LEE SHORE BOATS’ newest craft goes by the unceremonious name of UB45-1.
Lee Shore, the boat manufacturer on Edgewood Drive in Port Angeles, launched the 46-foot aluminum mono-hull work boat at the Port Angeles Boat Yard.
UB45-1 is equipped with dual 610-horsepower Cummins diesel engines that power Hamilton Jet Drives.
Joe Beck, who works in the sales department for the company, said representatives from the respective component manufacturers were on site for the initial startup of the boat’s systems.
They spent a fair bit of time going through their checklists prior to signing off on the installation and giving a thumbs-up to the company to begin sea trials.
In the middle of the afternoon, UB45-1 was driven out of Boat Haven marina into the open waters to the east end of Port Angeles Harbor.
Then Eric Schneider, Lee Shore Boats’ owner, began putting the new vessel through her paces.
Joe was aboard the boat, which weighs roughly 25,000 pounds, and said she topped the speed chart at about 40 knots during the initial run.
That’s well in excess of the 32 knots that was anticipated at the design stage.
I expect UB45-1 to be in and out of the water during the next couple of weeks to allow personnel an opportunity to attend to the last-minute details that are an inherent element of the construction process.
According to Joe, a second work boat will be launched within the next couple of weeks.
When that boat completes her sea trials, both work boats will be transported to Houston, Texas, by Associated Boat Transport of Marysville.
From Houston, they’ll be put aboard a ship bound for South America.
Joe reminded me that these are but two of the 20 Coast Guard-compliant boats that the company is building for its client.
Oil spill response
Lee Shore Boats also recently launched a pair of 26-foot oil-spill-response vessels (OSRV) that were built for use by BP PLC, the former British Petroleum.
The boats feature a center console with a windshield that allows the operator to stand up during boat operations.
Propulsion is provided by a pair of Hamilton Jet Drives that are coupled to twin Volvo D3-200 inboard diesels.
Joe said the boats were shipped to the Republic of Georgia for use at the Supsa pipeline terminal in the Caspian Sea.
When the boats were delivered, BP contacted Joe Schmitt of Joyce and asked that he fly to the Eastern European nation and conduct a class for the prospective boat handlers on how to operate the two OSRVs.
Earlier this month, he flew to Georgia and spent a week working with 14 boat drivers.
Joe said the program started in the classroom by reviewing the boat’s nomenclature, then dealt with many of the basics such as checking all fluid levels, inspecting the fuel separator and checking for leaks prior to each use.
By the end of the first day, the students were at the water’s edge learning how to launch the boats off their trailers.
The next four days were spent teaching the group the nuances of jet drives because they tend to be a bit tricky and at times somewhat confusing for those whose experiences are limited to propeller-driven craft.
Joe said that the group of boat handlers he worked with were pretty good water men.
He added that BP was more than happy with the boats that Lee Shore built — in fact, he said, they were “downright giddy.”
Seiner on the move
On Saturday, Platypus Marine Inc., the full-service shipyard, yacht-repair facility and steel-boat manufacturer on Marine Drive in Port Angeles, moved Adamant from the Rubb Building to the Commander Building.
She is a 58-foot steel limit seiner that Platypus began constructing early last summer.
The mast was stepped, and personnel have begun painting the commercial boat — clear indications that the final stages of assembly are under way.
While in the Commander Building, I saw the Coast Guard response boat on which Platypus has been working for the past couple of weeks.
She is 45 feet long and powered by twin MTU 60 Series diesel engines that have a combined rating of 1650 horsepower and are each mated to a Rolls-Royce water jet.
When fully outfitted, the vessel weighs about 18 tons and is capable of reaching speeds in excess of 40 knots.
Platypus Marine will perform an ultrasound inspection of the hull, inspect the fendering system, inspect and clean the diesel fuel tank, and replace the bearings, bushings and seals in the jet drives.
Both sea strainers will be overhauled, and the vessel’s sea valves will be replaced.
Personnel also will renew the interior and exterior non-skid pads, install new zincs and paint the boat.
Many improvements
Qualay Squallum, a 58-foot Jensen that is used as a seiner and crabber by her owner, Jeremy Winn of Hoquiam, has been sitting on the hard at Platypus Marine for the past few days.
According to Marty Marchant, Platypus’ director of sales and marketing, crews are installing new rigging on the boom.
In addition, personnel are making welcomed modifications to the crew quarters, and owner Jeremy will probably opt to replace the existing mast lights with more-efficient LED lighting.
The finishing touch will be a fresh coat of bottom paint.
Qualay Squallum was previously known as Mineo Bros when she fished for squid in the waters off Monterey, Calif.
When Jeremy purchased the boat, he converted her from a squid boat to her current use.
Hold that thought.
Platypus Marine hauled Cape Morien out of the water a couple of weeks ago, and she now sits in its yard on Marine Drive.
Marty said the 65-foot Canadian-built commercial fishing vessel will be at Platypus for about a month.
Personnel will be fabricating two fish holds and installing a couple of generators to support a new fish pump that is going on the boat.
Floodlights also are being installed on the mast that will be used to attract squid when the boat heads for the squid fishery off the coast of Monterey that the former Mineo Bros left behind.
Another client
Wander Bear also is sitting on the hard at Platypus Marine.
She is a 45-foot Kadey-Krogen that is owned by James Loveland of Port Angeles.
Marty said the yacht will be out of the water for only a week or two as personnel make a couple of minor gel coat repairs, raise the boot stripe and paint the bottom.
Mark your calendar
The Port Angeles Yacht Club will hold its seventh annual marine swap meet on Saturday, June 15, from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the club’s parking lot at the west end of the Boat Haven.
This well-attended event is a great opportunity to spend time selling or swapping marine-related equipment and memorabilia to like-minded individuals.
As an added feature, the PAYC Ladies also will hold an indoor yard sale in the clubhouse with treasures that are not necessarily marine-oriented.
Boat safety inspections also will be conducted for boats that are sitting on their trailers in the parking lot.
The inspections will be conducted by the North Olympic Sail and Power Squadron, which is empowered to affix the 2013 safety decal to compliant vessels.
The Port Angeles Yacht Club is at 1305 Marine Drive. For additional information or to reserve a $10 space to swap and share, phone Steve DeBiddle at 360-477-2406.
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David G. Sellars is a Port Angeles resident and former Navy boatswain’s mate who enjoys boats and strolling the area waterfronts.
Items and questions involving boating, port activities and the North Olympic Peninsula waterfronts are always welcome. Email dgsellars@hotmail.com or phone him at 360-808-3202.
His column, On the Waterfront, appears every Sunday.