New fisheries patrol boat supplied by Ribcraft

Ribcraft has delivered another bespoke patrol boat to the Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority (IFCA) sector.

The Yeovil-based boat builder has recently handed over a new 7.8m RIB to Kent and Essex IFCA which was designed for general patrol and fisheries protection missions.

The boat features a large console with ample weather protection and a comprehensive navigation suite and is fitted with twin 175hp Suzuki outboards, which are said to deliver excellent acceleration and speed, as well as giving the helmsman increased control – of paramount importance when the crew are undertaking interception and boarding duties.

In addition, the outboards are extremely quiet and fuel-efficient, courtesy of Suzuki’s Lean Burn technology, which gives the boat a much bigger operating range.

“The Ribcraft 7.8 has met all our tasking requirements in one go with a great turnkey package from Ribcraft,” says vessel manager, Colm O’Laoi. “All the way from initial concept to manufacture, sea trials and coding, they have given us complete confidence throughout the whole process, and we are extremely happy with the end result.”

“We build all of our boats from the ground up at our factory in Yeovil, Somerset,” says Dorian Martin from Ribcraft. “Each boat can be tailored to meet the client’s exact needs and I am pleased to say that this is the sixth IFCA boat that we have built so we have a very good understanding of this particular type of operator.”