(VALLEJO, Calif.) — Moose Boats recently delivered an M1-46 offshore patrol boat to the state of California’s Department of Fish and Wildlife. The vessel, Chinook, will be based out of Fort Bragg, Calif.
Twin Volvo Penta D11 625-hp turbo diesel propulsion engines, Twin Disc transmissions and HamiltonJet waterjets with Blue Arrow and Jet Anchor station-keeping controls power the 46-foot aluminum catamaran. Accommodations are designed around extended patrol duties for a crew of up to four with Allsalt Shoxs shock-mitigating seats and berthing for each crewmember, a full galley, dinette table, head and shower facilities, and an onboard desalinization plant.
Electronics and navigation equipment includes a comprehensive Raymarine navigation suite including Axiom 12 multi-function screens, open array radar, autopilot, RealVision sonar and secure AIS. A FLIR M617CS gyro-stabilized thermal imaging camera will complement several network cameras integrated into a GOST Watch video recording system. Communications equipment includes Icom, Motorola, KVH and Pyramid radio and satellite systems.
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife’s vessel specifications called for comprehensive deck and interior outfitting to enable extended operations for game wardens while performing enforcement and wildlife sampling duties off the Northern California coastline. In response, Moose Boats integrated Freeman side sliding doors into port and starboard sides of the wide cabin, allowing the crew to freely communicate with commercial and recreational boaters as well as serve as secondary ingress and egress for the crew. A custom 24-inch-tall fendering collar profile allows the M1-46 catamaran to make contact with both high and low freeboard vessels. Game wardens can retrieve commercial crab traps with an electro-hydraulic pot hauler.
A secondary HamiltonJet Blue Arrow and Jet Anchor control station for the catamaran is located on top of the cabin, allowing game wardens to maneuver and automatically hold station with greater situational awareness during wildlife sampling and vessel boarding operations.
Chinook will join the department’s Moose Boats M2-38 catamaran, Cabezon, in protecting Northern California’s marine ecosystem and enhancing the safety of its commercial and recreational mariners.
– Moose Boats
