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New 35 Foot Safe/Sea RIB Ordered for 2006 Season Safe/Sea again chooses ALMAR for yet another build
Almost eleven years ago, Safe/Sea contacted ALMAR of Tacoma, WA, to discuss building a diesel powered, water jet driven, aluminum hulled RIB. At the time, we were striving to design a tow boat which would be fast, powerful, highly maneuverable, and extremely safe alongside other vessels in almost any sea state. In the Spring of 1995, the original Safe/Sea Newport was delivered and we haven't looked back since. The idea that resulted in our first twenty-eight foot by ten foot Safe/Sea Newport, has grown into our thirty-five foot by twelve foot Safe/Sea Newport of today. From one engine to two, three sided t-tops to fully enclosed heated pilot houses, we've come a long way. It seems that every time we've thought we reached a pinnacle, we've tried again and proven ourselves wrong. As I sit writing this article and looking back at the evolution, it's strange knowing I have been here long enough to have witnessed most of this remarkable journey. Therefore, it is my pleasure to announce that we have contracted with ALMAR yet again, to build another vessel for the 2006 season. The new ALMAR RAIV will be designed along the same lines as last year's highly successful thirty-five footer. When we decided to move from thirty-three feet to thirty-five feet, we expected a performance difference, but we had no idea exactly how different it would turn out to be. Our thirty-five foot vessel has proven to be faster, more maneuverable, and exponentially better in heavy seas. The new vessel will be powered by two Yanmar LY series, after cooled, turbo charged diesel engines. These will be coupled to Borg Warner model 72, 1:1 marine gears modified for commercial use by Johnson Boatworks in Cranston, RI, and Hamilton model 274 jet drives. This package will not only allow the vessel to cruise at thirty-six knots, but the Hamilton jets provide unparalleled maneuverability when docking, including the ability to move the vessel directly sideways, as well as turn within its own length. Another benefit of the twin engine power package is our ability to conduct high speed tows. With the addition to our fleet of multiple twin engine vessels over the past few years, we have found that our tow and response times have been drastically reduced. What used to be a two hour tow is now only a matter of forty-five minutes. Needless to say, this has made our customers very happy. The electronics suite, largely supplied by Pawtuxet Marine Electronics, will include a 48 mile range Furuno radar, Northstar 958 color DGPS chartplotter, twin SEA 156 VHF radios, Motorola private band two way radio, Horizon loudhailer, an Azimuth digital compass, dual ACR remote controlled spotlights, a custom designed 360 degree day/night digital video recording system, and an XM satellite radio. Also included will be Algae-X fuel conditioners, and Oil X-Changer oil recovery systems.
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