Wing Inflatables News

Shipbuilder MetalCraft Marine said it delivered two 34-foot high performance patrol RIBs to be used by the Mississippi Department of Natural Resources Police in the coastal bay areas and offshore checking on commercial and sport fishing compliance.Each boat is equipped with triple Suzuki 300-horsepower outboards, enabling the vessels to reach speeds up to 64 miles per hour.According to MetalCraft, the Interceptor hulls are noted for their "Soft Dry Ride", with a fine entry which easily parts the waves and makes the boat very quiet.The vessels feature a robust T-top and supporting structure…

Decades of innovation has earned Wing Inflatables its place among top manufacturers of sponsons, tubes, collars and rubber craft. While the company maintains this reputation today, the Wing Group has also grown beyond it after an ownership switch set in motion a number of major changes that have helped to both expand the company and alter its DNA.In past decades, under the leadership of founder and now-former owner Bill Wing, the California company and its polyurethane rafts and air-holding tubes, and later air/foam hybrid collar, had revolutionized the rigid inflatable industry.

Arcata-based Wing Inflatables, Inc. announced it has recently been awarded two certifications that will help to continue its growth.Wing is now ISO 9001:2015 certified, attesting that the company’s quality management system and the knowledge of its employees have met rigorous international-standard requirements. This designation reflects Wing’s values of continuous improvement, quality processes and products, and customer satisfaction and has opened new markets for the products built on the North Coast.Wing also received a CE (European) boat certification for its P4.2 Craft…

Silver Ships, Inc. said it has collaborated with industry vendors to create an aluminum demonstration fire/rescue boat.Designed and manufactured for firefighting and rescue applications, the vessel will be used to showcase the capabilities and craftsmanship of Silver Ships along with participating vendors, whose parts and components enhance the mission-ready abilities of the vessel.Steven Clarke, co-owner at Silver Ships, said, “We tried to put as many capabilities as possible into this AM800 fire boat…

A wave of cutting edge U.S. maritime innovations will be highlighted in Southampton, U.K. this October during three specialist one day events for the sub IMO / sub 24 meter professional sector. The unique NEXT GENERATION Workshops bring together an international group of experts armed with the latest knowledge to identify problems that affect the maritime sector worldwide – and highlight potential solutions. Workshop Lead John Haynes said, “We focus on viable innovation and using people’s time effectively.

A unique program of three specialist events for the sub IMO / sub 24 meter professional sector is being held ‘back to back’ at the Grand Harbour in Southampton, U.K. this October. The fast moving workshop style program brings together an international group of experts armed with the latest knowledge to identify problems that affect the maritime sector worldwide – and highlight potential solutions. Event organizer and workshop lead John Haynes said, “We are really pleased with the diversity of high level presenters from military, commercial and SAR backgrounds.

Woodbridge International announced the sale of its client, Arcata, California-based Wing Inflatables, Inc. to Armada Acquisition Group of San Francisco, California. Wing Inflatables is a supplier of tubes, sponsons, and foam collars to the high-end inflatable boat and rigid inflatable boat market. Wing has recently designed and is launching a family of entirely new inflatable boats and accessories geared to the military Special Forces market. "Our new combat raiding crafts, the P4.7 and P5.8, brings Wing into new markets and into a new level of growth," said Elizabeth Wing, vice president of Wing Inflatables. "The time was right to bring in new resources that can help manage the growth, not only domestically but worldwide.

In the vessel construction market, small boat builder All American Marine of Bellingham, Wash., and RIB builder Wing Inflatables of Arcata, Calif. both reported a satisfactory 2010 in their niche markets, with good reasons to be optimistic about 2011. Bollinger Shipyards, a major builder in the offshore market also had a good 2010, but is bracing for the impact of the drilling moratorium going into 2011. Meanwhile, new yard, Argosy Boat Company, of Pierre Part, La., is still working to establish itself as a diesel-electric, Z-drive towboat builder.

Wing Inflatables has added a new model to its IB series of Hypalon boats designed for small craft operations. The IB-470 features a 15.5 ft overall length and a 7.3 ft beam affording an 11 person capacity. Its specially reinforced 1.5 inch transom is designed to accommodate single or twin outboard engines for a combined total of up to 60 horsepower. “The IB-470 is compact and durable — two traits that make it well-suited for small craft ops,” said Wing president Bill Wing. The IB-470 features a special through-bolted transom-to-tube construction to accommodate the optional engine weight and torque. Standard features include a transom-mounted drain assembly accessible from inside the boat, high capacity deck drains and an aluminum deck with D-rings.

