Aft Cabin News

Aluminum boatbuilder Brix Marine said it has delivered the 45’ by 18’4” passenger ferry Hat Island Ferry, which recently entered service for the community of Hat Island, Wash.A small, private island community in Snohomish County, Wash., Hat Island is nestled in Possession Sound between Everett, Whidbey, and Camano Islands and operates a weekly ferry schedule to and from the Port of Everett. Its residents' requirements are reflected in the ferry design which received widespread community approval…

Mexican operator Ultramar has taken delivery of Ultramar II, the second in a series of new high capacity 48m catamaran passenger ferries.Ultramar II was built by Midship Marine in Harvey, La. and is specifically designed for the operator’s busy Playa de Carmen – Cozumel run, offering high capacity, high durability and a world-class passenger experience.According to designer Incat Crowther, the vessel’s fitout is yacht-like in keeping with Ultramar’s ‘Experience Innovation’ motto and includes aquarium-themed feature walls and glass pieces…

A high capacity 48m catamaran passenger ferry Ultramar has been delivered to the Mexican operator Ultramar. Designed by Incat Crowther and built by Midship Marine in Louisiana, Ultramar is specifically designed for the operator’s busy Playa de Carmen – Cozumel run, offering high capacity, high durability and a world-class passenger experience. Carrying 844 passengers on a relatively short run, turnaround is paramount. Ultramar is optimized for a fast turnaround with multiple boarding areas over two decks. A pair of boarding ramps is located on the mid and main decks at amidships for passenger loading, while an additional pair aft gives direct access to the cargo room.

North River Boats’ formula for success: anchored in a diverse portfolio and customer base. Tucked away in Roseburg, Ore., North River Boats began simply enough in 1974 by building jet powered boats to run shallow, technical white water rivers. Over time, the company also developed a solid reputation for jet boat designs. Later, as sport fishing regulations, seasons, and species evolved, North River expanded to build deep vee outboard powered recreational boats to fish larger rivers, estuaries and the ocean. The firm is also known for another reason: its diversified production of hulls, delivered to an equally wide range of clients, both domestic and foreign.

Over the years, Rodriguez triple-screw shallow-draft towboats have won a following in the shallow waters of the Mississippi River estuary. Many of these boats are the distinctive aft-cabin Lugger-type of vessel. Recently Mid-River Terminals of Osceola, Ark. has taken delivery of a new design towboat from Rodriguez. With a conventional forward-house pusher configuration, the new 70- by 30-foot MV Dianna Lynn utilizes the same propulsion as the Lugger tugs. This is composed of three in-line six-cylinder Cummins QSK19 engines, each delivering 660 HP.

Without sacrificing utility or features, the Metal Shark 75’ Endurance and the Moose M3 models both provide multi-missioned platforms for the cash-strapped municipal sector. A crowded field for today’s domestic boatbuilders and a highly competitive marketplace finds builders trying to position their output and designs to a place that separates them from the pack. One place to do just that is in the market for maritime security workboats, particularly when it comes to local, state and municipal buyers. Municipal and state buyers want a great deal for their declining budget dollars. In response, builders are sharpening their pencils and putting together vessels that offer not only bang for the buck…

One of the best-known commercial fishing vessels in the world, the Cornelia Marie, has just undergone life-extending surgery. The Bering Sea crabber has gained a wide public following both for the family saga of ownership and for her role in the television series Deadliest Catch that portrays the challenges of one of the world’s toughest fisheries. When Roger Thomas and his partner Kari Toivola began searching for a Bering Sea crab investment, Roger called Casey McManus. Casey has skippered the Cornelia Marie and is a shareholder in the boat. After checking with the other owner, Josh Harris, he got back to Thomas and Toivola with an offer of a 50 percent stake in the famous boat. The two flew to Dutch Harbor in January 2015 to inspect the vessel.

