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EUROPEAN UPDATE IBs come of age Continued from page 88) design follows the standard naval seaboat fit- ut with Mermaid Turbo-Four Ford-based diesel and Stern-Powr 101 sterndrive, but with stain- ess steel ice protection to leading below water line areas and a stainless "knife" deflector in front of the propeller. "The vessel was completed to a very tight program in order to catch the scheduled sailing of HMSEndurance from Ports- mouth to the Antarctic," said sales manager Roy Barr. He also advised that the company has recently delivered a 34-knot, 23-ft. (7-m) version with Volvo 41WJ diesel and Castoldi waterjet to the Swedish Sea Rescue Service and another, of the same size, to the Danish Ministry of Fisher- ies with a Yanmar diesel and PPI 15 waterjet. Avon, long-established builder of both leisure and military inflatables, is actively attacking the commercial market with its first SOLAS ap- proved RIB. It is surely no coincidence that this craft is 21 ft. (6.4 m) long and Mermaid Turbo- Four powered, but Avon has opted for a Hamilton 273 waterjet. The company has already achieved notable success in supplying various navies, coast guard and police authorities with boats, mainly outboard powered, and is in the midst of building five 17.7-ft. (5.4-m) boats for Hong Kong Marine Police and three 27.5-ft. (8.4-m) units for the Middle East. One of the obvious advantages of the inflat- able collar in policing roles is its fendering effect when boarding other vessels, but this has proved a benefit which coxswains have found all too easy to abuse. Too often, a punctured collar rendered the vessel inoperable and resulted in extended downtime. To overcome this, the Hong Kong Police worked together with TaskForce Boats in the early eighties to develop a system of modular "collarettes" which were attached to a curved recess formed in the hull with a quick release mechanism. Not only could spares be carried on board (as straddle seating) and a replacement effected while at sea, but the units could be rotated to equalize wear at especially vulnerable points. This design is now in the hands of Cheverton Workboats which has recently sup- plied a 19-ft. (6-m) boat powered by twin 90-hp Mercury outboards to the Fire Brigade in Ham- burg, Germany, following the supply of several similar vessels to the DLRG, the German rescue organization. A 22-ft. (6.7-m) version has re- cently been delivered to the Maputo Pilot Au- thority in Mozambique. Carson Marine is also in the vanguard of RIB technology with its own sectional collar system and the first production stepped rigid inflatable hull. The 25-ft. (7.6-m) long hull has a very deep V of 25 degrees and a single step claimed to give increased speed, reduced pitching and improved fuel economy. "We had four orders before comple- tion of the mold," said Barry Carson. "All will have the optional two berth cabin and aft posi- tioned inboard engine," he added. At least two of the four will be supplied with Carson's own surface drive system. Other recent contracts include a 50-knot, 29.5-ft. (9-m) twin diesel engined vessel for Norway. Another 30-ft. (9-m) craft for Scandinavia with advanced features, including seating de- signed by an orthopedic surgeon, has been sup- plied by Vector Marine. The overall design concept was by the Swedish Sea Rescue Society and includes handle bar steering, open transom and a deck extension over the waterjet. A Cummins 6BTA developing 300 hp drives an Ultra Jet 300 to give a top speed of 32 knots. Despite the obvious success of U.K. manufac- April, 1995 turers in Scandinavia, the circumstances which led to the strength of British companies in the RIB field were repeated in Norway, a country with a long indented coastline to defend and a big presence in North Sea oil and gas. This experi- ence has paid off for Norsafe AS in securing the order for five boats from Tideway Pacific in Alaska. These boats have 210-hp Cummins diesels driving Hamilton 273 waterjets and will This Moody 1100 RIB fea- tures a cabin. 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