Rodriguez Building Twin-Screw Shrimpers
Rodriguez Shipyard in Bayou LaBatre, Ala. is enjoying a busy season with a twin-screw shrimper currently under construction for a late November delivery. The new boat, for owner Steve Nguyan, will be similar to the Lucky B delivered to Louisiana customer Ba Nguyan last August. At 98 by 26 by 12-ft., the boats, are each powered by a pair of Cummins 6-cylinder KTA19 M3 engines rated for 600 hp at 1800 RPM. turning into twin disc 5202 gears with 6.1:1 reductions. The twin engines provide plenty of power but the primary reasons for owners choosing twins is redundancy and close quarter maneuverability, explains Joe Rodriguez. A pair of Cummins…
OSV's Join Shrimp Trawlers in Bayou La Batre
The picturesque town of Bayou La Batre, Ala. has long been known for its production of shrimp trawlers. Normally, about 150 of these 90-105 ft. vessels come out of 8-10 yards set up specifically to produce these boats. Increasingly, however, large deepwater offshore service vessels are taking their place along side of the trawlers as the Bayou La Batre boat builders join with their Louisiana cousins in producing vessels for the oil patch. Interestingly, it is many of the same builders who construct dozens of trawlers a year that are in the forefront of OSV production. One of the prime examples is Master Boat Builders, Coden, Ala., about three miles south of Bayou La Batre.
