Metalcraft Marine Inc News

Boatbuilder MetalCraft Marine Inc. (MCM) announced it has been awarded a $31 million contract from the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) as part of the Long-Range Interceptor (LRI) III program. This is the second contract MCM has received for the design and build of their 11-meter high-speed Interceptor patrol boat.“Our previous Interceptor for the Coast Guard, the 11M LRI II, proved to be a very successful platform,” said MCM contracts manager Bob Clark. “The LRI II was the first design…

The Port of Corpus Christi Authority (PCCA) has added a new patrol boat to its security force.The new 44-foot port security boat was purchased using a combination of Port Security Grant Program funds from the Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA) and U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), as well as matching funds from the PCCA. The new boat replaces one existing police vessel that has been in operation for more than a decade and had limitations when operating in severe sea states.

MetalCraft Marine Incorporated is a fully integrated designer and manufacturer of custom high performance fire, rescue, patrol, research, and other specialized work boats. The company is the North American industry leader in the design and manufacturing of high speed aluminum water-jet propelled craft. MetalCraft Marine designs and builds custom and semi-custom aluminum workboats, provides engineering and analysis using computer aided design, fit out of marine mechanical, hydraulic…

Export hulls – through the FMS Program, as well as Direct Sales – are a key piece of the business model. Even as the crash in energy prices feeds the oversupply of offshore support vessels – a key staple of U.S. boatbuilding diets – and the dwindling backlogs of some so-called ‘second tier’ yards,  a number of U.S. boat builders are still seeing robust demand for security vessels. Separately, tightening federal, state, municipal and overseas budgets are being trumped by the increased need for security craft that can perform more than one function.

U.S. companies continue to land lucrative contracts with domestic and foreign customers for vessels that are designed or specially customized to meet defense, police and anti-piracy needs. Governments here and abroad, meanwhile, continue to cut budgets. Many of the security craft to be delivered this year are built to save energy, reduce emissions and reach higher speeds and greater cruising ranges than their predecessors. They have the latest tracking and communications systems. And a few new vessels are remotely operated.

Volvo Penta allows operators to save on fuel, cut emissions and most importantly – get the job done, in a wide array of conditions and mission sets. Volvo Penta of the Americas is delivering fuel efficiency, reducing emissions and raising performance as it powers U.S. and Canadian vessels with modern diesel engines, Jens Bering, product management head of the Virginia-based operation said last month. The company, a supplier of marine and industrial engines, is part of Volvo Group in Stockholm, Sweden.

MetalCraft Marine Incorporated is a fully integrated designer and manufacturer of custom high performance fire, rescue, patrol, research, and other specialized work boats. Boats range from 24’ to 70’ in length and can reach speeds of 50 KT. Established in 1987, the firm is a leader in the design and manufacturing of aluminum water-jet propelled craft building over 600 hulls to date. Customers include the US Coast Guard, Navy, various cities and municipalities, the Panama Canal Authority, and several countries. MetalCraft designs and builds boats World Wide.

On the occasion of Metal Craft Marine’s 25th anniversary, Maritime Reporter & Engineering News ventured north, to the boat builder’s Kingston, Ontario headquarters, to discover the secret to its success. Metal Craft Marine is well regarded in maritime circles for designing and building high performance craft outfitted for the most demanding work conditions. While the company is diverse in its work scope and capability, its history lies in high-performance jet boats and its current core competency lies in the construction of tough fire boats and military boats for worldwide use.

New Aluminum High-Speed Patrol Boat from Brunswick Commercial and Government Products. Brunswick Commercial and Government Products (BCGP) has been hard at work on the design of the new Sentry line of high-speed aluminum patrol craft. The inaugural model, the 32-foot Sentry, will make its debut at the International Workboat Show in New Orleans, Nov. 30-Dec. 2. Demos on the 32-foot Sentry will be available to agencies beginning in January 2012. Five Sentry models comprise BCGP’s aluminum patrol boat line serving navies, coast guards and law enforcement agencies around the world.

Patrol Boat-1 is really the first, the first ever electric powered patrol boat. MetalCraft Marine designed and built the boat for the City of Annapolis’ Harbormaster. The boat utilizes a Steyr hybrid diesel/electric engine that permits either electric power or for higher speeds, diesel power. The propulsion is a Hamilton 274 waterjet. The jet can propel the boat in electric patrol mode at 4.5 knots, as it approaches and checks boats in the harbor ensuring anchoring permits are valid.

