257 June 4, 2004

Gladding-Hearn Building for Galtex Pilots

Gladding-Hearn began cutting metal for Galtex pilots’ new boat in early June. Delivery of the vessel is scheduled for March 2005. The 70x21-foot boat will have a relatively shallow 3.9-foot draft. The deep-V hull design on the all aluminum vessel is by C. Raymond Hunt and Associates of Boston. "The hull design incorporates a fine entry forward with generous flare above the chines to provide a dry ride and extra buoyancy," says Peter Duclos, adding that the hull’s high dead-rise will provide excellent handling at all speeds and directions in the sea. The design positions the wheelhouse well aft for improved comfort at high speeds. The boat will also be fitted with a hydraulically adjustable interceptor-type trim control system.

Propulsion, supplied by Cummins Northeast Inc., will be provided by a pair of Cummins KTA38-M2 diesels, each producing a conservative 1300 HP at 1800 RPM. The engines will turn into remote-mounted Reintjes WVS430/1 marine gears. Hamilton water-jet drives have been chosen to avoid prop damage from debris in Galveston Harbour while contributing to maneuverability and safety for boarding and in the event of pilot rescues. "The aft cabin design on this boat makes it more difficult to remove the engines so the owners opted for the Cummins engines due to their reputation for reliability," explains Peter Duclos.

The Cummins engines will be fitted with the Cummins Centinel™ oil lube management system. This continually adds fresh oil to replace small amounts oil extracted and burned throught the fuel system. The CentinelÔ systems combined with the EliminatorÔ oil lube filtering systems lengthen oil change intervals to more than 4,000 operating hours.

The water jets, engines and gears will be controlled by the Hamilton Marine Electronic Control System (MECS) with the primary station in the wheelhouse and a hand-held remote aft at the rescue station.

The launch is equipped with wide side decks, side and rear doors, inverted front windows, and port and starboard boarding platforms. A recessed rescue platform will be built into the transom. A pipe davit, equipped with a self-tailing winch, will be welded in the vessel’s transom for pilot rescue operations.

Instruments in the wheelhouse include Furuno Navnet integrated radar, chart plotter, GPS and sounder with multiple displays, and four CCTV color cameras in the engine and water-jet rooms. The air-conditioned wheelhouse and finished forecastle feature nine Stidd recliners, cushioned settee and berth, dinette, and enclosed head. The galley is equipped with refrigerator, microwave, stainless steel sink, and hanging lockers and drawers. Interior sound levels are expected to be about 78 dbA.

For more information, contact

Peter Duclos
Gladding-Hearn Shipbuilding
Duclos Corporation
PO Box 300, Somerset, MA 02726.
Phone: 508 676-8596
E-mail: peterd@gladding-hearn.com

Mel Molgard
Marine Sales
Cummins Northeast Inc.
100 Allied Drive Dedham, MA 02026
Phone: (781) 329_1750
Phone dir: 781 751 1216
Fax: (781) 329_4428
Mobile: 617 571 7129
E-Mail: Mel.A.Molgard@cummins.com

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