Everything old is new again
You are looking at the maiden voyage of the new CG29247, a Response Boat Small, Generation two (RBS-II), at U.S. Coast Guard Station Apra Harbor, Guam, the Western-most USCG base in the world.
The RBS-II has an offshore racing hull design with trim tabs and was the competition winner by Metal Shark with their 29-foot Defiant-series deep V aluminum-hulled boat. The company won a $192 million contract in 2011 for (upto) 470 of these vessels to be used at Coast Guard stations as by large ocean going cutters. So far, 180 of 224 boats ordered and paid for have been delivered. Another 20 boats may be ordered by CBP and up to 10 by the U.S. Navy.
They are replacing the 400 remaining 25-foot SafeBoats Defender-class RB-S vessels– since 2001 the most common vessels in the Coast Guard, used by sectors, stations, MSRT/MSSTs, MSUs, training centers, and some AUXFACs.
However, the Defenders, the last of which were delivered in 2009, ironically replacing a myriad of aluminum-hulled Boston Whalers and RIBs used by the Guard, only have a 10-year lifespan as their hull/electronics and outboards all time out about the same.
The ‘Sharks have drop down windows for all-weather use, can pack upto 600 HP of outboards or twin Yanmar 6LPA-STP2 diesels mated to Hamilton 241 jet drives, have shock-mitigating seats just like the Navy’s SWCC boats, glass cockpits, can mount M2/M240s on two different towing points that double as pintle bases, surface search nav radar and lots of other neato features.
And, they will be coming to a station and waterway near you…