Kerry Neuville recently built an 18-ft. aluminum skiff with his son and now parks it in the same shed where he and his brother started their boatbuilding careers. Across the yard from the little shed Neuville Boatworks huge building sheds bustle with their usual activity. With a 154 x 30 x 12.5-ft. crew boat (160-foot overall) nearing completion for Steve Miguez’s Iberia Crewboats and scheduled for a March delivery. A sister-ship is being framed up on an inverted jig in one of the other building sheds.
Both vessels will be powered by four Cummins KTA38 M2 engines provide power for the vessel. Each engine produces 1350 hp at 1950 RPM into Twin Disc MG-6650 gears with 2.47:1 reduction. The 5400 hp crewboats will achieve speeds of 26 knots. Tankage includes 21,000 gallons of fuel, 38,000 gallons of rig water, 1200 gallons of fresh water, 400 gallons of engine oil and 110 gallons of gear oil. Deck cargo will be a maximum of 290 long tons. The each vessel will also be fitted with two Cummins 99 kW 120/208 3ph generator sets.
The first vessel, for Steve Miguez, will be named Lady Eve. The second vessel, a sistership to the Lady Eve, is being built for Captain Elliot of Texas Crewboats. Neuville naval architect Don Bordelon reports that the company also expects to deliver four 47 15-ft. Cummins powered crewboats to Parker Drilling in 2007.