Chart Plotter News

The King County Sheriff’s Office Marine Division in Washington has selected Moose Boats to build a new, custom diesel electric hybrid patrol boat.The model M1 will be 46’ long and powered by two Volvo Penta D11-625HP Diesel engines integrated with in-line twin Dan Foss electric motors.The vessel build will be a close collaboration between Hamilton Jet, who has designed the electric propulsion system, Volvo Penta and Moose Boats. Current battery technologies manufactured by Corvis Battery will enable the vessel to run solely under electric propulsion for up to two hours at five knots.

The owners of a private island in the U.S. rely on vessel transport as a lifeline to the mainland. Their boat, used for carrying supplies and even supplying medevac support in emergency situations, must be able to run at any time, in all conditions.So when it came time for their existing vessel to be replaced, the island’s owners sought a new vessel that would be rugged and reliable enough to withstand the harshest weather, said Tim Weston, the island’s general manager (note: Tim Weston is a fictitious name used to protect the identity of the island’s owners…

San Francisco area boat builder Moose Boats announced it has delivered a powerful customized M3-36 monohull to the Woodbridge Fire District, in California. The M3 will serve as a fireboat in the San Joaquin Delta.The build features twin 300-horsepower Mercury outboards with a heavy duty outboard protective guard including tow line guides, a tow post and an integrated towing spool. The boat has a dedicated fire pump to flow through two 1,500 GPM Typhoon RC TFT monitors, one cabin-top mounted and one on the bow with VUM for attack hose connection.

Vallejo ,Calif. boatbuilder Moose Boats announced it has delivered a new fireboat to the Alameda City Fire Department (AFD) located in Alameda County, Calif.According to the builder, the new Moose M2-38 fireboat is the most powerful ever assembled, running on twin Cummins turbo charged QSB 6.7L 480HP engines with Twin Disc Transmissions and Hamilton HJX 29 waterjets. The boat can reach speeds up to 38 knots with a cruise speed of 30 knots.The vessel is equipped with two large Darley 2000 GPM fire pumps powered by PTO systems that enables full control at the helm while flowing close to 5…

I guess it was only a matter of time. After years of debating whether or not Celestial Navigation should be taught it is now time to debate the relevance of Terrestrial Navigation. The argument is same: why do I need to know this if there is technology available to do it for me?The answer is also the same. If you want to be a professional mariner than your knowledge base and skill sets should far exceed that of a weekend boater that follows the direction of their chart plotter…

An emerging technology to fish for lobsters virtually ropeless to prevent whale entanglements is exciting conservationists, but getting a frigid reception from harvesters worried it will drive them out of business and upend their way of life.Injuries to endangered North Atlantic Right Whales ensnared in fishing gear have fueled a prominent campaign by environmental groups to pressure the industry to adopt on-demand equipment that only suspends ropes in the water briefly before traps are pulled from the water.The Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch…

Anschütz, a brand with more than a century history (since 1905), has a new owner and is part of DMB Dr. Dieter Murmann Beteiligungsgesellschaft mbH, meaning that Raytheon Anschütz GmbH is to be renamed Anschütz GmbH once the entry in the commercial register has been made.DMB takes over the entire Anschütz Group with its headquarters in Kiel and international subsidiaries in Panama City, Portsmouth (United Kingdom), Rio de Janeiro, Shanghai and Singapore. Anschütz returns to a…

The Furuno RD50 Remote Data Display has received an upgrade with software version 1.16, introducing the new 3-Axis Speed Indication when connected to a Satellite Compass. Critical for towboats, ferries and other commercial vessels, 3-Axis Speed Indication simultaneously displays important speed information for three different points of reference: Longitudinal Speed (ahead-astern), Transverse Speed port-starboard at the stern, and Transverse Speed port-starboard from a user-determined reference point.The RD50’s 8.4" Color LCD provides a wide variety of data from onboard sensors…

A captain’s decision to get under way while fatigued led to the grounding and sinking of a fishing vessel near Whittier, Alaska, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said in Marine Investigation Report released Tuesday.On July 24, 2021, the fishing vessel Tenacious, which fished primarily for pink salmon, grounded at the entrance to Wells Passage while transiting to fishing grounds in Prince William Sound. The five crewmembers abandoned the vessel and were rescued. The Tenacious later sank. One minor injury was reported.

Mackay Marine said it provided marine electronics systems and technologies for Kitsap Transit's two new 250-passenger vessels built by Nichols Brothers Boat Builders (NBBB).Bremerton, Wash.-based public transit agency ordered the new vessels in December 2018 to provide expedient commuter services to downtown Seattle from both Kingston, Wash. and a planned Southworth, Wash. route.The bow-loading fast ferries, built by NBBB at its Whidbey Island, Wash. shipyard, are state-of-the-art, low-wake vessels.

These days, cost-conscious municipalities across the fruited plain, from sea to shining sea, are ordering new waterborne assets to cover their many local responsibilities. When they do, they want ‘more bang for their buck,’ combining multiple missions – and the equipment that makes it all possible – onto one hull. That’s a tall order on the typically compact patrol boat style hulls that tend to be big on performance, but short on space for equipment that can demand a significant physical footprint. One such shipbuilder stepping up to plate to deliver on a raft of promises is Gulf Coast-based Metal Shark. Significantly expanding its presence in the fireboat market with a diverse range of fireboats currently in production for multiple customers…

The St. Croix County Sheriff’s Office in Hudson, Wisconsin, earlier this summer took delivery of a Lake Assault Boats rigid hull inflatable boat (RHIB). The new boat enhances the office’s patrol capabilities and water-based emergency rescue operations on a 27-mile stretch of the St. Croix River, a National Scenic Riverway.“Our stretch of the St. Croix River is a heavily used recreational area, with many cabin cruisers, houseboats, and all types of pleasure craft while, further north…

Lake Assault Boats, part of Fraser Shipyards, placed a 28-foot vessel into service with the Town of Gibraltar Fire Department located in northern Door County, Wisconsin. The craft provides emergency response and firefighting services for a large section of shoreline and islands located on Lake Michigan’s Green Bay. The purchase of the boat was funded entirely through the Gibraltar Fire-Rescue Association, a local non-profit 501(c)(3) organization.Placed into service earlier this summer, the boatis designed to respond to a wide range of on-the-water emergencies.

