(CHESAPEAKE, Va.) — Volvo Penta of the Americas has been selected to supply the engines, drives and controls for the new U.S. Coast Guard cutter boat large (CBL) rigid-hull inflatable boats (RIBs), which are being built at Metal Craft Marine.
The boats will be powered by Volvo Penta three-liter 220-hp diesel Aquamatic stern drive systems with HD controls.
The Coast Guard awarded a five-year indefinite-delivery indefinite-quantity (IDIQ) contract to Metal Craft to build and deliver a minimum of 46 new 23-foot RIBs with deliveries to begin in 2019. They will be constructed at Metal Craft’s shipyard in Cape Vincent, N.Y.
The RIBs are designed for a top speed of 35-plus knots carrying up to 13 passengers with an operating range of 200 nautical miles in up to 13-foot wave heights. They will be carried on three different classes of U.S. Coast Guard cutters.
