Woody Marine 17M Pilot Project nears completion

by Bob Carter on 20 Apr 2011 The biggest Pilot boat yet to be built by Brisbane based Woody Marine Fabrication (WMF) is rapidly approaching completion. The 17m aluminium pilot boat strikes an amazing profile in the workshop as the finishing touches are being put to the deck and interior fit out.

Building a commercial boat on this scale is an important milestone for WMF. Already the company has a world first, having built and rigged the first five quad Yamaha F350 RIB in the world arena with many others following.

The new pilot boat elevates the company’s achievements to a whole new level.

This new boat nearing completion at WMF in Brisbane has an overall length of 17m, a beam of 5.7m and a displacement of 28.5 tonnes loaded. The pilot boat is designed to operate with a crew of three with the capability of carrying up to five pilots.

Power is provided in the form of dual Caterpillar C18, V8 diesel engines, producing 715hp per engine. The drive line is a conventional shaft drive with the designers predicting a maximum speed of 25 knots and cruise speed of 18 knots.

'We are really proud of our achievement on this project and the client is extremely impressed with the workmanship and professionalism Woody’s has maintained throughout the project,' said Stephen Plummer CEO of WMF.

'While our core business is in the area of RIB manufacturing, our Brisbane pilot boat customer recognised our broader capability in the manufacturing of larger alloy vessels.'

'We are very excited about the launch date to be followed by sea trials. This is a landmark project in the development of WMF. We believe that having proven our capability with the 17m pilot boat, we can expect more of this kind of work in the future and already we are in discussions for future vessels.'

The pilot boat was commissioned by a Brisbane based company, and when launched and commissioned will be located to WA where it will operate in the Port of Dampier. This is an exceptionally busy commercial port where pilotage is compulsory, except for vessels of 150 tonnes or less and those Masters who hold a valid Pilotage Exemption.

The design for the new pilot boat is from the drawing board of Carmarc Design in the UK. The company is recognised as one of the leading small boat design offices in Europe, specialising in multi chine, fast mono hulls from 5m to over 23m.

Prior to launch and sea trials, the pilot boat will be fitted out and painted at WMF in their workshops.

Woody Marine Fabricating (WMF) is a Brisbane based aluminium boat manufacturer with special emphasis in the design and manufacture of Rigid Hull Inflatable boats (RIBs) The company has a number of firsts, notable being the first manufacturer in the world to build a RIB with four Yamaha F350 outboards on the transom.