The yard recently delivered a Cummins powered 75 by 28-foot model bow tug to Morgan City-based Garber Bros. Inc. and Sea Cypress LLC for Gulf of Mexico operations, inform Cummins Hotips. Cummins explain that over the years, Rodriguez Shipbuilding Inc, of Bayou LaBatre Alabama has probably delivered more shallow-draft tugs than any other US-yard. Their signature lugger-type tug design, with its distinctive aft cabin and wheelhouse, has a strong following amongst US Gulf Coast operators servicing near shore petro-operations.

Incat Crowther announced that it is designing a fourth vessel for UltraMar of Cancun, Mexico. The 48m catamaran passenger ferry, to be built at Midship Marine in Louisiana, U.S., will operate on UltraMar’s busy Playa de Carmen – Cozumel run. Following the success of the Incat Crowther designed Ultrajet I, Ultrajet II and Ultrajet III, UltraMar approached Incat Crowther to develop a high capacity boat for the operator’s demanding Cozumel operation. High on the priority list was loading and disembarking more than 800 passengers…

Four American rowers intend to row their 8-metre-long boat, 'Arctic Rower', between Inuvik, N.W.T. The four men, all experienced in rowing long distances, plan to leave Inuvik, N.W.T. and take 30 days rowing 2,000 kilometres east, around Alaska and to Provideniya, Russia. "We’ve now been in Inuvik for almost a week. Last Sunday we took a boat trip north, through the Mackenzie Delta, to Tuktoyaktuk, an Inuvialuit village on the Arctic Coast. But the reality of the upcoming row didn’t really begin to set in until Paul arrived on Wednesday.

New Aluminum High-Speed Patrol Boat from Brunswick Commercial and Government Products. Brunswick Commercial and Government Products (BCGP) has been hard at work on the design of the new Sentry line of high-speed aluminum patrol craft. The inaugural model, the 32-foot Sentry, will make its debut at the International Workboat Show in New Orleans, Nov. 30-Dec. 2. Demos on the 32-foot Sentry will be available to agencies beginning in January 2012. Five Sentry models comprise BCGP’s aluminum patrol boat line serving navies, coast guards and law enforcement agencies around the world.

British Columbia, on Canada’s west coast, has some attractive and well-proven tugs, but the fleet is aging with many vessels over thirty years old. Four years ago Vancouver’s Island Tug and Barge (www.islandtug.com) launched the new build Island Scout with a pair of Cummins KTA38 main engines. This August, they will return their 1977-built 21 x 7.3-m tug Island Defender to service. The midlife rebuild has taken a year to complete but as Island Tug’s president Bob Shields explained this was much more than a repower…

With the New York City harbor as a backdrop, on August 8 the public got a sneak preview of the new Meridian line, which will be introduced during the 2003 model year. William J. Barrington, president of Meridian Yachts, served as master of ceremonies at the event, which was held at Chelsea Piers. Joining Barrington for the unveiling and ribbon cutting were George W. Buckley, chairman and chief executive officer of Brunswick Corporation, and Dustan E. McCoy, president of the Brunswick Boat Group. Meridian thus joins the ranks of other leading Brunswick Boat Group yacht brands, including Sea Ray, Hatteras and Sealine. The Brunswick Boat Group is a unit of Brunswick Corporation. The product lineup will include seven models ranging from 34 to 58 ft.

"My dad, Earnest, Sr., has been in the marine business for over 50 years," says Ernest Dean, Jr. of Nassau, in the Bahamas. At the end of September, Dean Jr., who has a couple of decades in the business himself, will take delivery of a new boat named for his late brother Gurth Dean. The boat will fill a position in the family's mail and general cargo business, left vacant by the loss of a vessel last fall. Currently building at Rodriguez Boatworks in Bayou LaBatre, Ala. to an inhouse design, the 110 x 26-ft. boat will also have overnight accommodation for up to 18 passengers. Power is provided by a pair of Cummins' 14-litre six-cylinder N14-M main engines turning 440 hp each into Twin Disc model 5114 gears with a 4.86:1 ratio. Props are four-bladed 58 x 48 in.