2010 News

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December 9, 2010

MetalCraft Marine was awarded the prestigious "Boat of the Year" from WorkBoat Magazine at the International WorkBoat Show in New Orleans, LA December 1, 2010 for the design and craftsmanship of our FireStorm 70 fire boat built for Jacksonville Fire/Rescue.

December 6, 2010

December 2, 2010 Edgewater, Fla. — Brunswick Commercial and Government Products (BCGP), a leading manufacturer of watercraft for commercial, governmental and military use, has entered into a supply agreement with MetalCraft Marine, Inc (MCM) to promote a series of high-performance aluminum boats. BCGP currently offers 16 models of commercialized Boston Whaler fiberglass boats, and eight Impact rigid hull inflatable boats (RHIBs). Under the agreement with MCM, BCGP's product offering will be expanded to include five aluminum models ranging from 28 – 45 feet.

“MetalCraft has a solid history of building superior quality aluminum boats for commercial and government applications,” said Jeremy Davis, BCGP's sales manager. “They are particularly adept at producing high-performance boats, which is critical in this arena. By joining forces with an established aluminum producer with a solid reputation, BCGP immediately gains access to proven product that complements our existing offering.”

MCM is a fully integrated designer and builder of high-speed aluminum patrol boats, fire/rescue craft, and specialty vessels ranging from 22 – 70 feet. An industry leader in jet propulsion, MetalCraft has been designing and building high-quality commercial and government boats since 1987.

“MetalCraft and Brunswick Commercial and Government Products both are recognized for providing superior quality boats and solid service and support,” said Bob Clark, MetalCraft Marine's contract manager. “This arrangement will give MetalCraft access to Brunswick's expanded sales and service support infrastructure, while giving BCGP access to MetalCraft's expertise in aluminum craft design and manufacturing.”

According to the terms of the agreement, BCGP and MCM will offer five new aluminum models called the “Sentry” series. Each model can be configured for a specific mission, including patrol, special operations, or workboat applications, based on the needs of the purchasing agency. Power options will include inboard diesels, jet drives, sterndrives and outboard engines.

“Now agencies can purchase Boston Whaler fiberglass hulls, Impact RHIBs and aluminum platforms from BCGP with one phone call,” said Davis. “We are excited about this opportunity to expand our offering to address the needs of our customers with a superior caliber product. Naturally, loyal MetalCraft customers can continue to work directly with MetalCraft Marine as they always have,” said Davis.

For more information about the new Sentry series, call Brunswick Commercial and Government Products at 386-423-2900.

About MetalCraft Marine Incorporated
MetalCraft Marine Inc designs and builds custom aluminum patrol boats, fire/rescue boats, and a vast array of other aluminum vessels tailored to meet a variety of unique mission requirements. These vessels typically range from 22 to 70'. Twice winning Great Boat of the Year Honors at the prestigious New Orleans Workboat Show, MetalCraft is a proven leader in innovative design and construction techniques.

About BCGP
Brunswick Commercial & Government Products (BCGP) has been providing superior quality, customizable crafts to commercial and government agencies for more than 50 years. BCGP is a pre-eminent supplier of boats to homeland security, law enforcement, special operations and combat, and fire and rescue agencies. BCGP specializes in providing unsurpassed customer service and support. BCGP is owned by Brunswick Corporation, the largest marine manufacturer in the world.

About Brunswick
Headquartered in Lake Forest, Ill., Brunswick Corporation endeavors to instill "Genuine Ingenuity"(TM) in all its leading consumer brands, including Mercury and Mariner outboard engines; Mercury MerCruiser sterndrives and inboard engines; MotorGuide trolling motors; Attwood marine parts and accessories; Land 'N' Sea, Kellogg Marine, and Diversified Marine parts and accessories distributors; Arvor, Bayliner, Boston Whaler, Cabo Yachts, Crestliner, Cypress Cay, Harris FloteBote, Hatteras, Lowe, Lund, Meridian, Princecraft, Quicksilver, Rayglass, Sea Ray, Sealine, Suncruiser, Trophy, Uttern and Valiant boats; Life Fitness and Hammer Strength fitness equipment; Brunswick bowling centers, equipment and consumer products; Brunswick billiards tables and foosball tables. For more information, visit http://www.brunswick.com .

BCGP Contact: Catherine Morgan
386-423-2934
catherine.morgan@whaler.com

MetalCraft Marine Contact: Emily Roantree
800-410-8464
Emily.R@metalcraftmarine.com

November 25, 2010

Last week was a busy one in local media as San Diego Harbour Police showed-off two of their expected five FireStorm Fireboats.

