Digital Anchoring and Joystick Piloting Systems are among its many features.
SUPERIOR, Wis. (November 22, 2017) – Lake Assault Boats, a leading manufacturer of purpose-built and mission-specific rescue, patrol and fire boats, has delivered a 28-foot rescue vessel to the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Water Patrol Unit located in Minneapolis, Minn. Purchased from the GSA schedule, the craft features the Mercury Skyhook Digital Anchoring and Joystick Piloting systems to assist in rescue and recovery operations along the Mississippi River.
“We are honored to deliver this high performance rescue vessel to the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Water Patrol Unit to serve their protection area, especially along sections of the Mighty Mississippi that flow through the Twin Cities,” said Chad DuMars, Lake Assault Boats vice president of operations. “The craft is custom designed and equipped with a wide array of advanced technologies to meet the unique needs of this customer.”
The craft is powered by a pair of Mercury Verado 300 hp engines with digital throttle, shift, and power steering, as well as the Mercury Joystick Piloting and Skyhook Digital Anchoring systems. The digital anchor and joystick piloting systems significantly improve the craft’s on-the-water performance. They enable the operator to set precise grids for search and recovery operations and ‘anchor’ the boat in strong moving currents without getting moved off point, or swung back and forth like traditional anchor systems. In addition, the boat can move side to side or diagonally to gain better angles on objects.
The 28-foot patrol boat is a landing craft style, modified V-hull configuration and is outfitted with a 64-inch hydraulically operated bow door, and two 34-inch dive doors. The 9-foot long pilot house is CBRNE compliant, with radiation, chemical, and biological detection systems. The boat also features an interior clearance height of 76-inches, a fold-down work station and a computer desk attached to the rear of the helm station. The boat is equipped with a full array of electronics, including two Lowrance touchscreen monitors, GPS, sonar, chartplotting, and StructureScan sonar, as well as a SpitzLift aluminum davit crane.
The Hennepin County Sheriff’s Water Patrol Unit, consisting of eight deputies and 22 special deputies, is responsible for boating enforcement, education and emergencies overseeing waterways such as Lake Minnetonka and sections of the Mississippi River.