The City of Pittsburgh River Rescue Unit selected Lake Assault Boats to build a 30-ft.EMS river rescue vessel, for delivery later this year.The boat’s catamaran style hull is engineered for enhanced stability and maneuverability, and it is powered by two Yamaha 425 hp outboard engines . Slow speed maneuvering is controlled by Yamaha’s Helm Master joystick steering and digital anchoring system. The vessel also will feature a 74-in. hydraulically operated bow door, a heated front deck…

The Rabun County Fire Services, located in the northeast corner of Georgia, has placed a Lake Assault Boats fireboat into service on Lake Rabun, an 835-acre reservoir with 25 miles of shoreline. The new craft provides fire suppression and emergency response services for homeowners, visitors, and Georgia Power facilities located on the lake.“The combination of hydroelectric plants and a growing number of high-end waterfront single family homes in a region susceptible to wildfires make our on-the-water emergency response capabilities a critical part of our department’s mission…

Barrus Marine Equipment in the UK, the Marine Leisure Division of EP Barrus, has expanded its product portfolio with the addition of Navico's Simrad and Lowrance brands.The UK-based engine importer and distributor entered the marine chandlery market last year, when it took on the Besto Lifesavers range of marine safety and life-saving equipment.Since then it has secured distribution of 20 new brands, which complement the existing range of parts and accessories distributed by Barrus.Amongst these new brands are Simrad and Lowrance, market leading marine electronics brands for the recreational and commercial marine markets."The Simrad range of marine electronics are for powerboats, sports boats and day boats.

MetalCraft Marine’s 10 Meter Interceptor model is a formidable workboat. Defined by the sum of its myriad parts, it really can be seen that ‘the equipment makes the boat.’ This month, we ask "What's in Your workboat?"In a business where there is rarely any shortage of pretty boats, cutting edge designs and equally impressively performing workboat tonnage, it is also true that the real value to any design is cemented by the very equipment that makes it run. Typically, however, comparing apples to apples when it comes to selecting your next patrol, fire, SAR or pilot boat is almost impossible. Until now.Kick the tires. Pop open the hood. Put this one up on the jacks. Spend a little time under the chassis.

Even before the implementation of Subchapter M requirements, Vancouver, Washington-based Tidewater Transportation & Terminals had developed a strong culture of workplace safety. Within its overall plan is using and regularly testing Emerald Marine Products' ALERT Man-Overboard System. The ALERT system consists of a water-activated transmitter worn on a lifejacket and a receiver installed in a wheelhouse. If the wearer falls into the water, it instantly activates a piercing alarm and flashing light, alerting the boat captain to the man overboard (MOB).

Vesper Marine designed its Virtual AIS Beacon in 2010 and installed the first solution in 2011. Developed to address the need to make hazards at sea visible when costly physical infrastructure is not appropriate or is impossible to deploy, the Virtual Aid to Navigation technology that Vesper Marine has created is based on the international standardized AIS, which all large ships must use and many yachts and smaller vessels are now choosing to install due to the safety and collision avoidance benefits it provides.

Lake Assault Boats said it has delivered a 34-foot fireboat to the Pittsburgh Bureau of Fire in Pittsburgh, Penn. The vessel is the department’s first new dedicated fireboat since 1974. The new fireboat, named after Pittsburgh’s first female mayor, Sophie Masloff, who passed away in 2014, was dedicated on October 27. In a formal ceremony, the former mayor’s eldest granddaughter broke a bottle of champagne on the boat’s gunnel as it was launched into the Ohio River. The Lake Assault deep V-hull fireboat respond to emergencies and help manage fires on the waterways…

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.

iNavX, the benchmark marine navigation mobile application, announced today, in partnership with Fugawi and Navionics, the availability of Navionics charts in the iNavX In-App Chart Store. This is a first for the industry, and iNavX is the only independent marine navigation app to offer Navionics charts to its users. “When it comes to crucial navigation information, boaters’ decisions about what apps, electronics and charts they use can be as varied and personal as the foul weather gear they wear to keep them dry,” said Shaun Steingold, CEO, NavX Studios. “The most respected name in electronic charting and cartography is Navionics and…

Lake Assault Boats, a leading manufacturer of purpose-built and mission-specific fire and rescue boats, has been chosen to construct a 34-foot fireboat by the Pittsburgh Bureau of Fire in Pittsburgh, PA. The fireboat will respond to emergencies and help manage fires on waterways, waterfronts, rail lines, and marinas that lie along the Allegheny and Monongahela Rivers, which join together in Pittsburgh to form the Ohio River. The contract is valued at more than $540,000. The craft will be delivered in summer 2017. “We are thrilled to be appointed by the City of Pittsburgh and its Equipment Leasing Authority to engineer and construct this extremely powerful fireboat to protect resources that lie along the city’s iconic riverfront areas…