Queensland Built Work Boats Head West

BtB Marine delivers 8m jet boats to Western Australia ports

Queensland boatbuilder BtB Marine has delivered a pair of identical 8m jet boats for work boat duties in the Western Australia ports.

Designed by Naval Architects Australia, the aluminium monohulls are powered by turbocharged Yanmar diesel engines coupled to HamiltonJet waterjets.

“With a three-stick manual control system, (throttle, gear and bucket controls), the manoeuvrability of these is about the best of any I’ve built,” Hough said.

“Once you get used to it, they are super-responsive — they are as good, if not better than any other setup you can power this kind of boat with, in my opinion.”

Hough said BtB Marine has always come from a philosophy of looking at innovative ways to build and operate ecologically sustainable vessels, and noted that safety, reliability and practicality are paramount issues for vessels in remote locations.

The work boats were built for Western Australian operator Jetwave Marine and are expected to undertake port support duties including line handling and dive operations in the ports of Fremantle and Port Hedland.