The Nanaimo Port Authority has chosen Daigle Welding & Marine Ltd. of Campbell River, B.C., to design and build their new EagleCraft 39′ Pilot/Patrol boat. The ‘NPA Osprey’, designed by Steve Daigle and his naval architect Felipe Garcia, will be a multi-task vessel constructed specifically to meet the duties of a pilot boat, patrol vessel, fire boat and water ambulance for the Port of Nanaimo. It is expected to be in service this spring- just in time for the start of the port’s cruise ship season.

The NPA Osprey is the second vessel that the Nanaimo Port Authority has purchased in the past year from Daigle Welding & Marine Ltd. The ‘NPA Eagle’, a 32′ smaller version of the new 39′ vessel purchased in 2011, recently had a new 110 H.P. diesel fire pump installed with monitors on the bow and stern.

“We have been very pleased with the quality of work performed by [Daigle Welding & Marine] on our existing vessel, the NPA Eagle, and look forward to the completion of the new build. Having two near sister vessels will provide operational efficiencies from a critical spares and training perspective. Having a local builder produce a product of this caliber is a testament to the skills and innovation of the West coast boat building industry.” (Edward Dahlgren- NPA)

NPA OSPREY SPECIFICATIONS:
LOA 11.9 meters
BEAM – overall including fendering 4.0 meters
DRAFT DISPLACEMENT – estimated 1.14 meters
FUEL CAPACITY 900 liters
ESTIMATED TOP SPEED 26 knots
ESTIMATED CRUISE SPEED 23 knots
TONNAGE APPROXIMATELY 13 Gross tons

MACHINERY
Twin 370 H.P. Volvo D-6 3701-E BT diesel engines, c/w 3 station electric controls.
Hurth HS801VE close coupled V drives, 2.49:1 ratio.
KeyPower 8″ hydraulic bow and stern thrusters c/w load sensing hydraulic pumps to be mounted on each engine. 3 Station controls.
Two 2 1/4″ Aquamat propeller shafts with 26″ x 24″ 4 blade Nibral Michigan wheels, counter-rotating.

FIRE FIGHTING EQUIPMENT
Steyr M0114K33 – 110 H.P. marine diesel.
Aquis 1.5 foam system.
Warous CPD direct drive water pump.
GHH Rand 80 CFM compressor for the foam system
Two fire monitors – one located on bow, one located on stern.

ELECTRONICS AND ELECTRICAL
FLIR night vision camera & display.
Two Lowrance HD10 color radar plotter depth finder, with side scan sonar.
4 ICOM VHF radios, fire department VHF.
Two RCL 100 spotlights with 3 station controls.
Magnum 2800 watt inverter.

OTHER FEATURES
Esbar D-4 diesel furnace.
3 Station controls- helms in cabin, command bridge and aft deck.
Ambulance stretcher area.
Head compartment.
3″ Rubber fendering around shear and swim grid.

SAFETY EQUIPMENT
Man over-board retrieval system.
16 man Zodiac life raft.
C02 fire extinguisher system.

VESSEL CONSTRUCTION SPECIFICATIONS
5/16″ 5086 H116 Bottom Plate.
1/2″ 5086 H116 Propeller shaft tunnels.
1/4″ 5086 H116 Sides.
5/16″ 5086 H116 Transom.
Diamond Sea Glaze windows and door.
AWL Grip polyurethane paint top sides.
Endura epoxy non-skid decks.
Interlux Trilux II anti fouling bottom paint
Constructed to Transport Canada TP1332 construction standard for small commercial vessels, and TP10531 standards for pilot vessels.
ISO 12217-1 Stability, ISO 11812 Cockpit drainage

Daigle Welding & Marine Ltd. have been designing and building EagleCraft custom aluminum boats in Campbell River since 1985. They have an international reputation for building quality aluminum boats and have shipped their products around the globe; including Russia, Norway, Chile, and the United States. Daigle has built several patrol vessels for the federal, provincial and municipal governments, and recently built the Vancouver City Police boat.

