Our boats are custom made all welded Aluminum construction.  We use certified metal from the United States at is marine grade 5083 and 5086 h116.  Maxwell-Hall of Tauranga New Zealand provices us with the CAD designs and we have the pieces CNC cut.  We then weld the pieces together using both MIG and TIG welding process.

Our boats are built to USCG specifications outlined under Title 46 subchapter T.  Plans, and any changes, must be submited to the USCG Marine Safety Center in Washington DC for plan review and then inspected by our local inspector.  Generally there are two inspections per boat.  First a “weld inspection” in which the inspector views all the welds.  Then we go to “paint” where we use ferring compound, primer and paint the interior a neutral grey. We then use 3M Control Tac sticker system on the outside.  We will work closely with you to do a design of your choice.

After the boat has completed “sea trials” we invite the USCG back for a final inspection in which a COI (certificate of inspection) is issued for North Carolina.  When you take delivery of your boat you will have your boat re inspected  – a “New To Zone” inspection.  They will scrutinize your “route selection”, training (provided at our location) and operations manual (we have the template).  The Coast Guard issues a COI and Stability Letter for the vessel.

The Stability letter dictates how many people can ride on the boat.  They do a “simplified stability test” in which simulated passenger weight of 185 lbs per passenger is sifted around to see what happens.  the USCG is going to up the average passenger weight from 165 lbs to 185 lbs very soon.  We have done a test to the 185 lb standard and we have a new Stability letter for 11 passengers and 1 master.

If you are to operate in more than one locale you will need to get an endorsement for the “new route”