We need a rescue boat.

I'm very happy to see you provide Commuter Boats a lead to a local builder, Tad. But with all due respect, when I say Winninghoff is value oriented I'm not just whistling dixie (or yankee doodle).
This 20 year old Winninghoff was apparently purchased at a low price with Winninghoff as broker and refit by Winninghoff for a total cost of $35,100. See the right column at http://www.winninghoff.com/common/index.php?com=WINN&div=AA&nav=AA&page=A04. So it's not like I'm trying to sell Commuter Boats an exorbitant bill of goods (which if I didn't know better I could take as the implication of your post).

Also note that American Turbine gives their address as Asotin, WA. If you know a less expensive builder of (decent) marine jets that's a lead I'd be interested in.

BTW what's become of Mr. Heinemann? Wasn't he consulting engineer on a number of excellent PNW powerboats, including the Nolan pilot boat featured in Professional BoatBuilder?

 

Gerald......

Don't know about outside the mainstream......

Some of my thinking......The heavy ex-CG boats are piggy in my mind, also deep draft. I have an idea you'll be messing around on the beach a lot, thus shallow draft and outboards are at least one solution. Waterjets are great when they work but not so much when broken. Outboards are easy, a replacement can be done in an hour. Parts and mechanics are common. Small boat with occasional big loads means high stability, both fore & aft and athwartships. Cat......

You need a boat that will run fast in a sea without falling apart and without burning tankerloads of fuel. Skinny monohulls can do that but stability suffers.

8'6" beam is not enough to handle two stretchers. A 28' Armstrong Cat has 10'6" of beam, that will work. Armstrong has been building Cats for a long time and lots of those boats have gone to Alaska. Johnny may know of one that can be modified to suit your needs.

You don't have the budget for fancy finish, thus Armstrong....rugged but not fancy. I've known the Armstrong's a long time and think they build a decent boat, but I do not work for them. I also know they've done some bare shells in the past...which may be of interest.

 

Stephen,

Certainly no disrespect intended. My concern is that anything from outside Alaska will be too expensive by the time it lands there......Winninghoff used to build beautiful boats, they may still, and Moose are great I think (but very high end and nothing less than 35'). The Moose boats are designed by Cory Armstrong, now back with his brother as production manager at Armstrong Boats.

Aluminum is wonderful for making alterations. Finding a gillnetter with a good engine and modifying it may work as well.

I don't have current pricing but check with David Allan at Whitewater Marine in New Westminster BC for info on composite waterjets.

 

Anyone want to offer an opinion on the Seven Marine outboards?
http://www.seven-marine.com/
How about the Merc Opti-Max sport jet? Is it too light duty to have a place in this discussion?
http://www.mercurymarine.com/engines/jets/optimax-sport-jet/

 

Seven marine is awesome WOW factor stuff, but with no service network I think inappropriate for a commercial application. Those engines made their introduction on an Intrepid 2 (?) years ago in Miami, way cool but I think if Gerald decides outboards he would be better off with a mainstream 4 cycle unit than the 7 product, even if strictly from a parts and service consideration.

Re the Opti-Max, I think for commercial applications the 4 cycle units are a better choice. Most of the commercial outboards I see are 4 cycle and an awful lot of the are Honda's which have outrageous CSI numbers, although I think all the 4 cycle choices today are good units. As for the jet unit, if Gerald decides to go that way, again I think a more commercial grade unit would be more appropriate than a 2 cycle rec unit.

You asked, Steve

 

I suggest you register with, and talk on the phone with the DLA (old DRMO) people. Once you are in the system, you can try to work both ends towards the middle ending up with a DLA puchase of a boat you already know you want.

I was loosely attached to mountian rescue in the Smokeys and in Colorado. The vast majority of victims are not in danger of dying once you've gotton to the scene. The real trick is to not screw the pooch afterwards. The stretcher bearing requirement would be the primary design feature in my mind. Otherwise, you just call a chopper once you've fished them out or collected them from the beach. Honestly, unless it was rather calm, I can't think of many situations where you would transport a stretcher by water if a chopper was available.

When you get your boat, have everyone in SAR ride strapped in the stretcher for an hour. Boat captains - two hours.

 

I would obtain a copy of National Fisherman , and look for the many commercial builders that already have boats that should work, with no Gov contracts to drive price 300% over normal.

A builder might do a hull for you with Fire Retardant resin (if they don't already) at only a very minor increase in cost. FR resin is only a few cents a pound more than stock flame thrower polly.

 

There is no reason at all for gov't contracts on this sort of item to run a premium, and I would very much doubt they do. My years in Govt purchasing showed the opposite. You could run the stuff I bought for three years and sell it used to the public for more than we paid for it. Thats how I finally got radios put in (or rather left in, they were taking them out at the dealership) in Airforce bluefleet vehicles. I spent an average of 40-60 cents on the dollar compared to what you could buy for over the road vehicles and a bit more for construction equipent. The govt is a reliable payer. And all these were semi custom. Special paints and markings, approved fluids, etc.

I wouldn't try to pass any emmision requirements with Govt stuff, though. They are exempt. There was a lot of mumbling about changing that for stuff that would never go to war, but I don't know it ever got done.

The little boat I pictured is a 57 Dumphy I saw on the side of the road. One owner (deceased). 10 hp Johnson that was factory installed. Factory steering. Even the hubcaps on the trailer are original. It would do 20 knots on that engine and the owner's son who was selling it learned to ski behind it when he was a kid.

 

Here are some links to Canadian builders:
http://eaglecraft.bc.ca/
http://www.aftheriault.com/en/
http://hikemetalboatshipvesselbuilders.com/
Here's a video about Hike 30s:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=92fa3rsJOWA

Here's an Oregon builder:
http://www.motionmarine.com