With a long history of building many different vessels operating in New York Harbor, Gladding-Hearn Shipbuilding, Duclos Corporation, was selected by the New York Department of Transportation (NYDOT) to build a new utility boat for delivery in January. According to shipyard officials, the NYDOT will use the boat for emergency transportation and general duties around the harbor from its repair facility on Staten Island.
Based on the successful design and all-aluminum construction of four patrol boats Gladding-Hearn built for the New York City Police Department, the 36-ft. utility boat for the NYDOT has a deep-V hull, designed by C. Raymond Hunt Associates. Its beam is 13 ft. and a draft of 4 ft. With an expected top speed of 30 knots, the vessel can be easily converted for harbor patrol use.
With inside seating for 12, the aluminum pilothouse, fitted to a flush deck, will be heated by a hydronic fan-coil unit, using the engines’ coolant as the heat source, and cooled by 24,000 btus of air conditioning. Aft of the wheelhouse will be a 10 x 6 ft. well deck and a 30 in. transom door, leading to a hinged, aluminum stern platform.
The boat will be powered by twin Cummins QSC8.3-490, 6-cylinder, diesel engines, each delivering 490 bhp at 2500 rpm and connected to a Twin Disc MG5075A gear box. The engines will turn 5-blade Hall & Stavert bronze propellers. A 5kw Onan generator supplies 120-volt power.
Celebrating 50 years of shipbuilding, Gladding-Hearn has built 13 patrol/rescue boats, 16 ferries, and seven other boats, operating in New York Harbor.