The only specialised marine publication in Oceania that focuses on the maritime industry, from super yachts to small craft to large commercial ships, including coastal shipping, tugs, tow boats, barges, ferries, tourist, sport-fishing craft, je
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The Arataki has a soft ride The spacious engineroom The doorway is sheltered from the elements striking lemon chrome-yellow. This colour makes her stand out vividly against other craft or in restricted visibility. The aluminium below the waterline was also blasted with abrasive, then coated using the full Zeca copper- based antifouling system. Special contrasting pilot boat decals add the finishing touches to this handsome vessel. She features wide decks, safety rails and travellers The pilothouse seats six from the water, and an extended operating range well beyond what is required for the reasonably short runs from the dock near the entrance to Tauranga Harbour. Strong tidal influences experienced in the harbour entrance require her to be able to handle the difficult wind-over-tide conditions which often occur. The result is the Arataki has a very soft ride so she can maintain a high average speed, even in rough seas. The aft sections are reasonably flat and allow her to achieve respectable top and cruising speeds and the keel maintains directional control in a following sea. This style of hull is well proven in various parts of the world, including the lobster boat fleet operating off Western Australia. "Regular visits to the Q-West yard over the building period allowed the port to have confidence in the building programme without compromising the ability of Q-West to get on with the job required," said the port operations manager, Nigel Drake. "The resulting standard of build and detail is a credit to all the parties involved." The Arataki's 16.3m length and service speed of 25 knots provide the flexibility of working in the often rough seas off the exposed Bay of Plenty coast. She is expected to excel in these conditions in the course of her everyday work around the port. As the Arataki will be the first contact with the port for ships' officers and also represents its corporate image, she has a striking external colour scheme. After blasting her aluminum hull above the waterline with abrasive, the contractor, Altex Coatings Limited, applied an Altex epoxy anti-corrosive system, followed by the finishing coats of E-Line 379 epoxy paint in a 26 NZ WORKBOAT REVIEW 2012 around the foredeck and rescue arrangements at the stern for retrieving a person from the water. The wheelhouse affords excellent visibility for all on board and incorporates a state-of-the-art Garmin electronics system supplied by Bay Marine Electronics. The choice of a full Garmin navigation and communication package is significant. Typically, we would expect Furuno or Simrad solutions to be the usual choice. However, when the port asked for ideas on a system for the new vessel, Bay Marine Electronics was keen to let the team know where Garmin had moved to in the market in terms of their larger multi-function systems. As the Arataki has a number of skippers operating her, it was important for the system to be easy to use so they could come up to speed quickly without having to dive into the operating manuals. The Garmin's intuitive and easy touch-screen interface immediately appealed. After investigating all the other manufacturers' solutions, the port decided to go with a full Garmin system consisting of three GPSMAP7015 multi-function displays, with dual processors for zero map redraw. Networked into these displays are a Garmin GMR24HD 48nm digital radar scanner, a digital sounder module, an AIS transponder and two VHF radios. The package also includes a low-power DC computer developed by Bay Marine Electronics. There is no need for a separate computer screen, as the PC is interfaced to the Garmin so any display can act as a monitor. Steering is by the TMQ C-Drive electric steering system, which Q-West says it frequently specifies, as there is no need for bulky hydraulics. She has a wheel at the helmstation and a toggle on the aft deck is a second steering option. A select button activates each station. Fast steering responses are especially important for this pilot boat. Her skipper needs to be able to steer quickly for close manoeuvres around large ships in rough conditions, so the system requires only one turn from lock to lock at the helm.