When you have to get underway in a boat for work the weather is usually bad, high seas, cold, rain, poor visibility, and after midnight darkness.
There is nothing worse than having the wrong tool for the job, in this case the wrong boat. I could literally go on and on about how bad some of the Coast Guard Small Boats and Cutters were designed, and built. Boston Whalers that just destroyed us and themselves. The Government seems to really screw up when they buy tools for the crews.
For the boat builders the government contract can be coveted or be a curse. Some of the very best boat builders won’t even begin to attempt the challenges of soliciting for a government contract and it seems the builders that are great at getting contracts are not so good at building boats. I know of a circumstance where the poor design of a Coast Guard Boat was at least a contributing factor to a fatal boating accident and that part of the story was just pushed back into the closet and the builds continued.
I hope some of our reputable boat building friends got visibility on the latest request for information and are already working to fulfill the request. Not only is this a great opportunity to increase sales but also bring a better tool to the forces guarding our boarders and protecting our lives.
CBP is planning to procure numerous ‘Coastal Interceptor Vessels’
CBP wants to hear from boat manufacturers interested in building an unspecified quantity of “Coastal Interceptor Vessels” (CIVs) that could be used to pursue suspect vessels and enable CBP personnel to board and search such vessels; arrest violators; and seize the vessel and any contraband it was carrying. “The CIV shall be capable of tactical and interdiction operations that include performing high speed maneuvers and turns in close proximity of another vessel,” explains a Request for Information (RFI) issued by CBP on May 31. The interceptor vessels will have an overall length of 42 feet, a maximum beam of 11 feet, a maximum draft of 36 inches, a range of 400 nautical miles and a speed of 60 knots, says the pre-solicitation notice. The vessel will be constructed of fiberglass reinforced plastic and have a crew capacity of four, which would be accommodated in shock-mitigating seats. “The vessel shall include the hull, deck, console, T-top, propulsion, electrical system, command & control, tanks, steering, trim tabs, outfitting, and road trailer,” said the CBP notice. The “mission systems” (including sensors, radios, and data links) would be integrated by a third-party vendor, said the RFI. Prospective boat builders have until June 19 to ask questions of CBP, and have until June 26 to submit their responses to the RFI, which should not exceed a 50-page maximum.
Details Here: https://www.fbo.gov/index?s=opportun…=core&_cview=0
Further information is available from Ronald Rosenberg at 202-344-2985 or ronald.rosenberg@dhs.gov.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=odrYyJmtdVM
