Yacht-Like Dive Charter Boat for B.C. Waters

The dive charter business continues to grow on the B.C. coast, in most cases utilizing a range of converted vessels. Now one company, Lever Diving, is having a purpose built craft constructed for the 2000 season. Building at Sylte Shipyards on the Fraser River at Maple Ridge, British Columbia, the all steel 116 x 27-ft. boat is designed with a yacht profile and more than 4,000 ft. of interior space. In addition to crew accommodation, the vessel will provide two executive suites, nine private staterooms with head and shower and six dorm bunks with shared head and shower. Classed for Canadian Coast Guard Home Trade III with berthed passengers, the boat will have both a crane and a built in stern ramp for launching and recovering tenders. It will carry a 38-ft. aluminum skiff with twin 200 hp outboards, a 24-ft. aluminum skiff and a 17-ft. inflatable RIB and six kayaks along with assorted windsurfers and dinghies. The steel hull, with its bulbous bow and seven ft. draft, was designed and tested to provide passenger comfort at a 12-knot cruising speed. Main engines are a pair of six-cylinder Cummins NTA855 M rated at 335 hp each. The engines were specially derated by Cummins to 335 hp continuous to allow for an unmanned engine room under Transport Canada regulations. The boat's extensive electrical needs will be met by two 70 kW Onan gen sets powered by six-cylinder Cummins 6BT5.9 G2 diesels. Tankage is provided for 10,000 Ugallons of diesel and 7,000 gallons of potable water. Other features include a water-maker and a 220,000 BTU boiler for ample cabin heat & shower water. Delivery of the new boat, to be named Nautilus Explorer, is scheduled for the spring of 2000.