Hennepin County Sheriff accepts patrol boat for Mississippi operations

Wisconsin-based Lake Assault Boats has delivered an 8.5-metre rescue vessel to the Hennepin County Sheriff’s water patrol unit in Minneapolis.

Powered by a pair of Mercury Verado 223kW engines with digital throttle, shift and power steering, the craft with a modified V-hull configuration is outfitted with a 1.6-metre hydraulically operated bow door, and two 0.86-metre dive doors.

The 2.7-metre-long pilot house is CBRNE compliant, with radiation, chemical, and biological detection systems.

The boat also features an interior clearance height of 1.9 metres, a fold-down work station and a computer desk attached to the rear of the helm station.

The boat is equipped with two Lowrance touchscreen monitors, GPS, sonar, chartplotting, StructureScan sonar and a SpitzLift aluminium davit crane.

The sheriff’s water patrol unit is responsible for boating enforcement, education and emergencies in waterways such as Lake Minnetonka and sections of the Mississippi River.