Eco Tender: Adventure & Tourism Vessels
Western Australia-based Eco Abrolhos Charters approached Southerly Designs in December 2015 to design a fleet of four new tenders to support its tourist activities around the West Australian coastline from the Abrolhos Islands to the Kimberly.
There were numerous challenges for the build specifications – the vessels needed to be able to support fishing, diving, sightseeing and other adventure tourism activities in both offshore waters and on extended trips in the protected rivers and inlets of the Kimberly coast.
The combined passenger capacity needed to reach 38 to cater for the entire guest complement of the customer’s flagship, the ‘Eco Abrolhos’. The vessels also needed to provide easy and safe access both from the mothership and for beach landings that were suitable for guests of all ages and abilities.
The boats were restricted to a maximum length of six metres in order to be stowed in existing positions on board the mothership and also be light enough to be handled by the existing ships cranes. Additionally, all four craft needed to be delivered surveyed and sea trialled prior to departure for the Kimberly cruising season in May 2016.
To meet this demanding delivery schedule the construction of the four vessels was divided amongst three separate boat builders. One craft each was constructed by C-Side Marine Engineering and Reel Boats in Geraldton and two vessels were constructed
at Dongara Marine in Port Denison. Dividing the build in this way did present some challenges in the coordination of detailing and outfitting in order to achieve a consistent result across all four craft.
The final design for the tenders came in at 6.0 metres by 2.4 metres, fitting the available space with millimetres to spare, and powered by a single 105kW four-stroke Suzuki outboard. In full AMSA class 2D survey the vessels have a capacity of eight passengers and two crew members, at which load they still feel steady and comfortable and are able to reach a speed of 25 knots. In addition, they are registered as auxiliary craft to the mother ship, enabling operations in offshore areas.
Read the full Ausmarine article
Specifications
| Vessel Length | 6.0 Meters |
|---|---|
| Launch Date | Apr 2015 |
| Vessel Type | Adventure Tourism Tender |
| Survey Class | AMSA-NSCV 2D |
| Number of Vessels | 4 |
| Builder | C-Side Marine, Reel Boats, Dongara Marine |
| Construction Material | Marine Grade Aluminium |
| LOA | 6.4 m |
| Beam | 2.4 m |
| Main Engines | 1 x Suzuki 140hp Outboard |
| Propulsion | Outboard Motor |
| Speed Max | 25 kts |
| Speed Cruise | 15 kts |
| Fuel Capacity | 60 L |
| Crew | 2 |
| Passengers | 8 |
Design Types: Tourist and Charter Vessels, Utility Vessels