The first ever unassisted crossing of the North Atlantic just south of the arctic circle in a small, open, Rigid Inflatable Boat (RIB) has been completed by a team of dedicated adventurers led by Bear Grylls. Traveling from Nova Scotia to John O'Groats via a route which passed just south of the Arctic Circle, the expedition, which has raised around $80,000 for the UK young persons' charity, The Prince's Trust, has been completed a week ahead of schedule despite encountering icebergs and horrendous weather conditions. The expedition, which involved a five-man team sailing the open boat across 3,000 miles of the North Atlantic on a route that saw landfall in Halifax…

VT Halmatic has delivered an Arctic 24 rigid inflatable boat (RIB) to the island of Tristan da Cunha. Located in the South Atlantic, approximately 1,740 miles west of Cape Town, Tristan da Cunha is acknowledged as the world's most remote inhabited island. The island supports a thriving community concentrating on fishing and agriculture and the new RIB joins an existing VT Halmatic Pacific 38 RIB. The new Arctic 24 will be used as an additional fisheries patrol boat and fast rescue craft as well as search and rescue and policing duties. Based on a deep V hull form, the Arctic 24 is known as an off-shore RIB that is available in the market place and is capable of operating in the extreme sea states found around the island.

Having built over 200 aluminum RHIB's, Silver Ships, Inc. / AMBAR Marine, has grabbed a foothold in the design and construction of aluminum RHIB's - all of which are constructed in accordance with SOLAS regulations. The U.S. Coast Guard operates 90 AMBAR Marine Non-Standard RHIB's and the U.S. Navy Sea Systems Command operates 40 AMBAR Marine Special Service RHIB's. Silver Ships, Inc./AMBAR Marine constructs approximately 43 vessels per year, 80 percent of which are RHIB's while the remaining 20% have been Patrol/Security boats, and various work boats ranging from 23-48 ft. (7-14.6 m). Upon discovery, in 1966 following extensive R&D, Lanness McKee, Sr. uncovered the secret to the most rugged, unsinkable marine construction in the market.

With the deepest V available, the Oceanus 8.50VST from AB Inflatables is a rugged craft providing a safe, comfortable ride for several hours.The extra-deep V hull and non-submerged tubes provide the boat with plenty of stability, while preventing unwanted friction and spray for smooth, dry operation in calm or choppy waters. The boat features upholstered seating, ample deck space to install ice coolers or additional seating, a smartly designed console with easy-to-reach controls and abundant storage lockers to keep fishing gear secure. In addition, the 8.50VST offers the flexibility to be customized to buyers' needs. Weighing 2,860 lbs., the Oceanus 8.50VST has an overall length of 28 ft. (8.5 m) and a 12-ft. (3.6 m) beam.

The business of building better Rigid Inflatable Boats (RIBs) is a serious one which utilizes and combines some of the world’s most advanced materials technologies. Comptetion in the market is stiff, as manufacturer claims and counter claims would indicate. The RIBs of today are finding themselves used for a much wider spectrum of duty than perhaps just five or 10 years ago, due in large to advances in design, performance and load carrying capabilities. Manufacturers have invested many hours and dollars to ensure that today’s RIBs are constructed of increasingly better, stronger materials that enable them to dutifully perform the rigorous duty that owners demand. A perfect example of how the use of RIBs has spread is seen in the U.S.

AB Inflatables Delivers For Diversity Of Applications

AB Inflatables offers its Profile line of aluminum hull RIBs. The rugged, 3.28-mil hulls are lighter than comparable fiberglass hulls and are perfectly suited for operating in lakes and rivers or along rocky coastlines. In these environments, the aluminum bottoms also help resist abrasions from coral and sandy beaches. An extra air chamber between the hull and the floor keeps the Profile models buoyant even when flooded. The large-diameter tubes of the boats are made from 1670 decitex Hypalon/Neoprene fabric. They include wear patches along the top and a heavy-duty rubrail. Decks are non-skid and sealed to the hull with epoxy. The A12…

Gladding-Hearn Shipbuilding, Duclos Corporation introduced a new line of rigid bottom, soft-sided launches, named the Resilient Class. The first of this class will be a 40-footer for the Charleston, S.C. pilots. Available in lengths from 30 ft. to 70 ft. (9.14 m to 21.3 m), the Resilient Class of vessels is designed by C. Raymond Hunt Associates of Boston, whose association with the Somerset, Mass., shipyard dates back to 1978, and features the firms’ latest developments in Hunt’s deep-V hull design. With a narrower bottom and fine entry forward and the stability of an oversized, lightweight collar, the launch will provide pilots with a “softer ride” and less roll when boarding ships. The first 40-footer will be delivered with a 28-in.