North River Boats, USA, has recently delivered the first of up to 95 boats in a five-year contract with the United States Coast Guard (USCG), the AB-Small (Aids to Navigation Boat – Small).
The boat will be deployed at land-based or Cutter-based Aids to Navigation Teams (ANT). The AB-Small is equipped with an EZ Loader single axle heavyduty trailer for launching via shore. It is also equipped with hoisting slings to be lifted on and off of Cutter Ships.
The 5.5-metre AB-Small is a combination of two different North River models, the "Revenge" and the "Sounder". It has a ten degree dead rise with a wide step chine for stability. The boat is powered by a pair of twin Honda 37kW EFI four-stroke outboard engines. The Honda four-stroke engines easily surpassed the minimum requirement of 70 nautical mile range and have a top speed of 31 knots. The AB-Small will have a 98-litre fuel tank. At a cruising speed of 26 knots, the boat only burns 18 litres per hour for both engines.
The AB-Small has a wide centre console to house an array of flush mounted electronics. It has a canopy to cover the operator and navigator that can be easily removed. A forward seat bench provides extra stowage as well as additional seating for the four-person capacity. A leaning/stowage box aft of the console provides access to batteries and additional stowage. A heavy duty D-bumper is installed around the gunwale of the boat for additional fendering protection.
Electronics have been provided by Johnson Hicks Marine out of California which includes: a Furuno MFD8 multi-function display for GPS, AIS tracking and mapping capabilities. An additional Furuno RD-30 provides depth soundings. A Simrad MX510 provides additional GPS Navigation and is equipped with specific Coast Guard software. It also has a Standard Horizon VHF radio installed. An ACR 2680 Class B AIS system is installed and networked into the Furuno MFD8.
