Page 69: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (May 2016)

Gladding-Hearn Delivers for Tampa Bay Pilots he Tampa Bay pilot association has taken delivery of its second Chesapeake Class launch and the ? rst

Tin a new generation of Gladding-Hearn Shipbuild- ing’s mid-size pilot boats. Since the Chesapeake Class pilot boat was introduced by the shipyard in 2003, 15 have been delivered to pilot associations throughout the

United States. The latest improvements incorporate the performance bene? ts of Volvo Penta’s IPS 2 pod system.

With a deep-V hull designed by C. Raymond Hunt & As- sociates, the all-aluminum pilot boat is powered by twin

Volvo Penta D11, six cylinder, EPA Tier 3 diesel engines, each producing 503 Bhp at 2250 rpm. Each engine is connected to a Volvo Penta IPS propulsion pod, which is ? tted with dual forward-facing, counter-rotating propel- lers and integrated exhaust system, and Volvo Penta’s in- tegrated EPS electronic steering and control system. The ? nancial incentive for the Tampa Bay pilots to optimize fuel economy, vessel handling and comfort led the ship- yard to install a Humphree Interceptor automatic trim- optimization system. The vessel’s top speed is 28 knots.

Key design changes to the Chesapeake Class MKII in- clude positioning the wheelhouse aft of amidships to im- prove comfort and provide for a larger foredeck.

MetalCraft’s 9m RIB

MetalCraft Marine has introduced an all new 9m Rib. Based on a previous hull design, it is crossing into new territory in naval architecture, geared for offshore Vessel board and seizure and insertion/extraction missions from over the hori- zon. The boat can be con? gured for both military and municipal security con? gurations. According to Metal Craft, two production lines are rolling for full rate production throughout the next two years, based on current delivery orders. Metal

Craft could not divulge the current back order information. In 2015, two orders specify Mer- cury Verado350s and one order speci? ed Yamaha 350s. The boat has many guns with four mounts, fore and aft and two foldable swivel mounts cen- tered. It is one of the ? rst Naval patrol boats to utilize the British Sea Cross navigation platform that offers a revolutionary targeting program. The boat has ShoxsHD suspension stackable seats for two crew and 12 boarding team members.

www.marinelink.com 69

MR #5 (66-73).indd 69 5/2/2016 11:33:34 AM