MetalCraft Marine has delivered its first 26-ft US Navy Tow Boat to Cheatham Annex. Metalcraft Marine was recently awarded a contract by the United States Navy for the construction of eight of their 26-ft tow boats. The tow boats will support the US Navy’s spill recovery, support and salvage operations worldwide. Fully loaded the aluminium tow boat can reach speeds of 34 knots with its Single Iveco NEF 450 hp engine rated at 420 hp (309 kW) driving a single UltraJet 305HT High Thrust Waterjet viz a ZF 280 gearbox. UltraJet waterjets were chosen for their high bollard pull for vessel recovery.

Brunswick Commercial and Government Products (BCGP) has entered into a supply agreement with MetalCraft Marine, Inc (MCM) to promote a series of high-performance aluminum boats. BCGP currently offers 16 models of commercialized Boston Whaler fiberglass boats, and eight Impact rigid hull inflatable boats (RHIBs). Under the agreement with MCM, BCGP’s product offering will be expanded to include five aluminum models ranging from 28 ─ 45 ft. “MetalCraft has a solid history of building superior quality aluminum boats for commercial and government applications,” said Jeremy Davis, BCGP’s sales manager. “They are particularly adept at producing high-performance boats, which is critical in this arena.

MetalCraft Marine, Inc. has completed the first production run of the company's semi-custom KF-22 Center Cockpit Patrol Craft for the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP). The 10 boat order is a joint procurement between the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and the OPP. The Patrol Craft is heavily built, yet light-weight, due to a unique construction process. A KF-22 has a .25 in. bottom, .1875 in. side plate, a heavily reinforced bow and .75 in. aluminum transom; yet, a base center console model weighs a mere 1,250 lbs., and can still carry three times its weight. Its lightweight design means the vessel requires little horsepower and fuel. This version carries 160 gal. of fuel, and is outfitted with a Volvo 5.7 liter 265 hp engine, with stainless Duoprop drive leg.

MetalCraft Marine Inc. has successfully completed the key rollover test on the first of a series of new severe service search and rescue boats for the Canadian Coast Guard. The 47-ft. Motor Life Boat (MLB) construction program is a joint venture between MetalCraft of Kingston, and MIL Systems of Ottawa. The initial contract is for seven of the $1.8 million vessels. A key feature of the MLB is the fact it's self-righting, meaning it can be rolled over by extreme conditions, and resurface to continue the search and rescue mission. The test was conducted in MetalCraft's basin on Kingston's Inner Harbour. To roll the vessel over, slings from a crane were run under the boat and attached to lifting eyes on the starboard side…

MetalCraft Marine Inc.'s latest delivery is a 38-ft. Fisheries Patrol Boat for the Canadian Dept. of Fisheries and Oceans, for deployment on Great Slave Lake and the Mackenzie River. The Kingston series of Deep V, open water vessels has been under construction in MetalCraft's custom shop since 1987, with sizes ranging from 20 to 58 ft. The vessel was designed for a crew of three on missions of up to five days, with a 600 nautical mile range. Propulsion is by twin 230-hp KAD43P stern drives, with a top speed of 33 kots light. Dual station Keikhaefer controls mean the vessel can be operated from the main cabin or the open flybridge, an important consideration when patrolling or performing search and rescue. The vessel measures 38 ft.

MetalCraft Marine Inc.'s latest delivery is a 38-ft. Fisheries Patrol Boat for the Canadian Dept. of Fisheries and Oceans, for deployment on Great Slave Lake and the Mackenzie River. The Kingston series of Deep V, open water vessels has been under construction in MetalCraft's custom shop since 1987, with sizes ranging from 20 to 58 ft. The vessel was designed for a crew of three on missions of up to five days, with a 600 nautical mile range. Propulsion is by twin 230-hp KAD43P stern drives, with a top speed of 33 kots light. Dual station Keikhaefer controls mean the vessel can be operated from the main cabin or the open flybridge, an important consideration when patrolling or performing search and rescue. The vessel measures 38 ft.

MetalCraft Marine Inc., of Kingston, Ontario, is nearing completion of its second Hydrographic Survey Craft for the Canadian Government's Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO), Canadian Hydrographic Service. The 30 x 10.3 ft. vessel will carry three transducers, the largest being a state of the art 332 mm Multi-beam Transducer by Kongsberg-Simrad, Model EM-3000. The total Multi-beam system is worth approximately three times the value of the vessel, which was sold for $129,000. The Canadian Hydrographic Service, Central and Arctic Regions is responsible for updating and validating Canadian navigational charts for all inland and Arctic waters, including the Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence Seaway.