Here's a Fox News 5 newscast about the new vessels, including answers to some direct questions about investing in harbour fire apparaus in hard economic times.

Also see this Ports San Diego Youtube video that highlights many of the benefits of the new vessels.

November 16, 2010
Cornelius-Lemley Fire Rescue's first on-water rescue in their new FireStorm 30
Cornelius-Lemley Fire Rescue's MetalCraft Marine FireStorm 30

Captain Greg Shaner, of Cornelius-Lemley Fire Rescue in North Carolina just put in service a MetalCraft Marine FireStorm 30 powered with twin Cummins 4.2L diesel engines and twin 241 Hamilton Jets. They will operate on Lake Norman covering 520 miles of shoreline.

The boat was in service less than a week when we were alerted for an overturned sailboat with 2 persons in distress.

Fireboat 4 was first to arrive and rescued both patients from the water. Both patients were treated for hypothermia and exhaustion. Fireboat 4's rear drive station made operating in 30 mph winds and removing the patients from the water safe and effective. Fireboat 4's crew assisted in righting the vessel, and transporting the patients to shore.

This was our first response in our new Firestorm 30 and everything worked perfectly.

--Captain Shaner.


We've also just received a very nice testamonial letter from Captain Shaner.

October 5, 2010
Pink Heals Tour, Miami-style

The 'Pink Heals Tour' Honors Women.

Pictured here: some of the apparatus and personnel from the City of Miami and Miami-Dade County, including two of the MetalCraft Marine fireboats that serve this region.

"We're at war against this terrorist attack called cancer."

September 29, 2010
Press Release: Jacksonville FL Fire/Rescue receives their 2nd High-Speed Aluminum Fire boat
Jacksonville's new high speed aluminum fireboat by MetalCraft Marine

Joining their first vessel (FireStorm 50) "Jake Godbold" from MCM, Jacksonville welcomed their 2nd, a FireStorm 70. The bright red vessel matches its predecessor and will be stationed near the main port in Jacksonville, Florida.

The new vessel can hit whopping speeds of 41 knots with its 4 x CAT C-18's @1015 HP per engine & Hamilton 403 water jets. Gearing for pumps and propulsion was from ZF gear of Germany.

Also impressive are the pump numbers... it produces over 14,092 GPM at 150 PSI & 17,892 GPM @ 120 PSI with Hale quad 8 FKF pumps. The main electronic monitors is a roof mounted Stang 5500 GPM w/450 foot reach and 4 x Elkhart 2000 GPM deck monitors. The foam system can feed all discharges and has a quick change system for 55 gallon drums.

Detection equipment has been installed to detect interior and exterior CBRNE agents; the bridge is an air tight compartment which provides front line defense for the Port and City of Jacksonville.

The camera/Flir system is by Ocean View and can be interfaced with any of the 4 x 19" screens. The system has a split screen camera option which can uplink and be viewed from fire head quarters or aircraft to aid in SAR missions. The datalink system accepts aircraft cameras as well as full radio frequencies.

Ships electronics are Furuno 3-D system, communications by Motorola ICOM & Piratecom. The wireless Piratecom can interface with up to 6 radios and cell phones. For perfect audio ability the system has wind and engine filters, so that in noisy environments the operators can communicate clearly.

The $4.7 Million dollar vessel took 12 months to construct and was funded through a 2008 Port Security Grant. Hull structure is built to ABS & IACS standards.

Chief Larry Peterson and his team are excited about the new arrival, which was delivered from MCM Kingston, Ontario Canada September 2010 via Lake Ontario to the Erie barge Canal, down the Hudson and out at NYC and followed along the Eastern Seaboard. Trip took 12 days with many stops along the way. Tampa Fire/Rescue had a similar boat take the same trip a year ago.

Nine years ago, MetalCraft produced the first FireStorm and has not turned back. Each boat having a unique and personalized flavor chosen by our customers. MetalCraft has been designing and building boats since 1987.

September 15, 2010

Check out this great Flickr slideshow from Jacksonville's FireStorm 69 sea trials, showing a high-speed crash-stop.

Pay particular attention to the water tower and the sailboat in the background. This fireboat stops-on-a-dime.

Here's a link to the whole Crash-Stop photo set, featuring other boats built in the past.

August 22, 2010

Here's the announcement by the City of Boston about their order for a MetalCraft Marine Firestorm 69 fireboat.

The City of Boston is purchasing a new state of the art fireboat with Chemical, Biological and Radiological emergency response capability for the Boston Fire Department. This new vessel will replace the current fireboat "FIREFIGHTER" which has been in service since 1972 and does not have the capabilities needed for a modern emergency response fireboat.

