Aluminum Boat Builder News

Singaporean aluminum boat builder Strategic Marine recently delivered TMS Ranod, the first of two Gen 4 Fast Crew Boats to growing Thai offshore services provider Truth Maritime Services (TMS). The pair of newbuild contracts were signed in 2023.Strategic Marine launched the 42m Gen 4 FCB design in collaboration with Southerly Designs, and the vessel comes with a highly efficient new hull form and Z-bow which improves seakeeping and requires less power for the same speed and deadweight tonnage…

France-based LD Tide has ordered a new crew transfer vessel (CTV) from Singaporean aluminum boat builder Strategic Marine.The newbuild will by a hybrid-ready StratCat 27 (SC27) designed by BMT.LD Tide, joint venture between top French shipping company Louis Dreyfus Armateurs (LDA) and UK-based partner Tidal Transit, currently owns and manages a fleet of three CTVs to transfer technicians to the Saint-Nazaire offshore wind farm, about 20nm off the coast of France.The SC27 order is the first the company has placed for a vessel to be built at a non-French yard.According to the builder…

Singapore-based shipbuilding group Strategic Marine announced it has placed an order with Caterpillar dealer Trakindo, for 100 of its Cat C32 engines.This follows its previous pre-order of 50 similar engines in May 2022 and is aimed at providing security to clients and avoiding long wait times for key components.While the engine supply chain disruptions of the past few years have been alleviated somewhat as global manufacturing catches up post-Covid, a rise in shipbuilding activity…

Bellingham, Wash. aluminum boat builder All American Marine (AAM) said it has been awarded the contract by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to construct a 50’ aluminum research catamaran for the Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary.The twin-engine Teknicraft Design vessel will be constructed by AAM to USCG Subchapter T standards. The vessel will carry up to 18 personnel on board on a near coastal route. Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary OCNMS) includes 3,188 square miles of marine waters off the rugged Olympic Peninsula coastline.

Bellingham, Wash. aluminum boat builder All American Marine, Inc. (AAM) said it launched Orca II, the second of two 78-foot aluminum catamarans for Seattle-based customer Great Western Attractions (GWA), who will operate the passenger excursion vessels in Puget Sound.Designed by Teknicraft in Auckland New Zealand, these identical USCG Subchapter T certified vessels were constructed at AAM’s 57,000-square-foot facility on Bellingham Bay. The vessels will be a part of GWA’s multifaceted tourism experience based in downtown Seattle.

The Bolton Marine Group has acquired Daigle Marine, one of the nation’s leading commercial boat builders. Founder, Steve Daigle and co-owner, Bob Kristmanson have completed the private sale of Daigle Marine to The Bolton Marine Group.As a wholly owned subsidiary of The Bolton Marine Group, Daigle Marine, based in Campbell River, will operate as a separate company with the continuity of the management team, highly skilled work force and physical facilities. As Managing Director, Torry Wannenwetsch will lead the entity. Steve Daigle and Bob Kristmanson will remain active in the business through a transition period.Founded in 1985, Daigle Marine is a respected custom aluminum boat builder.

Brunswick Commercial & Government Products (BCGP) has announced Erik Bon Fleur as its new general manager. In this role, Bon Fleur will be responsible for day-to-day operations and business activities, reporting to Boston Whaler Group President, Nick Stickler. Prior to joining the BCGP team, Bon Fleur served in various other roles inside BCGP’s parent company, Brunswick Corporation, including continuous improvement manager for Boston Whaler, and most recently director of operations for Thunder Jet, an aluminum boat builder in Washington state.

A new 38-foot multi-mission patrol boat for Montauk, N.Y. will be officially dedicated during a “splash down” ceremony on July 26. Delivered by aluminum boat builder Silver Ships, Inc., the vessel is a multi-agency, multi-mission vessel designed for emergency response and patrol within the Montauk Harbor. The vessel was garnered through the collaborative efforts of the Montauk Fire Department, the East Hampton Town Police Department, East Hampton Town Marine Patrol and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

Marine News looks back at the past 12 months and showcases the best of North America’s workboat design shop and shipyard output. In a year where some stakeholders might not rank 2016 as the best of years in the shipyard or on the waterfront, we might disagree. And, there is plenty to write about. New contracts, deliveries and designs all combine to show that the collective workboat waterfront is moving forward, with technology, the environment and replacement tonnage requirements as the main drivers.

Kvichak’s Rapid Response Skimmers (RRS) are perhaps best known for their use by the U.S. Navy, but the design of these robust and well-designed units has evolved over time and today boasts placement in virtually every major spill organization. When, just this past October, Kvichak Marine won a U.S. Navy contract for 12 30-foot Rapid Response Skimmers (RRS) for delivery over the next 18 months, with options for up to 30 additional skimmers to be delivered through 2019, that wasn’t necessarily earthshaking news. That’s because the aluminum Kvichak RRS is already the Navy’s tier one response asset. The new craft will supplement the Navy’s current fleet of over 85 units in operation in Navy ports worldwide since 1994.

