Speeding to Safety
While it is not a vessel you will see anytime soon on U.S. port patrol, the BladeRunner speed boat from IceMarine could offer some technological cues to designers seeking to deliver an ultra fast boat with outstanding handling characteristics, a trait evident even in rough seas. Maritime Reporter & Engineering News had the good fortune to test diive the BladeRunner speed boat off England's Isle of Wight late last year, putting the powerful 34-ft. (10.3-m) boat through its paces with Jeremy Watts, Managing Director and Owner of Ice Marine, alongside. Taking the helm is much like climbing behind the wheel of a Ferrari, with its race pedigree and accents evident from Watts' experience as a World O f f s h o r e P o w e r b o a t Champion. The BladeRunner 34 is an "Air Entrapment Monohull" (AEM) which is touted by Watts as radically different to any conventional monohull, in that it has dramatic twin tunnels which flare out from either side of the slender twin stepped hull. AEM provides the boat with phenomenal aerodynamic lift (confirmed and endorsed heartily by this reporter's test ride), improving speed and efficiency and significantly softening the ride by compressing the air inside the tunnels to add a cushioning effect. The boat's performance is nothing short of incredible considering the powerful characteristics it possesses. As tested, the 35 x 9.5 x 1.7-ft. (10.6 x 2.8 x 0.5-m) boat was powered by a pair of twin Mercury Optimax 225 hp V6 outboards, delivering a top speed of 74 mph. Other propulsion option include twin Honda BF225 VTEC V6 4-stroke outboards. or twin Mercury Promax X 300 hp V6 outboards. Depending on final propulsion choice and accessories, the highest spec BladeRunner is said to top out in excess of 100 mph. The ride is surprisingly quiet, given the tremendous power packs sitting less than 12 ft. away, and almost inexplicably, the vessel leave little to know wake, a testament to seven years of investment in the optimized AEM design. The boat was jointly designed by Watts and Lome Cambell, a Naval Architect and Designer with many boating championship credits to his name.
Circle 81 on Reader Service Card
Other stories from April 2003 issue
Content
- Doherty takes the Helm at Maritrans page: 8
- Electronic Milestone for Two-Stroke Champ page: 10
- Investment in Design page: 14
- New Era of the Double-Hull Bulker page: 14
- IZAR Sestao Launches 11,300-cu. m. Dredger page: 16
- Advance Notices of Arrival page: 19
- Government Update page: 20
- LCS Program Team Announced page: 23
- There's Something About Mary page: 24
- A Love of the Sea Takes Dreams to Reality page: 29
- Marlink Extends Radisson Seven Seas Contract page: 32
- CF ' 0 3 Spotlights Industry Challenges page: 32
- Azipull Technology Debuts on Offshore Vessels page: 33
- Keppel To Build $105M Jack-Up Bigfoot for ENSCO page: 34
- World Offshore Drilling Activity: A 5-Year Outlook page: 36
- Ulstein Delivers 23,500-hp Normand Master page: 40
- Offshore-Inland Provides the Fix page: 42
- Rolls-Royce Debuts New UT Designs page: 44
- DPS: Expanding Options for Many Operators page: 45
- Bollinger Delivers For K-Sea Transportation page: 47
- All the Men in the Sea page: 47
- VT Halmatic Takes Charge page: 49
- VT To Unveil Shipyard Technology Investment page: 51
- Speeding to Safety page: 52
- Scotland Sees Opportunity, Innovation in the North Sea page: 54
- ISPS Model Security Training Courses Update page: 57
- Committees, Associations, and Societies page: 61
- World Maritime Tech Exhibit Set For San Francisco page: 63
- SeaArk Delivers Patrol Boat to NYPD page: 64
- Camarc, Kvichak Team On Pilot Boat page: 65
