VESSEL REVIEW | James Fulford – Compact patrol RIB for Turks and Caicos Islands Regiment
The Turks and Caicos Islands Regiment, an overseas home defence unit under the British Army, commissioned the patrol boat James Fulford in Grand Turk on February 18, 2026, adding a third full-cabin, outboard-powered boat to a fleet used to police the islands' territorial waters.
The boat was built by Safe Boats International of Bremerton, Washington, and was named after James Edward "Bobby" Fulford, a World War II veteran from Grand Turk.
James Fulford has an LOA of 10.2 metres (33.5 feet), a beam of 3.1 metres (10 feet), and a draught of only 0.5 metre (1.6 feet) with the outboards trimmed up. Transom deadrise is 25 degrees. Lightship displacement is 11,500 pounds (5,200 kg), operational weight is 13,330 pounds (6,046 kg) and maximum payload is 3,640 pounds (1,650 kg).
On a trailer, the boat measures 44.3 feet (13.5 metres) long and 11.5 feet (3.51 metres) high, allowing it to be moved by road between bases.
Durable construction coupled with stability-enhancing features
The hull is welded aluminium with a 5/16-inch 5086 bottom plate. The bottom incorporates fully welded lifting strakes, a stepped transom with a speed shoe, and a reinforced keel beaching plate for running the bow onto shore.
Below the collar, the builder fitted what it calls performance wings, which it said can add lift and stabilisation during manoeuvring. The collar is a 100 per cent foam with a black rubstrake.
The full cabin is fitted with weathertight doors aft and on both sides, sliding aft side windows, and tinted overhead spotter windows for tracking aircraft or watching a target while the helm is occupied. All glazing is safety glass.
A swing-down radar pod sits above the cabin, and a handrail system with rubberised wrap runs around the exterior. The electronics include a Raymarine radar and a Teledyne FLIR rotating thermal camera.
Laid out for search and rescue missions
The helm is on the starboard side with an overhead instrument panel. Two seats with seatbelts and fore-aft and height adjustment are provided for the coxswain and navigator. Aft of these are port and starboard jump seats that double as storage boxes.
Forward, a cuddy with a weathertight access hatch and an overhead ceiling hatch contains upholstered bench seating on both sides, giving the crew a sheltered space for detained persons, casualties or off-watch personnel. Two ventilation fans, marine-grade carpet and insulation and an upholstered headliner are standard.
The forward cockpit and main deck are self-bailing with high-volume scuppers, and walking surfaces are finished in black non-skid with rubberised matting inside the cabin. A bow storage and anchor locker opens aft, two rigging lockers aft have topside access, and there is a transom inspection hatch.
Six 10-inch cast aluminium cleats are welded to the hull, together with pick eyes fitted with stainless steel inserts and a bow eye fitted with triple stainless steel inserts. The hull also has transom tie-downs and fore-and-aft tow posts.
A motor guard on the bracket surrounding the Mercury outboards doubles as a tow line guide, and a telescoping swim ladder is mounted on the same bracket for recovering people from the water.
The electrical system runs on 12 V DC from a single house battery controlled by a switch, together with a marine grade breaker panel and five power receptacles, two on the arch, two on the dash and one on the gauge pod.
The lighting package comprises running and anchor lights using LEDs, plus interior and exterior walkway lights that can be dimmed independently, three red and white dome lights, and four LED floodlights, two of which cover the aft deck. The red lighting option preserves night vision during evening patrols.
Safety equipment includes three fire extinguishers, a life ring mount, carbon monoxide detectors in the cabin and a cabin dewatering pump. Sacrificial anodes protect the hull.
Proven in operational service
The boat's first documented major operation came on the night (local time) of May 31, 2026, when it intercepted a vessel with 240 illegal migrants aboard in TCI territorial waters. The US Coast Guard Southeast District command centre had received a report of an overloaded boat taking on water about 15 miles (24 kilomeres) south of the islands, and aircrew from Coast Guard Air Station Miami guided two regiment and Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force marine units to the scene.
The 240 people, who claimed to be Haitian nationals, were handed to the police marine branch and then to the TCI Border Force for health and security screening.
