Pilot boat refit included a repower with a brand new pair of Caterpillar C18, EPA Tier 3-compliant diesels
The Tampa Bay Pilots Association has taken supply of Tampa, a Chesapeake Class pilot boat initially constructed by Gladding-Hearn Shipbuilding in 2003, after an in depth refit on the Somerset, Mass., shipyard.
The boat was ordered when Gladding-Hearn first launched the Chesapeake class of mid-size, high-speed launches. In 2015, the Tampa pilots additionally took supply of the shipyard’s first Chesapeake Class MKII, which includes the efficiency advantages of Volvo Penta’s IPS 2 pod system.
“After 19 years of hard work, the vessel was showing some wear and tear but she still had a lot of life left so it was definitely worth re-investing in her,” stated Peter Duclos, Gladding-Hearn’s co-president and director of gross sales.
REPOWER
With greater than 50,000 working hours, the 53-foot all-aluminum pilot boat’s twin 600 bhp Caterpillar 3406E engines have been changed with a brand new pair of Caterpillar C18, EPA Tier 3-compliant diesel engines, every delivering 670 bhp at 2,100 rpm and a prime velocity of over 25 knots.
The engines flip new 5-blade Bruntons propellers through Twin Disc MGX-5136A “Quickshift” gears.
In addition, the pilot boat acquired a brand new Seastar Optimus steering system and a brand new Northern Lights 12 kW generator. To accommodate the brand new engines, the shipyard modified the launch’s engine beds, hull frames, exhaust methods, cooling and gas system piping.
Other upgrades within the pilot launch refit included new Norsap 1500 pilot seats, new home windows, three new doorways to the pilothouse and 4 new hatch covers. The boat’s backside, topsides and pilothouse have been stripped to reveal steel. After some minor plating repairs, the vessel acquired a contemporary coating system.