August 22, 2010

Here's a link to Kingston's CKWS-TV News feature on MetalCraft Marine.

IT MAY BE KINGSTON'S BEST KEPT SECRET.

August 17, 2010

MetalCraft Marine just delivered two Crash Rescue Kingston 32 RIBs to the Beirut International Airport in Lebanon, which is directly adjacent to the Mediterranean Sea.

Here are some of the vessel details:

9.75M Molded length
LOA: 11.045M
Beam: 2.67M
Max height from waterline: 3.32m with the mast up
Highest point with Arch folded down: 2.64m
Vessel freeboard at the bow: 1.06m
Vessel freeboard at stern: 48 cm
Displacement: 7290Kg
Draft: 60 cm (Dry)
Iveco N67 Engine: 420hp at 3000 rpm
ZF 280-1 Gearbox
Twin 274 Hamilton Jet Drive units
Four Zodiac 75 Person Reversible Life rafts
Elkhart Brass Electronic Monitor
Fire Pump: HALE Bronze 5677 LPM
Pump Boss Pressure Governor
1800 BTU roof mount Air Conditioning unit
3Kw Mobile Electric Power systems Inc.
AC Power Generator
Wing inflatables 10M RIB Positive flotation collar

It's a sweet package.

August 16, 2010

Danger Coast Episodes from the CMT Network featuring MetalCraft Marine FireStorm vessels are now visible in Canada.

August 13, 2010

At MetalCraft Marine we are sea-trialing our newest vessel, a FireStorm 70 for Jacksonville Fire/Rescue.

This fireboat will pump close to 13,000 GPM, and has hit speeds of 42 knots.

This magnificent and speedy firefighting machine is due for delivery via water sometime in early September 2010. You can view it at our Open House Event on August 20th.

August 3, 2010

The Martha's Vineyard Times has an excellent article about an epic boathouse fire at Coast Guard Station Menemsha.

The pictures are and video are just spectacular.

Oak Bluffs Fire/Rescue was called to the scene. Their fire-equipped MetalCraft Marine Kingston 36 (details here) was instrumental in taming the blaze.

Some quotes from The Martha's Vineyard Times:

Oak Bluffs provided a firefighting boat that raced up Vineyard Sound and arrived to play a crucial role in the battle.

And this:

Mr. Olsen praised the Island community response and said he was thankful for the Oak Bluffs fireboat which, he said, helped push the fire back down the dock.

July 21, 2010
Kingston FD respond to a fire at Rideau Marina on July 17 2010

The Kingston Ontario Fire Department responded to an impressive fire at Rideau Marina on July 17 2010 with their MetalCraft Marine re-fitted fireboat

The maintenance shop was completely destroyed.

Here are more photos of the vessel responding as well as some impressive land-side photos of the blaze in the Kingston Whig Standard and a video segment of the vessel from CKWS-TV news.

KINGSTON FIRE RESCUE ALSO BROUGHT IN THEIR NEWLY COMMISSIONED FIREBOAT - THE H.T. PATTERSON.

BULLOCK:

"THAT WAS INSTRUMENTAL TO BRINGING FINAL EXTINGUISHMENT TO THIS FIRE AND SAVING THE BOAT STORAGE BUILDING. IT PROVED ITS WORTH".

June 21, 2010

Hazmat crews from East Providence and Providence Fire Departments, using MetalCraft Marine FireStorm CBRN-equipped fireboats, work to secure fishing boat after mustard gas leak injures one fisherman and contaminates the dragger.

The military used the ocean as a dumping ground for munitions from after World War II through 1970. While the tons of old chemical weapons in offshore waters present a danger to fishermen, experts don't believe they are a possible source of weapons for terrorists.

The Atlantic City, N.J.-based vessel was fishing Sunday in a charted munitions dumping zone, but the designation is just a warning and carries no fishing restrictions, Rhodes said.

The two shells � about a foot long and three inches in diameter � came aboard in a haul of clams. The Coast Guard believes one of the shells cracked or otherwise leaked its contents.

June 17, 2010

Here's a great news story about how Tampa Fire & Rescue's FireStorm 69, The Patriot, was pivotal in extinguishing a raging fire in a conveyor system at the Port of Tampa.

Quoting Fox-News Channel 13:

Port Of Tampa Fire 2010-0617

The firefighters on the dock were having a difficult time getting the blaze under control, Captain Bill Wade told FOX 13, and using the vessel on the water side made it possible to attack the flames from two different angles.

