Featuring a waterjet-powered fiberglass hull, a
new pilot boat was constructed for Puget Sound Pilots at
Nordlund Boat Co., Tacoma, Wash.
Measuring 74 ft. (22.5 m), the vessel will be based at Port Angeles, Wash., where it was scheduled to enter service during December 1999. Powered by two Cat®
3412E marine diesel engines, each rated 900-bhp at 2,300-rpm, driving Hamilton waterjets through Reintjes Gears, the vessel's top speed is estimated at 26 knots. The 1,800-bhp (1,342 bkW) Puget Sound boasts a new hull design developed in conjunction with Tim Nolan of Tim Nolan Marine Design and Ed Hagemann of Hage-Marine, Inc.
Noted as the first marine engine to feature Caterpillar's patented Hydraulically-Actuated Electronically-Controlled Unit Injector (HEUI) fuel system — this will be the first pilot boat installation of Cat 3412Es. Regarding the engine's performance, Captain John Harris, of Puget Sound Pilots, cited increased fuel economy, emissions control and weight-to-weight power ratio.