The Graham name is well known in the Gulf of Mexico maritime world with family ownership of fleet operator Graham Gulf and the
C&G Boat Works in Mobile Alabama. As Graham Gulf's newest crew boat leaves the C&G Boat Works and goes into service this month it will mark a special memorial. The 165-foot vessel is named for Gayla Graham, sister to Janson Graham and a partner in the firm, who died tragically in an auto accident last year. The Gayla Graham is getting every extra attention to detail that her builders can provide in honor of her namesake. Larry Smith, who overseas the
Graham Gulf jobs in the shipyard, said,
The boat is built to comply with Subchapter T rules and full class in accordance with ABS High Speed Craft Guide. This classification allows for 80 passengers. In addition the 29-foot beam and 14-foot mid-ship depth contain tankage for approximately 37,000 gallons of rig water, 1,500 gallons of potable water and 50,000 gallons of fuel. The boat's four Cummins KTA50 M2 engines, each rated for 1800 hp at 1900 RPM, turning propellers through ZF 4600 gears with ratios of 2.529:1 ratios, are expected to give the vessel speeds in the 25-knot range.