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St. John's Class

  • Ray Hunt Design LA Federal Pilot Boat
  • Ray Hunt Design LA Federal Pilot Boat
  • Ray Hunt Design LA Federal Pilot Boat
  • Ray Hunt Design LA Federal Pilot Boat
  • Ray Hunt Design LA Federal Pilot Boat
  • Ray Hunt Design Delta Pilot Boat
  • Ray Hunt Design Delta Pilot Boat
  • Ray Hunt Design Delta Pilot Boat

Length Overall: 53-0"
Beam: 16'-10"
Draft: 4'-8"
Displacement: 51,000 lbs
Power: Twin Caterpillar, Cummins, or MTU 14 to 18 Liter Diesel / 600 to 700 BHP @ 2,100 RPM
Speed: 20-24 kts Cruise / 26-28 kts Max
Fuel Capacity: 690 USG
Fuel Capacity: 25 USG
Construction: Aluminum
Accommodations: Seating for helmsman and 4 to 6 pilots in pilot house. Berthing for 2 crew.
Builder: Gladding-Hearn Shipbuilding, Somerset, Massachusetts

The St. John's River Bar Pilots in Jacksonville, Florida ordered the first in a new class of pilot boats designed to handle the challenges of deeper draft ships, running at faster boarding speeds, sometimes 10 knots or more. In the new series, the Hunt deep-V hull is further refined; additional dead rise allows greater ride comfort at higher speeds, and increased topsides flare upgrades performance alongside boarded vessels, and maintains dryness. Spray strips below the chine are individually sized for each boat, depending on its expected speed and weight.

Pilots board via the side or from a roof boarding platform accessed from an aft-located ladder. Roof-mounted hatches allow for visibility, ventilation and communication.

Interior accommodation has been refined as well. Pilots ride in state-of-the-art seats, fully adjustable for comfort and support. Instruments and navigation/communication gear are ergonomically placed to allow secure all-weather operation. Interior noise levels are minimized by thoroughly insulating the engine compartment, and by controlling noise-producing vibration at its source through the use of engineered mounting materials. A 24,000 Btu air conditioning unit is mounted in the pilothouse, and engine coolant provides heat through fan-coil and baseboard units. Accommodations below include upper and lower berths, a settee and table, a head and a galley. Pilot safety is addressed with wide side decks, heated hand-rails, and a rescue recess and Jacob's Cradle aft. Extra windows are located low down in the pilothouse front and sides to assure the helmsman's view of a boarding pilot.