations we can apply to the Hann 50 or 40: covered console, enclosed cabin and enclosed extended cabin. We also have a small 18-ft boat as well — an excellent police, fire, rescue, harbor patrol boat.” McLaughlin emphasized the military advan- tage of the Hann craft which he said can reach 53 knots and greater. “That’s an incredible closing speed. If you’re at a sea state three or four, you’re going to still be able to run at those speeds. That element of surprise is a big advantage in that situation. It’s the same thing we discov- ered in Vietnam in the river boats, fast insertion or extrac-

BCGP 750 Impact

Brunswick Commercial and

Government Products recently deliv- ered its series 750 Impact RIBs to the

Mexican Navy. The 12 boats deliv- ered are intended for rescue during natural disasters. Custom features requested by the Mexican Navy are double jockey seats at the bow and lifting eyes allowing the boats to be transported by aircraft to hard-to- reach locations.

Metalcraft Towboat with

UltraJets for U.S. Navy

Metalcraft Marine was recently awarded a contract by the U.S. Navy for the construction of eight 26-ft tow boats. The tow boats will support the Navy’s spill recovery, support and salvage operations worldwide.

UltraJet waterjets were chosen for their high bollard pull for vessel recovery. During sea trials bollard pull tests achieved 3,800 lbs. Thrust vec- toring is with Ultra’s

Hydromechanical control system with a single helm lever and the hydraulic power-assist steering pro- vides light and responsive directional control. The hull structure is built to

ABS and IACS standards. The stern of the vessel is equipped with

Norman pins to help guide tow lines.

When the vessel is in storage the

Norman pins double as kickstands, allowing the vessel to rest on its bot- tom plate with no additional support for stability. The helm station is out-

Photo courtesy BCGP

Photo courtesy Metalcraft

Specification:

Length, o.a. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30 ft

Beam . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8.5 ft

Displacement light . . . . . . . . .11,000 lbs

Displacement laden . . . . . . . . .13,000 lbs

Engine . . . . .Single 6.7 litre Iveco 420 hp

Waterjet . . .Single Ultra Dynamics 305HT

Speed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .34 knots

Gearbox . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .ZF280

Crew and passengers . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4

Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .175 gal

Range . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .240 nm

Specifications:

Lengh, o.a. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24.6 ft

Beam . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10.1 ft

Draft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1.3 ft

Weight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2,734 lbs

Fuel capacity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .157 gal

Max hp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .300

Outboard . . . . . .1x Mercury 250 Verado

Max speed, light load . . . . . . . .47.9 mph