Happy campers
IN THE BAY
Coastguard Whakatane has a busy job, especially in summer with so many people
heading for the Bay to enjoy a few weeks of sunshine and sea air.
W
inter can have its moments too, like
when a couple of teenagers were
stranded on the cliff face at Kohi Point
recently, and LandSAR (New Zealand
Land Search and Rescue) asked for their assistance getting the pair down safely.
Coastguard Whakatane transported all the climbing
gear plus eight LandSAR personnel around to the point,
and even with a boat full of people and gear, the size and
room of Whakatane Rescue II made the trip around to the
point comfortable and safe. The rescue took four hours
which meant they were working in darkness near the
end, so the boat's remote spot lights came in very handy.
There's no doubt that Coastguard Whakatane are very
pleased indeed with their new addition. They say, "The
layout and design has exceeded everyone's expectations.
The extra room in the cabin and front cabin has been
great, with plenty of room to move and ample storage.
Although not enclosed it is still comfortable and dry.
The twin 300hp outboards give the extra towing power
needed on the bar with the larger boats."
Coastguard Whakatane set up a project team of four
to manage the design and build when they decided to
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NZ WORKBOAT REVIEW 2013
build a new vessel. The first decision was easy – fibreglass
or alloy? The existing rescue vessel had been involved in
recovering six people from a vessel aground on rocks in
circumstances where a fibreglass boat would not have
survived the action, so alloy was a no-brainer.
Next came the decision about design. The project
team all held the strong opinion that with limited
exceptions, Coastguard rescue boats need to be rigidhull inflatables, so that wasn't a contentious issue. With
the main parameters agreed, the decision then was who
would design the vessel.
A number of designs were considered and compared
and all paths led to Naiad. The main drivers were Naiad's
acknowledged expertise and international reputation in
RHIB design, and that the pontoons are a functional
part of the hull's stability and performance – unlike many
competitors which are really conventional hulls with
pontoons attached as fenders.
Size was a limiting factor. The existing shed would
take a 10m boat together with the launching tractor with
a little bit to spare. Naiad conveniently offered two hull
options: a 10m with outboard power and a 10.2m with
waterjet power. Both options featured a forward-raked
