Armstrong Marine has grown out of the solid history of aluminium boat construction in the North-West Pacific region. Having supplieded their vessels to both sides of the Canada-US border, they have earned a strong reputation for quality at the Port Angeles location. As with much of the early aluminium boat building, they started with fishing boats and have expanded to a wide range of workboats including both monohulls and catamarans.
Armstrong Marine’s latest delivery is an innovative vessel that illustrates the yard’s ability to excel with one-off designs. Built for Badinotti Net Services Canada, the 11.90 LOA by 6 metre beam catamaran is dedicated to the in-water cleaning of salmon farm nets. The two hulls have a moulded depth of 2.49 meters. With a wheelhouse set well forward, the vessel has a wide expanse of aft deck to support the net cleaning equipment.
Badinotti’s Canadian CEO Kevin Onclin explained the evolving need that the boat and its equipment are designed to meet.
“In 2017 most farm companies have completely eliminated the use of antifouling coatings from their operations. As a result the traditional business model for the net service that relied upon dipping or coating of nets had to adapt and reinvent operations to keep pace. Badinotti Net Services added the department of On Site Net Washing (OSW) over three years ago in order to respond to our customers’ new service requirements,” he said.
The process of cleaning a net in the water, requires a Remote Controlled Net Cleaner (RONC) managed by an operator on a boat. Initially working from the deck of a converted fishing boat, the firm spent two years researching and developing the concept of a dedicated vessel. The result is the Bravo II, Kevin Onclin said.
“We were looking to custom build a boat for on-site washing that would maximise the efficiencies for the machinery, equipment and crews. We selected a catamaran design to create a stable safe working platform for the crews and machinery as most of the hours of operation occur at the farm sites as opposed to travelling between or to sites.”
The extended design period allowed attention to detail to fully outfit the vessel to the job, For example the boat produces 750 gallons of fresh water per day which allows all of the net cleaning equipment, which is run with salt water, to be soaked and rinsed on a routine basis. This will extend the life of all the working parts. Bravo II is designed with accommodation for a crew of four.
A pair of Cummins Marine QSB6.7 engines each delivering 480hp at 3000rpm power the new vessel. The engines turn 28 by 24-inch four-blade dyan quad bronze props on two-inch shafts through ZF286A gears with1.962:1 ratios. With counter-rotating propellers, together with an Imtra SH300 bow thruster, the boat has excellent station keeping abilities. The catamaran, delivered in January this year, has a top speed of twelve knots and cruises at ten knots.
The two RONCs are launched with the aide of a MPH knuckle-boom marine crane with a 1000kg lift at 7.60m. They are controlled via CCTV monitors and joy sticks by two operators seated in a aft deck mounted compartment.
