After 10 years of continuous service in the port of Charleston, the 65-foot pilot launch Fort Ripley <\/em>has been delivered to the Charleston Branch Pilots<\/a> by Gladding-Hearn, Duclos Corporation, after a repower and installation of a Seakeeper 40 gyro stabilizer.<\/p>\n The all-aluminum 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 repower saw the three existing IPS 900 propulsion systems were replaced with three new Volvo Penta IPS 1050 propulsion systems, including new 800 bhp D13 engines, shafts, IPS-30 pods, and an EVC 2.0 control system and displays in the wheelhouse.<\/p>\n Engine speed and pod steering are controlled by three joysticks, one on the wheelhouse console and two on the 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 said 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 required structural modifications for a substantial foundation in the tank room.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is our second Seakeeper gyro installation on a pilot boat. Its effect is noticed mostly at rest or slow speeds, but it improves vessel feel and handling at all speeds,\u201d said Duclos.<\/p>\n Other work on the Fort Ripley<\/em> included servicing the Humphree interceptors, bilge system, HVAC system, and replacing the wheelhouse windows with electrically heated windows.<\/p>\n The post Gladding-Hearn delivers repowered Fort Ripley to Charleston Branch Pilots<\/a> appeared first on Marine Log<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n![\"Fort](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.marinelog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/gyrostabilizer.jpg?resize=350%2C467&ssl=1\")