The "PAUL GILES"
SHALLOW DRAFT RIDGID
HULL INFLATABLE
The SDV after Sea Trial about
to be loaded back on to the trailer for the journey to Comox Valley.
John (The Titan Boss) is holding
the line.
The new
Station #60 rescue vessel, has been delivered by Titan
Boats of Sidney, B.C., and is designed for use in the many shallow
water areas around the Comox/Courtenay area. The present rescue boat,
the Bruce Brown II, will remain our primary fast response vessel however
it's approximately three foot draft, with vulnerable propellers, make
it unable to get into the Courtenay River estuary during low tides
or to operate safely in the rock strewn shallow waters off Willemar
Bluffs and Cape Lazo .
The RHIB
a Titan 200 Delta, is powered by twin 90hp Yamahas. It is an aluminum
hulled inflatable boat with 22 inch diameter tubes. Although referred
to as a 20 ft. boat, it is in fact slightly over 22 ft. in overall
length with an overall width of 9 ft. 6 inches. The vessel has three
crew stations arranged in a delta configuration, with the helm in
the front and the navigator and the radio operator side by side behind
the helm. The vessel has GPS/chartplotter and radar, with two display
screens which can display either or both radar and chartplotter information,
one at the helm and one at the nav station. The vessl is also equipped
with self righting gear which consists of an inflatable bag mounted
on top of the rear cage. In the unlikey event that the vessel is rolled
over in heavy seas, the crew are able to activate the gear to re-right
the vessel. We believe that this vessel will be a worthy addition
to the rescue capabilities of Station 60 and well worth its $161,000
cost.
