Dive boat
Dive boat
The Maverick has an 8’2” beam with an 84” floor. Most boats in this class can only boast 66” floors. An 82” floor translates into tons of rear deck space - a necessity for scuba diving. An 8’2” beam is also the widest boat I can fit into my garage. I literally have 2” of clearance on either side of my garage door.
The deadrise at the back of the boat is 18 degrees with a front entry deadrise of 28 degree. This, combined with the fact that the boat alone weights 1800 pounds, should provide a better ride than most aluminums, although that might not be saying much. However, cushioning the fact that aluminum boats are notoriously rough riders is that Weldcraft includes fully adjustable suspension seats for the driver and front passenger as standard equipment. Nice.
The Maverick boasts 33” side. Again, most boats in this class offer 30” sides or less. A boat loaded with divers and gear in heavy swell needs ample freeboard, especially at the bow. Wooldridge has an ingenious design with 28” sides at the rear of the vessel. However, side height increases at the bow to help prevent the nose from being buried in heavy waves or swell. Weldcraft, like most other manufacturers, decided to have the side of the boat remain continuous for the length of the boat. The extra height translates into extra safety.
The Weldcraft’s hull has a true reverse chine welded into the hull. The reverse chine helps trap water under the boat when cruising and improves performance and efficiency. Some other manufacturer’s claim to have a reverse chine, however it usually amounts to a single narrow aluminum strip welded to the outside of the hull. The WeldCraft's reverse chine is much more prominent and looks like what you would expect to find on a fiberglass boat.
Finish level and equipment. Several makes of boat that I looked at appeared cheap. Very cheap. The Weldcraft looks like a well-finished boat. Time will tell for certain, but the finish level appears to be far superior to that of almost any other make (other than its sister company, Duckworth boats). Equipment like a heavy duty canvas, full instrumentation, dual batteries, dual windshield wipers, a ski pylon, hydraulic steering, washdown pump, and dual bilge pumps were included. That stated, I have had to make some minor “adjustments” to the throttle mount and water separator to compensate for what I consider sloppy workmanship. Other than that, the boat looks very solid.
The deadrise at the back of the boat is 18 degrees with a front entry deadrise of 28 degree. This, combined with the fact that the boat alone weights 1800 pounds, should provide a better ride than most aluminums, although that might not be saying much. However, cushioning the fact that aluminum boats are notoriously rough riders is that Weldcraft includes fully adjustable suspension seats for the driver and front passenger as standard equipment. Nice.
The Maverick boasts 33” side. Again, most boats in this class offer 30” sides or less. A boat loaded with divers and gear in heavy swell needs ample freeboard, especially at the bow. Wooldridge has an ingenious design with 28” sides at the rear of the vessel. However, side height increases at the bow to help prevent the nose from being buried in heavy waves or swell. Weldcraft, like most other manufacturers, decided to have the side of the boat remain continuous for the length of the boat. The extra height translates into extra safety.
The Weldcraft’s hull has a true reverse chine welded into the hull. The reverse chine helps trap water under the boat when cruising and improves performance and efficiency. Some other manufacturer’s claim to have a reverse chine, however it usually amounts to a single narrow aluminum strip welded to the outside of the hull. The WeldCraft's reverse chine is much more prominent and looks like what you would expect to find on a fiberglass boat.
Finish level and equipment. Several makes of boat that I looked at appeared cheap. Very cheap. The Weldcraft looks like a well-finished boat. Time will tell for certain, but the finish level appears to be far superior to that of almost any other make (other than its sister company, Duckworth boats). Equipment like a heavy duty canvas, full instrumentation, dual batteries, dual windshield wipers, a ski pylon, hydraulic steering, washdown pump, and dual bilge pumps were included. That stated, I have had to make some minor “adjustments” to the throttle mount and water separator to compensate for what I consider sloppy workmanship. Other than that, the boat looks very solid.
I reluctantly sold my faithful 18’ Avon rigid-hull inflatable boat (RIB) in late 2008 after it provided me with four years of outstanding service and wonderful diving adventures. This boat was extremely economical, fast, safe, reliable, and easy to dive from. Its speed and seaworthiness provided me access to otherwise inaccessible dive sites, particularly in the San Juan Islands. This boat only had two drawbacks; limited interior space and a damned cold ride when the air temps dipped below 55 degrees - which just happens to characterize most of the year’s weather in Seattle.
I made the mistake of diving several times from Alan Buchanan’s 20’ Wooldridge SuperSport in early 2008. Although this aluminum tin-can was nowhere near as sporty as my RIB, it easily catered to 5 people with room to spare. My RIB was limited to 3 passengers, and even then we were continuously climbing over gear, cameras, the console, and each other. Extra space not withstanding, the windshield and soft-top really won me over is they allowed everyone to get out of the wind and rain and even suit down between dives. I finally realized that the words “warmth” and “Puget Sound diving” could indeed coexist.
With my new-found interest in aluminum boats, I began a quest to look for a new dive boat. Had hell really frozen over? No, but it felt that way when diving from my RIB in winter.
With my new-found interest in aluminum boats, I began a quest to look for a new dive boat. Had hell really frozen over? No, but it felt that way when diving from my RIB in winter.
