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Hunt Designed Pilot Boats
St. John's Class

The St. John's River Bar Pilots in Jacksonville, Florida ordered the first in a new class of pilot boats designed to handle the challenges of deeper draft ships, running at faster boarding speeds, sometimes 10 knots or more. In the new series, the Hunt Deep-V hull is further refined; additional dead rise allows greater ride comfort at higher speeds, and increased topsides flare upgrades performance alongside boarded vessels, and maintains dryness. Spray strips below the chine are individually sized for each boat, depending on its expected speed and weight.

Interior accommodation has been refined as well. Pilots ride in state-of-the-art Stidd seats, fully adjustable for comfort and support. The helm seat is also from Stidd, and controls, instruments and navigation/communication gear are ergonomically placed to allow secure all-weather operation. Interior noise levels are minimized by thoroughly insulating the engine compartment, and by controlling noise-producing vibration at its source through the use of engineered mounting materials. A 24,000 Btu air conditioning unit is mounted in the pilothouse, and engine coolant provides heat through fan-coil and baseboard units. Accommodations below include upper and lower berths, a settee and table, ahead and a galley. Pilot safety is addressed with wide side decks, heated hand-rails, and a rescue recess and Jacob's Cradle aft. Extra windows are located low down in the pilothouse front and sides to assure the helmsman's view of a boarding pilot.

Pilots board via the side or from a roof boarding platform accessed from an aft-located ladder. Roof-mounted hatches allow for visibility, ventilation and communication.