Currently under construction by Armstrong Marine of Port Angeles, WA is this 48 ft research vessel for Coastal Carolina University. This blue water work boat utilises a new variant of our succesful semi displacement hull which is more closely optimised for alloy construction. The vessel will have a large amount of computing capacity to utilise collecte data from a variety of sources including a bow mounted sonar system. The vessel is also configured to recover and deploy deep water weather bouys and associated sea bed instrumentation. Photos below are from Armstrong Marine and show the assembly of this 100% in house CNC cut design. Launch is scheduled for September 2013.

Brindabella – launched in 1993, the first IMS Maxi built. Carbon was banned in those days so she is all Kevlar which probably accounts for her amazing longevity. At 80 ft she is dwarfed by the 110 footers now called maxis but she has never stopped racing and truly looks as fresh as the day she was launched. Here spotted on Constitution Dock shortly after finishing the 2012 Sydney to Hobart.

Launched in October by Armstrong Marine in Port Angeles, WA this could be the first displacement catamaran purpose designed for pilot boat service. The idea is to eliminate the surging typical of a planing boat in the 14-18 knot speed range when the pilot is being deployed  The Polaris has accomodation for 4 with galley and dinette and is fully air conditioned. Power is 2 x 330 hp Cummins diesels for a top speed of 24 knots. The vessel will work out of Puerto Quetzal on the west coast of Guatemala.

Due to start construction in late 2012 this innovative vessel is full of unique features that insure a high level of autonomy with a range in excess of 2500 NM. The helicopter deck has a refueling facility and the ability to handle any smaller machine such as the Robinson R66 as shown. Obstructions such as the radar arch fold down for optimal clearance during take off and landing.

The interior is based around a sumptuous main deck stateroom with an additional three guest cabins and crew cabin below. Power will be by 2 MAN R6 800s

Launched this spring this 49 x 17 cat is now cruising through the San Juans up to Desolation Sound.  The design is well suited to the Pacific Northwest with a studied blend of weather protection and outdoor space. The look is unabashedly commercial but the interior is anything but befitting a boat from the LeClerqc yard. Power is 2 x 260 hp Yanmars for a top speed of 17.4 kts.

While I have had experience with demountable sialing cats over the years this is our first multi part power boat. It is designed so that it can be helicoptered in three pieces (weight restricted) to a remote eco lake front lodge in Alaska and then re-assembled on site. The thing that makes this work well is the use of full 3D design to CNC cutting so the accuracy of assembly is never in question. UPDATE : Vessel is was launched by Armstrong Marine in Port Angeles, WA in August .  Top speed is 23.5 knots with twin 115 hp Yamaha outboards. The client was impressed with the room and amazing ride quality.

The diversity of vessels required for the fast growing offshore windfarm industry has left the marine industry struggling  to keep apace. This design is an example of where need has outpaced both the regulatory and supply side. Crew boat classification has been held at 12 crew for years but new rules published by Germanisher Lloyds are raising that bar and allowing for the possibility of larger on station operations which will save enormously on time and costs.

However, crew transfer from larger vessels requires dynamic positioning to avoid damaging the monopole structures and that requires a substantial re think in crew transfer devices for this new generation on intermediate size vessels which are too small for the Amplemann device and too big for the gen 1 Houlder TAS.

This DP-2 design is for North Sea use and features 24 private cabins, a 40 seat briefing room, tool up room, wet room and a sick bay. Propulsion will be through Voith Schneider drives with VRP thrusters.

The offshore wind farm industry is entering into a new phase and with it the speed and range of the service fleet must be extended. Adding to this is the ever present issue of crew safety and comfort since access to the turbines remains difficult in seas much over 1.5 meters. Our design takes significant steps forward with a speed capability of 40 knots as well as class leading sea keeping ability. This is the result of combining our assymetric 20 degree deadrise hull with Hysucat foils. Crew offloading in the 24m is handled with the new Houlder turbine transfer system which acts like a steady cam providing steady and assured crew movements in seas up to 2.5 m. Propulsion and fine control of the vessel is achoeved using the ServoGear Ecoflow system combined with MTU 2000 hp motors in the 24 meter version and Cat C32 Acert in the 20m version.

The European offshore wind farm industry is growing at a fast pace and a part of that growth is the requirement for a unique class of service vessels to move technicians to and from the turbos. The platform of choice is near universal : the semi dispalcement catamaran. We have been asked to take our expertise in this area and develop the next generation design with an eye towards the priority issues that have developed: ride comfort , drive system suitability and the safe transfer of crew.  We are working on two options in partnership with Diverse Projects NZ : a semi dispalcement version using the unique Houlder Turbine Access System (as pictured) and a 40 knot version using an assymetric hull and a Hysucat foil system.  Both styles of vessel will incorporate a variable pitch drive system which will not only increase top end speed but also low end control and bollard pull. The system has none of the revealed weakness of jet drives in this service.

We are now developing a complete range of both foil assist and semi dispalcement from 18-24m to suit the needs of this ever expanding market.