MetalCraft Marine nominated for Most Significant Boat of the Year

A MetalCraft Marine (MCM) build is one of 10 boats nominated for the Most Significant Boat of the Year from Workboat Magazine.

Workboat Magazine is “the only maritime industry publication dedicated exclusively to the U.S. workboat market,” according to its website. “It provides in-depth reporting on topics including offshore services, shipbuilding and repair, port security, marine electronics, environmental regulations, and more.”

The Most Significant Boat of the Year award is considered a prestigious industry award, according to a release from MetalCraft. Only boats that appeared in WorkBoat magazine from December 2021 to November 2022 were considered for this year’s award.

MCM designed and manufactured the FireCat 25M, christened the Monjeb 2, for Kuwait Fire Services. Starting in 2015 with a concept originated by the Director of Fire Services, MCM dedicated thousands of hours designing the fireboat systems to be “flawless, easily operated and serviced,” according to the release.

Designed and manufactured between the MetalCraft sites in Watertown, NY and Kingston, ON, the result is a 182,500 lb catamaran with two extra-wide hulls that are big enough to “house large diesels and lots of firefighting equipment, and offer greater stability on rough waters,” the company stated. The bridge is “gigantic” with a full-width wraparound console that houses a full electronic control display, which operates six fire monitors, pumps, and hydraulic towers, according to the release. MCM said that the boat has a very unusual electronic feature, the Radio Direction Finder (RDF), which is the only RDF that gives the latitude and longitude of the radio signal.

According to the company, a specific requirement of the build was that its towers had to be tall enough to reach the decks of the huge oil carriers that travel through Kuwait Ports exporting approximately 2 million barrels of oil every day. The Monjeb 2 is an NFPA (National Fire Protection Agency) Class I and II fireboat and, at 27 knots, it is twice as fast as other NFPA fireboats and half the cost to build, according to the release.

“This boat is the first of its kind, it has never been done before,” said Bob Clark, Contracts Manager for MetalCraft. “We’re proud of our entire team of skilled professionals and the suppliers who contributed to this next generation fireboat. We’re thrilled to be nominated for the Most Significant Boat of the Year. It feels good to have everyone’s hard work recognized for this innovative project.”

Every year, Workboat magazine nominates 10 significant boats based on a variety of criteria, including original concept builds, innovative design, and advancing new workboat frontiers like wind energy. Industry peers and the readers of Workboat Magazine are invited to vote for their favourite vessel. The winner is determined by popular vote and will be announced at the International Workboat Show in New Orleans at the end of November. Read more about the award on the Workboat website.

MetalCraft Marine designs and manufactures premier high-performance custom aluminum boats for government and commercial markets. In 2020 the local boatbuilders won the award for their Interceptor patrol boat that was built for the Los Angeles Port Police. Learn more about Kingston’s own MetalCraft Marine on their website.