New Patrol Boat Delivered in Minnesota
Lake Assault Boats said it has delivered a 28-foot rescue vessel to the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Water Patrol Unit located in Minneapolis, Minn. Purchased from the General Services Administration (GSA) Schedule, the vessel will assist in rescue and recovery operations along the Mississippi River.
Chad DuMars, Lake Assault Boats vice president of operations, said, “The craft is custom designed and equipped with a wide array of advanced technologies to meet the unique needs of this customer.”
The vessel is powered by a pair of Mercury Verado 300 hp engines with digital throttle, shift and power steering, as well as the Mercury Joystick Piloting and Skyhook Digital Anchoring systems. The digital anchor and joystick piloting systems enable the operator to set precise grids for search and recovery operations and ‘anchor’ the boat in strong moving currents without getting moved off point, or swung back and forth like traditional anchor systems. In addition, the boat can move side to side or diagonally to gain better angles on objects.
The 28-foot patrol boat is a landing craft style, modified V-hull configuration and is outfitted with a 64-inch hydraulically operated bow door, and two 34-inch dive doors. The 9-foot long pilot house is CBRNE compliant, with radiation, chemical and biological detection systems. The boat also features an interior clearance height of 76-inches, a fold-down work station and a computer desk attached to the rear of the helm station. The boat is equipped with a full array of electronics, including two Lowrance touchscreen monitors, GPS, sonar, chartplotting, and StructureScan sonar, as well as a SpitzLift aluminum davit crane.
The Hennepin County Sheriff’s Water Patrol Unit is responsible for boating enforcement, education and emergencies overseeing waterways such as Lake Minnetonka and sections of the Mississippi River.