Featured Boat

Gladding-Hearn Shipbuilding

SOMERSET, Mass. – The Virginia Pilot Association has taken delivery of a Chesapeake class MKII launch from Gladding-Hearn Shipbuilding. The MKII, a new generation of the shipyard’s popular Chesapeake class launch, is the Virginia pilots’ eighth Gladding-Hearn pilot boat. Since the Chesapeake class was introduced by the Somerset, Mass. shipyard in 2003, 20 have been delivered to pilot associations throughout the United States. The latest improvements incorporate the performance benefits of Volvo Penta’s IPS 3 pod system, which provides for higher speed, lower fuel consumption, and more comfort, explained Peter Duclos, the shipyard’s president. With a deep-V hull designed by C. Raymond Hunt & Associates, the all aluminum pilot boat measures 55.10 feet overall, with a 17.2-foot beam and a 4.11-foot draft. It is powered by twin Volvo Penta D13-700, EPA Tier 3-certified diesel engines, each producing 700 Bhp at 2250 rpm. Each engine is connected to a Volvo Penta IPS-3 propulsion pod, fitted with dual forward-facing, counter-rotating propellers and integrated exhaust system, and Volvo Penta’s integrated EPS electronic steering and control system. The vessel’s top speed is over 32 knots. Outside of the wheelhouse are heated side-decks and handrails, and boarding platforms on the roof and, port and starboard, on the foredeck. A control station is located at the transom, along with a winch-operated, rotating davit over a recessed platform for pilot rescue operations. For more information, contact Gladding-Hearn Shipbuilding, Duclos Corporation, Peter Duclos (508) 676-8596.