Although I think this boat will make a good dive rig, it is not ideal. The offshore bracket and swim platform is relatively small with a step-down platform on the starboard side. I’d much rather of had a full length swim platform that ran the entire width of the transom. However, the step-down platform allowed me to purchase a shorter dive ladder that I would have otherwise. Nevertheless, after using the “stepped” offshore bracket a couple times, I have to say that it makes getting out of the water very easy. There are several natural hand-hold incorporated into the stepped bracket that prove to be very useful.
Another question mark is the stainless steel cleats. As dissimilar metals invite electrolysis and corrosion, most boat manufactures elect to install welded cleats on their boats. The Weldcraft has 4 stainless steel cleats bolted to the aluminum hull. I would guess that this is for aesthetics.
The business end of the boat is rigged with a new 150 HP Yamaha 4-stroke. I had my choice between a Yamaha and Honda, and selected Yamaha as I have run their outboards on my last three boats - each of which has proven to be an excellent motor. I have also run their stand-up jetskis for over 10 years and NEVER had an engine problem. The Yamaha is also a bit lighter than it’s Honda counterpart.
I added a bow roller, front cleat, Lowrance color GPS/DS, Yamaha digital tachometer, VHF, tie-down racks for 8 tanks, rear boarding mat, front bow mat, and custom dive ladder. The ladder was a bit of a trick. I ended up buying a very nice custom 44” stainless steel ladder from Dive-N-Dog. Inventor extraordinaire and all around good guy Dave De Jong then spent the better part of one rainy Saturday with a rather impressive milling machine and fabricated a custom nylatron mounting block for the ladder that bolts to the underside of the lower step on the offshore bracket/swim platform. The block allows me to keep the lower step clean of obstruction and provides a stop for the ladder when it is raised. Very cool. Looks like I owe Dave some dive trips. After the first dive trip it became immediately apparent that they surface mount provided with the ladder that we bolted to the underside of the block was not up to the task and was twisting. I remedied the situation by replacing the 0.12" 303 SS Dive-N-Dog bracket with two 316 SS 1/4" bars mounted on either side of the mounting block. Problem solved.
I also “Shark Hided” the exposed aluminum. It took two full cans to get two coats on the bow, transom, off-shore bracket, and diamond-plate front deck. I even took some time to do the transom fish box and gave the aluminum work in the bilge area a coating. Shark Hide claims it will protect the aluminum from salt water discoloration. It is pricy at $60/quart, but if it works, it will be well worth it.
The Maverick (which is now referred to as the “Tool Box”) cruises at about 25-28 MPH, with a top speed of around 44. Fuel consumption in about 4- 5 gal/hour loaded with three divers.
Another question mark is the stainless steel cleats. As dissimilar metals invite electrolysis and corrosion, most boat manufactures elect to install welded cleats on their boats. The Weldcraft has 4 stainless steel cleats bolted to the aluminum hull. I would guess that this is for aesthetics.
The business end of the boat is rigged with a new 150 HP Yamaha 4-stroke. I had my choice between a Yamaha and Honda, and selected Yamaha as I have run their outboards on my last three boats - each of which has proven to be an excellent motor. I have also run their stand-up jetskis for over 10 years and NEVER had an engine problem. The Yamaha is also a bit lighter than it’s Honda counterpart.
I added a bow roller, front cleat, Lowrance color GPS/DS, Yamaha digital tachometer, VHF, tie-down racks for 8 tanks, rear boarding mat, front bow mat, and custom dive ladder. The ladder was a bit of a trick. I ended up buying a very nice custom 44” stainless steel ladder from Dive-N-Dog. Inventor extraordinaire and all around good guy Dave De Jong then spent the better part of one rainy Saturday with a rather impressive milling machine and fabricated a custom nylatron mounting block for the ladder that bolts to the underside of the lower step on the offshore bracket/swim platform. The block allows me to keep the lower step clean of obstruction and provides a stop for the ladder when it is raised. Very cool. Looks like I owe Dave some dive trips. After the first dive trip it became immediately apparent that they surface mount provided with the ladder that we bolted to the underside of the block was not up to the task and was twisting. I remedied the situation by replacing the 0.12" 303 SS Dive-N-Dog bracket with two 316 SS 1/4" bars mounted on either side of the mounting block. Problem solved.
I also “Shark Hided” the exposed aluminum. It took two full cans to get two coats on the bow, transom, off-shore bracket, and diamond-plate front deck. I even took some time to do the transom fish box and gave the aluminum work in the bilge area a coating. Shark Hide claims it will protect the aluminum from salt water discoloration. It is pricy at $60/quart, but if it works, it will be well worth it.
The Maverick (which is now referred to as the “Tool Box”) cruises at about 25-28 MPH, with a top speed of around 44. Fuel consumption in about 4- 5 gal/hour loaded with three divers.
I didn’t realized how many makes of aluminum boats are manufactured in the Pacific Northwest. Although all of them are similar, they are also all quite different. Most of the boats are designed around successful river sled designs which are far from ideal when taking on the swell and waves associated with Puget Sound, never mind Neah Bay. I quickly became very familiar with such hull terms as side height, floor width, reverse chine, and deadrise. After trips to Olympia, Kent, Auburn, Anacortes, and even Portland, I found the boat I was looking for. I knew it the second I saw it. That boat was a 2008 Weldcraft Maverick 201 DV. Here is why:
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