Page 39: of Marine News Magazine (June 2018)

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ship to slow to under 5 knots. The 35-foot boat had to reach 40 knots at full patrol load and carry a 5 man crew and a 10 person boarding party for 236 nm.

MetalCraft had done extensive study into the former various test craft that had been unsuccessful in navigat- ing the ramp at sea. MCM did identify the issue and sub- mitted a bid that was very different than other bids that included Cummins diesels, Ultra Jet water jets with their signature Jetmaster joystick control, a bolt on wheelhouse, a collapsible sacri? cial grounding bar, hull structure that was well in excess of ABS requirements, a portable clamp on ballistic protection package and a complete set of Shoxs 2G suspension seats for crew and boarding party.

The next customer to buy a version of the Intercep- tor was the Canadian Department of National Defence (DND). They were looking for a high speed land or ship- board boat that could also be deployed by air or trailer,

C-130 or heli lifted. The boat was smaller, 30 feet, but had to carry 2 crew plus 10 boarding party. She was well armed, (four gun positions) and carried the latest targeting software called Sea Cross. At that time, vessels were known to shoulder a ship for boarding at a maximum 18 knots, but DND wanted 25 knots.

The unique hull design permitted the crew to trim the bow high and out of the water to dramatically reduce any chance of tripping the hull. This ability allows the crew great control in severe breaking seas. The design is low to the water yet a very dry ride. Being wet and cold at 53 knots for a hundred miles is not fun or safe. She has a radar mast that de? ects radar waves and hull designed spray de? ection makes the boat nearly undetectable by radar in 3 foot seas.

The boat was the introduction of Wing In? atables to the

Canadian market. They developed a proprietary dive door system in an air collar that will be offered to US military buyers. The full bolt rope attachment system and air collar design allows for immediate collapsibility for getting on the road and the built in compressor ? lls the 24” collar in 20 minutes powered by the boat’s batteries. In a nutshell, the key design point required for vessel board and seizure are high static stability to ensure safety while boarding, with stability calculated to ISO 12217 Cat B Sea State 5.

The boat has also been sold to several Municipalities in both a Fire and Police version. By 2018, MetalCraft had de- livered 52 hulls in this range, spanning the full 9 to 20 meter range. Today, the ? rm reports another six under construc- tion – an 11 meter version, two 12 meter hulls, and another three in the 17-18 meter range. Beyond this, MetalCraft

Contacts Manager bob Clark says that another 40 Options loom on the long term contract for the 9 Meter version.

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