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Keith Wilson here’,

I have just got the river boat ready for the season and the thought passed my mind that I needed to relate what a great boat it has been.I have over 1000 hrs. of River running time including such rivers as the Gold /Stamp etc. [when it was legal as well as most of the wilder rivers off of the Skeena including the Gitnadoux/Exchamsiks etc.The Nass and Meziadin bring memories.

I have hauled 1500 lbs of fertilizer and 4 adults for a reseeding program on an Island in the back channels of the Fraser.I have run from Abbotsford to the upper Fraser canyon.On one occasion at full throttle I had a steering failure which whipped the boat around violently but there was never a feeling that it was going to dump.

Although I am careful as can be with the boat it has been put thru it’s paces. I have bought and sold 5 river boats since you built me this one but always come back to this boat.

It has not required one spec of repair to the hull/centercounsel/gas tank or any other structure on the boat.I have had only one small electrical problem due to a frayed wire and this is it’s 12th season.

If anyone needs a boat of this type then they must very carefully consider your boat. My friends have had other welded boats from the Island from other manufacturers that have had several issues including cracked welds, washboard bottoms etc- and they were not used anywhere near what my boat has been.

I guess this sort of turned out to be a testimonial and if so it is the first one I have ever written on anything. There is not a better boat out there but maybe I’m wasting time as anyone familiar with your boats already knows that. Feel free to share my thoughts with anyone,

‘ Keith

Steve,

I do feel a sense of sadness and loss selling Tin Boat, but it pleases me that the new owners are old friends of yours.

I feel priviledged to have owned a “Daigle” boat, and to have utilized it extensively. I consider Tin Boat to be one of the finest cruisers of its size manufactured in the Americas, if not the world. there may be others of equal quality and utility, but not likely superior. The whole experience from the time we met you in July 2003 and contracted Tin Boat, down to the present day has been a positive life influencing experience. Thank you, Steve Daigle.

I would be most pleased to read helen’s book. Louise and I have done the Blind Channel thing multible times, but we never explored Loughbough Inlet. I did check the Inlet out on Google Earth recently and noticed there seems to be a large floating facility located in Loughbough with a ship docked along side. Maybe we will check it out some time in the future, eh?

I look forward to Dane and Helen’s whole story next time we get together.

Ciao,

Dick

We are proud to announce the successful launch of Daigle Marine’s biggest, baddest aluminum landing craft to date. At 46’ and powered by twin Volvo Penta D6 330HP turbo diesels, the ‘Sugloo’ can cruise comfortably at 22 knots (empty) and has a load capacity of approximately 20,000 lbs. Every EagleCraft manufactured here in Campbell River is built to withstand the tough conditions faced on the West coast. This vessel, however, is on its way to its new Arctic home in Inuvik, NWT, where it will be operated by Sugloo Marine Services. The ‘Sugloo’ will be used to transport supplies and cargo to remote and otherwise isolated Arctic communities along the MacKenzie River and the Beaufort Sea, such as Tuktoyaktuk.

Other Features of the ‘Sugloo’:

• 6,000lb Capacity Hiab Crane with a 20ft reach
• Front loading ramp- operated using two Pull Master Hydraulic Winches
• 20kw Northern Lights Diesel Generator that has a PTO to run the hydraulics

Click here for details and pricing

Hi Steve,

The boat is now home for a week or two, then off to the ocean. I have had a little more time to look her over and she is totally awsome.

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Dear Steve,

I would like to express our how much we’ve enjoyed our first year on our new boat. After doing much research I can honestly say that the Eagle Craft 32 Cruiser met all our requirements for a family boat.

When shopping for boats we had specific criteria in mind…

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“Merlin”, a 33′ EagleCraft Cruiser

After putting on 98 hours and 1500 miles I am pleased to report that our 34th boat is the Safest and Most Versitile Boat we have ever owned….and you can quote me on that.

I suppose my now you have heard that I hit a rock some 60 miles south of Juneau…..my mistake and Reg was a great help in locating the Volvo guy in Juneau…..and he was a very good guy.

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