Hodgdon Yachts in East Boothbay, along with the help of Steve Von Vogt, president of Maine Marine Manufacturing in Portland, and researchers at the University of Maine, is building a Navy medium-range craft called the Mark V.1.
While the Maine boatbuilding industry is a leader in the recreational boat market, it has not constructed small boats for the Navy in recent years. Bath Iron Works, a major defense contractor, specializes in larger Navy vessels.
Von Vogt has attended vendor weekends in Florida, sponsored by the military that promote military boatbuilding. Most smaller military craft are designed and built in the Gulf states, particularly Louisiana, and Von Vogt thinks Maine’s boatbuilders ought to have a crack at building such boats, which haven’t been built in Maine since the Korean War.
With the help of the state’s congressional delegation, Von Vogt landed a Navy contract. He subcontracted the construction of the craft to Hodgdon Yachts. The University of Maine had already developed composite material to be used in new boats. Other universities had explored non-metal materials such as fiberglass and wood composite for exterior finish. The boat in question, already designed and used by the Navy, is aluminum-sheathed, 82 feet long, designed for high speed and maneuverability.
The three-year project aims to improve the current boat design. The cost for design, building and testing is $9 million, and Hodgdon Yachts has already received the second payment.
A carbon fiber foam core is the heart of the design. This lighter material will allow the craft to move more quickly through the water. The Hodgdon boat should achieve a minimum speed of 52 knots compared to 48 knots with the current design.
Seasickness can be a major problem, and so designers are looking for a smoother ride as well. Tom Sawyer, project manager at Hodgdon, is optimistic that this boat will be able to meet the Navy’s higher standards.
Constructing coastal patrol boats and other fast, seaworthy craft would open up other opportunities for Maine boatbuilders. Homeland Security is looking for appropriate vessels to monitor a long coast such as Maine’s against terrorist attacks.
If the Mark V.1 prototype boat meets government approval in 2007 the next step is production of a series of vessels. Twenty boats would be constructed, each one costing $8-9 million. Composite technology could also be applied to commercial ventures such as high-speed ferries and harbor structures such as docks.
Hangars at he soon-to-be closed Brunswick Naval Air Station have been mentioned as a site for building large composite forms. Once constructed, sheets of the new materials could be sent to boatyards under contract to build needed vessels.
Hodgdon Yachts’ prototype boat is no military secret: as it’s being finished, it’s floating in the Damariscotta River for all to see.