Cape Fear Pilots Association, Southport, N.C., has ordered a second St. John’s Class pilot boat from Gladding-Hearn Shipbuilding, Duclos Corporation.
This vessel has special meaning for Gladding-Hearn because since it will be the 400th boat built since the shipyard’s founding in 1955. Delivery is planned for later this year.
The new all-aluminum launch, with a deep-V hull designed by C. Raymond Hunt Associates, measures 52 feet overall, with a 17-foot beam and a 4.8-foot draft. It will be powered by twin Caterpillar C-18 diesel engines, each producing 479 Bhp at 1800 rpm. Top speed is expected to reach 23 knots. The EPA Tier 2-rated engines will turn 5-blade Ni-Br-Al propellers via Twin Disc MG 5114A-7 Quick Shift gear boxes. A Northern Lights diesel generator will provide 9kW of output.
The launch will feature wide side decks and be equipped with heated, exterior handrails to prevent ice formation and a boarding platform on the roof. At the transom is a winch-operated, rotating davit over the water-level, recessed platform for pilot rescue operations.
Interior accommodations will be cooled and heated by a pair of 16,000 Btu HVAC units. The wheelhouse will have three Llebroc pilot seats and a helm seat. The forecastle will be outfitted with a settee, a galley, two bunks, and an enclosed head.