Pilot boat Fort Ripley returns to Gladding-Hearn for refit and repower
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The Charleston Branch Pilots<\/a> have returned the pilot boat Fort Ripley<\/em> to Gladding-Hearn for a refit and repower after 10 years of continuous service for the port of Charlestown. The all-aluminum vessel will also be fitted with a new Seakeeper 40 gyro stabilizer.<\/p>\n The 65-foot Fort Ripley <\/em>was designed by Ray Hunt Design and Gladding-Hearn and built by the Somerset, Mass., shipyard in 2014. With a top speed of 28 knots, it was the first commercial vessel in the United States powered by Volvo Penta IPS drives <\/a>with twin forward-facing, counter-rotating propellers.<\/p>\n The three existing 700 bhp Volvo D13 diesel engines will be replaced with three new Tier-4-rated 700 bhp D13 engines, along with new triple Volvo Penta IPS 1050 propulsion systems, including new shafting, IPS-30 pods, the EVC control system and displays in the wheelhouse. Engine speed and pod steering are controlled by three joysticks, one on the wheelhouse console and two at aft docking-stations.<\/p>\n \u201cThe IPS system saves weight and space for additional fuel or accommodations and has proved to increase maneuverability and consume about 30% less fuel,\u201d explained Peter Duclos, the shipyard\u2019s co-president and director of sales.<\/p>\n The Seakeeper gyro stabilizer, installed in the space of a redundant fire pump, is expected to reduce vessel roll up to 80% The 4,000-pound gyro requires structural modifications for a substantial foundation located in the tank room. f<\/p>\n \u201cThe is our second Seakeeper gyro installation on a pilot boat. Its effects are noticed mostly at rest or slow speeds but it improves vessel feel and handling at speeds,\u201d said Duclos.<\/p>\n Other work on the Fort Ripley includes servicing the Humphree interceptors, bilge system, HVAC system and replacing the wheelhouse windows with electrically-heated windows.<\/p>\n The post Pilot boat Fort Ripley returns to Gladding-Hearn for refit and repower<\/a> appeared first on Marine Log<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n