Auckland based Nic de Waal’s (Teknicraft) aluminium catamaran patrol boat Captain Murchison is now in service for the law enforcement division of Texas Parks and Wildlife (TPWD).
She is the first vessel in North America to feature HamiltonJet’s “advanced vessel control” (AVX) system. Texas game wardens are the first line of defence in the state’s and nation’s border security initiatives in the Gulf of Mexico. The game wardens needed a vessel capable of operating in adverse sea and weather conditions to fulfil this mission.
TPWD is responsible for patrolling the state waters of Texas, out to nine nautical miles in the Gulf of Mexico. However, TPWD and Texas Game Wardens also patrol an additional 200 nautical miles into exclusive economic zones through a joint enforcement agreement with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Teknicraft developed the extended bow of the demi-hull shape to further enhance the seakeeping characteristics of the company’s signature hull shape. Essentially, the hull shape has not changed, except for the finely shaped piercing bow extensions.
The new bow shape has a number of advantages without compromising on any of the existing seakeeping or low resistance qualities of the hull. The hull extensions are shaped to have very little freeboard, whereby they significantly reduce vertical accelerations in choppy seas whilst also reducing pitching motion.
The extended hull length reduces rolling motions when operating in quartering seas, whilst straight tracking is enhanced in following seas. Together, these characteristics ensure that the seakeeping is enhanced, resulting in a softer ride and more comfort for the crew, particularly in rough seas.
As a result of the reduced pitching motion in choppy seas, the angle of attack of the hydrofoil remains more constant, whereby efficiency is increased, vessel speed variations become less sensitive to seastate, and fuel consumption is reduced.
The 24.3m Captain Murchison features twin Caterpiller C18 ACERT D engines with HamiltonJet HM 521 waterjets, and is the first vessel in North America to feature HamiltonJet’s “advanced vessel control” (AVX) system. The new AVX features include both a station-keeping and a JETanchor positioning system.
