Skip to main content.

Texas Class

  • Ray Hunt Design 70 ft Triple IPS Pilot Boat
  • Ray Hunt Design 70 ft Triple IPS Pilot Boat
  • Ray Hunt Design 70 ft Triple IPS Pilot Boat
  • Ray Hunt Design 70 ft Lake Charles Pilot Boat Cameron Pilot II
  • Ray Hunt Design 70 ft Lake Charles Pilot Boat rendering

Length Overall: 73'-2"
Beam: 21'-4"
Draft: 5'-10"
Displacement: 50 tons
Power: Triple Volvo-Penta IPS III Pod drives w/ D13 EPA Tier III Diesels, (3) x 800 BHP
Speed: 30 kts Cont. Service / 33 kts Top Speed
Fuel Capacity: 1500 USG
Water Capacity: 56 USG
Construction: Aluminum
Accommodations: Seating for helmsman, navigator, 6 pilots. Galley with dinette. Head. Berth for crew.
Builder: Gladding-Hearn Shipbuilding, Somerset, Massachusetts

Video

The TEXAS was the first waterjet pilot boat designed by Ray Hunt Design. For pilot boat applications, waterjets offer shallow water capability, reduced downtime when compared to conventional underwater gear (which is subject to damage from grounding and debris), and increased manueverability alongside ships and docks. Waterjets also allow uniform engine loading which results in both longer life between overhauls, and reduced vibration levels. Alternate power is triple Volvo Penta IPS pod drives. Pods have proven to be maneuverable, economical and reliable.

Three boats are in service for The Galveston-Texas City Pilots. The first was built in 2005, followed by a second boat built in 2010, and the most recent delivered in 2022.

The Lake Charles Pilots commissioned a propeller-driven version of the very successful 70-foot hull in 2019 with the delivery of the “Cameron Pilot II”. Powered by twin 38 liter, EPA Tier 3 Cummins engines that drive propellers in tunnels for reduced draft and improved performance. A second, virtually identical vessel was recently commissioned with the new Tier 4 versions of those same 38 liter Cummins engines. Delivery to be mid to late 2025.