"With this vessel, the way that it's built, it's set up not only as a fire fighting vessel but also as a command and control vessel," Wade said. "The firefighters on this vessel had the ability to see what's going on with this ship that is burning, they can control the situation from their side and make sure that fire crews are acting safely, because fighting a ship is much different than fighting a fire in a building."

There is one hose on the top of the Patriot, along with two in front and two at the back of the vessel. They can pump a total of 13,500 gallons of water per minute. Captain Wade says that is about the equivalent of nine fire trucks.

Two videos of the incident. The first from Fox News , the second from Tampa Fire Rescue .

It's clear from these videos that water-side access can be much more flexible and effective in fighting fires in-port. Note how constrained the land-side firetrucks appear to be in this instance.

May 25, 2010
Daytona Sunset Harbor YC Yacht Fire

A 71-foot yacht burned for nearly eight hours at the Sunset Harbor Yacht Club in Daytona, Florida.

"Without a fireboat, we were pretty limited in what we could do," Daytona Beach fire Battalion Chief Dru Driscoll said, explaining that his department hasn't had such a boat for the past eight years. "The Coast Guard came in around noon, but they have policies that restrict them from getting next to the boat, so that added to the delay."

May 17, 2010
Warwick's marine 4, a MetalCraft Marine FireStorm 30

Warwick, Rhode Island-based Marine 4, a MetalCraft Marine FireStorm 30 figures prominently in this WCVB-TV 5 News Report about the response and rescue effort following a tragic accident that killed two young Massachusetts women Sunday night on Narragansett Bay.

May 10, 2010

Al Thomas reports from the flooding in Nashville, about their high-speed FireStorm 40 aluminum fireboat:

The boat is in great shape. We have had it busy constantly for six days, and it is performing flawlessly. Two marinas were flooded and several docks had broken loose, and we were able to reposition those and secure them. We also had a barge on the river in downtown Nashville that is used for public events that had broken loose from it's mooring, and we used cables to re-secure it. The Cumberland river crested over 14 feet above flood stage, and we had to move the boat to a marina downstream which is several miles from the riverfront area.

May 4, 2010

Two videos featuring Tampa's MetalCraft FireStorm 69 fireboat from The Battalion series.

April 10, 2010

Watch the promos for CMT's Danger Coast featuring a fully engulfed 56-foot Carver and TWO MetalCraft Marine fireboats.

Here's more about the episode including biographies of the firecrews and some good pictures.

April 10, 2010

Here's a KGO-San Francisco video news item of a boat fire at Schoonmaker Point in Sausalito.

A 32-foot cabin cruiser is burning and fire officials are trying to keep it from spreading to nearby boats.

The vessel responding is Southern Marin Fire District's MetalCraft Marine FireStorm 30.

Here's another news item from June 2009 showing great video of the same vessel taking care of business during a fire in a group of houseboats at Liberty Dock on the Sausalito waterfront.

April 7, 2010

A 56-foot 2002 Carver yacht caught fire and sank yesterday off Key Biscayne.

Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Fireboat 1 tried to save the Kemosabe without success. As the stricken yacht sent a plume of smoke into the sky that could be seen for miles, fire crews drenched the boat with foam in an attempt to control the flames.

March 10, 2010

Check out this great article about us in the March 10th edition of The Globe and Mail's Report on Business.

March 3, 2010
Osage FD Firestorm 30 fireboat

Here's a good slide gallery of the Osage Beach, Missouri FireStrom 30 extinguishing a raging fire at a lakefront home.

February 22, 2010
Perth Amboy Newspaper Clipping featuring their MetalCraft Marine FireStrom 36, January 2010

Here's a good news story from Perth Amboy, New Jersey, whose FireStorm 36 completely extinguished a raging boat-fire.

The bulk of the fire was knocked down from a distance utilizing the monitor on the front of the fire boat. As the fire started to darken down, firefighters were able to get closer to the boat to extinguish the remainder of the fire utilizing a hand line.

See a larger readable version .

February 11, 2010
MetalCraft Marine FireBrand 28 in Bridgeport, CT

We're proud to share this testimonial from Scott Appleby, Director, Office of Emergency Management & Homeland Security, City of Bridgeport, Connecticut.

The boat is tremendous and will be a great asset to our community and State when dealing with issues pertaining to fire and search & search rescue operations.

He's referring to the City of Bridgeport FireBrand 28 fireboat pictured here.

January 7, 2010

Here's a scan of a January 4 2010 article in The Kingston Whig-Standard about early-winter sea trials of four high-speed crew/patrol boats we're building for Panama.

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