Somerset, Mass. – February 20, 2025 – Charleston Branch Pilots have returned a pilot boat to Gladding-Hearn after 10 years of continuous service for the port of Charleston. The all-aluminum vessel will be repowered and refitted with a Seakeeper 40 gyro stabilizer.
The 65’ Fort Ripley was designed by Ray Hunt Design and Gladding-Hearn and built by the Somerset, Mass., shipyard in 2014. With a top speed of 28 knots, it was the first commercial vessel in the United States powered by Volvo Penta IPS drives with twin forward-facing, counter-rotating propellers.
The three existing IPS 900 propulsion systems will be replaced with three new Volvo Penta IPS 1050 propulsion systems, including new 800 Bhp D13 engines, shafts, IPS-30 pods, the EVC 2.0 control system and displays in the wheelhouse. Engine speed and pod steering are controlled by three joysticks, one on the wheelhouse console and two at aft docking-stations. “The IPS system saves weight and space for additional fuel or accommodations and has proved to increase maneuverability and consume about 30 percent less fuel,” explained Peter Duclos, the shipyard’s co-president and director of sales.
The Seakeeper gyro stabilizer, installed in the space of a redundant fire pump, is expected to reduce vessel roll up to 80%. The 4,000-pound gyro requires structural modifications for a substantial foundation located in the tank room. “This is our second Seakeeper gyro installation on a pilot boat. Its effect is noticed mostly at rest or slow speeds but it improves vessel feel and handling at all speeds” explained Duclos.
Other work on the Fort Ripley includes servicing the Humphree interceptors, bilge system, HVAC system and replacing the wheelhouse windows with electrically heated windows.