Feature about SHOCKWAVE SEATS in WorkBoat
Test driving the Coast Guard’s new over-the-horizon cutter boat
The Coast Guard awarded a $104 million contract to Inventech Marine Solutions (IMS) last year to build more than 200 fifth-generation over-the-horizon cutter boats (CB-OTH-Vs).
After the contract award, Bremerton, Wash.-based IMS built and delivered four 25’6″×8’6″ production models to the Coast Guard, which will test them in the field for several months to provide technical feedback. These lead production boats will allow the Coast Guard to assess and request, if necessary, changes in ergonomics, equipment, and parts choices. All CB-OTH-Vs are the same even though they will be on different types of cutters and operate in widely different environments. These first boats have been sent to Hawaii, New Jersey, Virginia, and Florida so that they can be tested on multiple oceans and in a variety of conditions.
Innovation & Technology
While similar in size and speed to its most recent precursor, the fifth-generation CB-OTH boats built by IMS feature several design and equipment improvements. They are engineered to be launched and retrieved in a fully loaded condition with a 6X safety factor that includes the possibility of dynamic events like waves dropping out from under the boat or slamming up into the hull during hoisting operations at sea.
Sensors on the boat and on the Shockwave seats provide feedback to the operator through the VIMMS Shock Mitigation Monitoring System, which compares the impact load of hitting a wave to the load at the seat which has been mitigated by its suspension system. This allows the operator to adjust speed and course when necessary to reduce stress on the boat and crew. This is the first Coast Guard boat to include a shock-monitoring system that provides the crew with real-time information about wave impacts on the vessel.
