Brunswick’s All New 1100 IMPACT D-Collar

 

At a trade event held in Baltimore, MD, Brunswick unveiled its most exciting hull to date. First on board to test drive the new vessel was Marine News Editor Joe Keefe. An exhilarating 35 minute cruise revealed all of the exciting features the new vessel had to offer – whether barreling ahead at 63 KT in open waters or smartly backing down at the berth with the help of Brunswick’s JPO joy stick controls. Taken from the new wide body 11 meter RHIB design, the boat has an all-new top skin with two options: the full tube IMPACT, and the D Collar style (as equipped at the show).

 

Turning on a dime at more than 60 KT, the vessel represents a major breakthrough for municipal and military customers, both in terms of maneuverability and new features that promise to dramatically improve boat handling and navigation for small patrol craft. Brunswick will position the craft to sell into the municipal law enforcement and military, littoral patrol markets. Already, the firm reports one confirmed sale to an unnamed South American entity and negotiations for a multi-boat contract underway. Brunswick will be demonstrating the vessel in the near future, in multiple East Coast locations, over the course of the next few months.

 

The primary difference in previous Brunswick boats – beyond the width of the boat – involves a one piece stringer grid system. The molded Fiberglas grid is more uniform, saves money and time in terms of boatbuilding and more importantly, allows for easier configuration of a customized boat. A foam fill finishes the cleaner, Class A finish below decks.

 

The IMPACT D-Collar features a hybrid/foam filled collar mounted to a solid fiberglass gunnel. Instead of a fully circular tube, the D-Collar allows for more space on deck and added maneuverability/versatility for crew. The D-Collar provides the best characteristics of standard fiberglass hulls with the benefits of the RHIB. Military users tend to prefer the Tube design because they are not typically boarding in a law enforcement mode. The tube design is lighter by about 400 pounds, affording more payload and provides slightly more speed. Additionally, the D Collar can also be designed to employ ballistic protection.

 

As configured, the boat seats four with Shoxs 6300 seats, but the boat is extremely customizable – no matter which style you choose (D Collar/Tube). According to Brunswick Director of Sales Jeremy Davis, “It’s a huge open platform that we can adjust and equip to most any mission. We can go to a cabin configuration for a crew up to six or down to a crew of two. We can do inboard diesels, Jets, I/O’s and for outboards, we can add duals, triples or quads. The boat can be used for troop transport – up to 14 or 16 individuals.”

 

Perhaps the most intriguing new feature involves the JPO system – joy stick piloting – which has eliminated the need for a bow thruster and changed the dynamics of small boat handling forever. Emanating from Brunswick’s high end recreational markets, they are one of the first builders to introduce this in a commercial application.

 

 

LOA: 31’ 4”

Beam: 11’ 6”

Draft: 21”

Capacity: 18

Transom Height: 30”

Dead Rise: 21°

Weight: 7,400 lbs

Fuel Capacity: 450 gal

Max HP: 1,050 hp

Eng. Weight: 2,400 lbs

Mercury JPO w/DP System

Raymarine Electronics

Raymarine IP200 Marine Camera

Custom Aluminum T-Top and Console

SHOXS, Shock Mitigating Seating Package

Triple 350 HP Mercury Verados

 

 

(As published in the July 2016 edition of Marine News)