Hi Chris,
that's a tough question and I could spend all day answering it so here's a very brief outline. In my opinion there's no such thing as a multi purpose boat that works well in all situations. However my favorite choice of boats to drive in a direct action situation would be the 6m Avon sea rider and Halmatic Arctic 22. Best fitted out so the centre of gravity is low as possible and powered by the maximum allowed two stroke generated horsepower for the hull.
I tend to like boats which are difficult to break or have had all of their fittings smashed or broken off and replaced by hardier ones, homespun or aftermarket heavy duty.
My favorite ever boat was an old aluminium "task force" boat (featured in my album here) Most other people hated it because it seemed to have a mind of its own when driven in any kind of rough sea state. Not to mention being very ugly having been finished off with orange plastic barrels instead of an inflatable sponson. The barrels in my opinion outperformed inflatable sponson. They were quickly and easily replaced or fixed and it didn't make much difference if they were holed anyway.
Jet boats I find very useful when working in areas where props tend to get fouled such as fishing nets or for driving over ropes, barriers and booms. Ocean dynamics make some of the better jet boats I've driven.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Chris
Al,
Just to really throw the cat in amongst the pigeons and seeing from your pictures that you have helmed such a variety of boats and engines in various sea states would you share with us your thoughts on your favourite hulls & engines also any equipment you found did not perform as expected when it came to use in extreme conditions. ? |
Great selection of photos btw - brave and mad all at the same time.
