56' Harbor Pilot Boat

Length, Overall: 58’-6”
Length, Waterline: 51’-4”
Beam, Overall: 18’-1”
Draft: 4’-4”
Construction: Aluminum
Builder: Gladding-Hearn Shipbuilding,
Somerset, Massachusetts

Arrangement Plan

The Virginia Pilots required a fast shuttle and boarding boat for running pilots around Norfolk harbor, Hampton Roads and lower Chesapeake Bay. The boat serves as an auxiliary pilot station and is crewed 24/7. Full live aboard accommodations for crew are needed. Many pilot transfers are made pier side or at anchor so a special snubbed bow with steps was designed for easy and safe access. Good speed was important to maintain schedules. However, wake in the inner harbor was a concern, and fuel efficiency is always important. These factors, speed, efficiency and wake mitigation pointed towards a lightly loaded hull, but one still strong enough for rough pilot duty. Weight management was a big part of the structural design. Ride quality and good seakeeping can never be minimized in pilot operations that take place in all weathers and seas. The resulting hull design is a variant of the Hunt deep-v retaining the shapes that give it its excellent performance. Some modifications were employed minimizing transom immersion to control wake. A ride control system is used to optimize running trim in calm water, adding lift, and further mitigating wake. Virginia’s experience with two offshore boats powered by Volvo IPS drives has proven their speed and efficiency, and so that was their choice here. A top speed of about 35 knots is anticipated with a 30 knot service speed.