Military and industrial aluminum boat manufacturer SeaArk Marine, Inc. of Monticello, Arkansas said it will temporarily suspend acceptance of new boat orders until further notice. Due to very sporadic and extremely low (new construction) sales figures for nearly 24 straight months, the company announced that it would begin an overhead reduction plan in an attempt to “ride out” the effects of the current market until substantial improvement in the government & industrial marine sector appeared more apparent. SeaArk Marine, Inc. is not completely shutting down its operations.

Alnmaritec, an aluminum boat builder based in Northumberland, launched the 100th vessel built by the company. The company offers boats for a broad range of different roles from line handling and oil spill response to fish farming support and harbor patrol. It exports all over the world from the Antarctic to Africa and started building aluminum boats in the late 1980’s. Endurance was launched in August of this year nearly a century after Shackleton’s original boat and she is built for duties in wind farm maintenance support roles.

Having provided services to the offshore industry since 1995 Sistac Sistemas de Acesso S/A saw the opportunity to provide an offshore dive operation centre and proceeded to commission a new Offshore Dive Support Vessel. Designed by the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro this 82 ft aluminum dive support vessel is unique in its design. The aluminum semi-planning hull design matches load capacity to fuel consumption at excellent speed. The load capacity is needed to carry all equipment and fuel on board. The vessel cruises at 11 knots consuming 185 l/h.

Alnmaritec, an aluminum boat builder based in Northumberland, UK, recently announced the delivery of a new general purpose line handling and harbor support work boat to Western Australia. The “Wave Train” was built for South Sea Logistics Ltd., based in Geraldton, Western Australia. She is a customized version of the “Wave Angler” class of vessels from Alnmaritec and is the first boat that the company has ever sold to Australia. “Wave Train” is an aluminum asymmetric catamaran 10.15 long and 4.8m wide with a displacement of around 11 tons.

Kvichak Marine Industries, Inc. recently expanded its Seattle facility by erecting a 130’ x 50’ sectional enclosure on its waterfront property. This new addition creates enough space for Kvichak, an all-aluminum boat builder, to accommodate a maximum vessel size of 120 by 40 ft. for repairs or retrofits. “We decided to expand our existing facility into our backyard,” explained Kvichak’s Keith Whittemore. The enclosure is fully lighted, powered and heated. The 130 ft. length is made up of three sections – one 50 ft. and two 40 ft. lengths. Each section is mounted on wheels and tracks for ease of opening and closing to suit various vessel sizes. Weather collars are installed where the sections overlap to prevent rain, wind and snow from entering the workspace.

Brodie’s company, which has a transportation concession for the Channel Islands National Park, currently operates four single-hull 49-passenger boats. The new 149-passenger 65- x 24-ft. Cummins-powered catamaran Islander, delivered in mid March, will replace two of the smaller vessels. The new vessel features a range of environmentally friendly features such as high boxes around the fuel filler fittings to catch overspill. It also has non-toxic high polish bottom paint. Aluminum boat builder All American Marine, of Bellingham, Wash., has a partnership with Auckland, New Zealand’s naval architect Nic de Waal for the exclusive building rights to his unique Teknicraft catamaran designs on the U.S. west coast.

The Manitowoc Company, Inc. and its subsidiary, Marinette Marine Corporation, will partner with Kvichak Marine Industries, Inc. to develop and construct a prototype Response Boat Medium (RB-M) for the U.S. Coast Guard. Kvichak, located in Seattle with full-service waterfront facilities, will build the prototype RB-M. The Marinette/Kvichak team is using a design developed by Camarc, Ltd., an expert in the design of water jet-driven high-speed aluminum boats. Marinette Marine will serve as the prime contractor and program manager for the project. Delivery of the $2.5-million test boat is expected in late 2003. “We are pleased to work with the Northwest’s finest high-speed aluminum boat builder on this very important project,” said Dennis McCloskey, president of Manitowoc’s Marine Group.

With the demand for aluminum boats hitting an all-time high within recent months, Silver Ships/AMBAR Marine has risen to the occasion to meet the stringent requirements of its customers, most of whom are government and/or security agencies on some level. With customers ranging from the U.S. Navy to the Jamaica Coast Guard, the U.S. National Park Service, and various City and State Police, Fire and Rescue departments, Silver Ships - with 18 years experience - is no stranger to the aluminum boat industry. Most recently, the organization, based in Theodore, La., delivered a trio of 44-ft. (13.4-m) twin engine, water jet propelled Fast Patrol Boats to the Jamaican Coast Guard. Equipped with Caterpillar marine diesels driven by Twin Disc water jets, the boats can move at speeds up to 40 knots.