The vessel in the photo is the "Shellfish Express", a new all aluminum oyster dredge, owned and operated by Coast Seafoods Company in South Bend, Washington. www.coastseafoods.com. Coast Seafoods Company is a 50% partner in our company, Penn Cove Shellfish, LLC., and we contracted to build the boat for Coast Seafoods.
Penn Cove Shellfish, LLC. contracted and managed the project and hired our long time boat and equipment manufacturer, Stewart Everest of Everest Marine, to partner up to design and fabricate the vessel. The boat was fabricated in the boat shop owned by Everest Marine in Burlington, Washington. The keel was layed on 14 February, 2005 and the vessel was launched in LaConner, Washington on 26 July, 2005. The vessel is 58' long, has a 16' beam and draws 20" empty. The vessel is powered by a keel cooled John Deere Marine 6081AFM M-3 rated diesel providing 330 hp at 2300 rpm. The power transitions to a Traktor Jet 609HT through a ZF-305 2.9:1 Marine Transmission with a shaft coupling provided by North American Marine Jet.
The vessel weighs approximately 43,000 pounds speed at sea trials...
2400 rpm = 295 hp = 12.0 knots
2300 rpm = 259 hp = 11.2 knots
2200 rpm = 226 hp = 11.1 knots
2100 rpm = 197 hp = 10.7 knots
2000 rpm = 170 hp = 10.0 knots
1800 rpm = 124 hp = 9.1 knots
1600 rpm = 87 hp = 8.1 knots
1400 rpm = 58 hp = 7.2 knots
1200 rpm = 37 hp = 6.8 knots
1000 rpm = 21 hp = 6.7 knots
And at full load of 1,300 bushels of oysters (78,000 lbs.) the single TJ864HT gave a max speed of 8 knots.
Another similar vessel, the Coastal Express, is planned to commence on 1 October, 2005.
