1. Where is Ocean Craft Marine based?
Ocean Craft Marine is headquartered in Annapolis, Maryland, and we have sales offices, and demo boats, based in Los Angeles, California, Miami, Florida and South Hampton, United Kingdom.
2. What kinds of boats does Ocean Craft Marine manufacture?
At Ocean Craft Marine, we predominantly manufacture Rigid Hull Inflatable Boats (RHIBs) for all kinds of mariners – military, professional and recreational. Our boats are used by military units, law enforcement, search and rescue (SAR) teams, eco-tourism operators, leisure resort companies, and many private boat owners as well. Whatever your requirement, there is an Ocean Craft Marine boat for you! We also manufacture these same RHIBs with Amphibious Enablement Systems.
3. What is a Rigid Hull Inflatable Boat?
A Rigid Hull Inflatable Boat is a light-weight, high-performance powerboat constructed with a solid hull, and an inflatable perimeter tube-set . The boat’s lighter-weight, combined with Ocean Craft Marine’s unique concave reverse-chine hull design results in increased overall top-speed, exceptionally maneuverability and with reduced fuel consumption, as well as enhanced lateral stability and abundant reserve buoyancy.
4. What is the significance of Ocean Craft Marine’s unique concave reverse-chine design hull?
Ocean Craft Marine’s unique, concave reverse-chine hull design directs water downward and away from the boat as it moves on the water. This creates extra lift and reduces the friction drag of the hull, which results in increased overall top-speed, extremely agile turning capabilities even at high-speeds, and reduced fuel consumption resulting in increased mission-range.
5. Can a RHIB take heavy loads?
The short answer is YES.
6. What sea conditions are ideal for a RHIB?
Ocean Craft Marine boats are built to navigate all sea conditions – whether a calm day or a stormy day, the inflatable collars on all Ocean Craft Marine RHIBs serve to mitigate and dissipate the energy imparted to the boat and its crew from successive wave impacts. This
shock-mitigation capability and the boat’s inherent stability are especially beneficial at high speeds and in adverse sea-conditions and are features not readily apparent on hard-sided boats.
7. How fast can an Ocean Craft Marine RHIB go?
Ocean Craft Marine’s RHIBs are by their design inherently constructed as light-weight boats and this ensures that the chosen horse-power will most often outperform any conventional hard-sided boat with the same power. Top-speeds can be as high as 70MPH.
8. What is the lifespan of an RHIB?
A properly cared-for and well-maintained RHIB and tube-set can enjoy decades of faithful service.
9. What happens when an RHIB’s tube gets punctured or its hull is damaged?
The tube-set of a properly designed RHIB is not normally in contact with the water’s surface during static and calm conditions and is NOT required or necessary for the RHIB’s positive buoyancy. the Tube-set only contacts, and interacts with, the water’s surface during heavy seas and aggressive high-speed turns and in those instances acts to mitigate shock and help the boat to track through the water like it is on rails
10. Does Ocean Craft Marine make boats for recreational mariners?
Yes, we do. You can check out our Amphibious recreational boats here. Or if you have a specific requirement, reach out to us here and we’ll get in touch with you within 24 hours to discuss a customized solution.
11. Which is the fastest Ocean Craft Marine boat?
All our boats are built to offer speed and safety. And we customize the boats based on their intended use, and to meet your specific requirements.
12. Can I get an Ocean Craft Marine boat for a family vacation?
Yes. In fact, if you give us your specifications, we can customize your Ocean Craft Marine boat to suit your family’s particular needs.
13. What materials does Ocean Craft Marine use to make its boats?
Our boats hulls are built from either Aluminum or Fiberglass (Air Hull®), and accessorized depending on your requirements. Almost all of Ocean Craft Marine components are manufactured in-house. From our consoles and cabins to our frames, tops and more, we offer many options to choose from.
14. Where are Ocean Craft Marine boats made?
All Ocean Craft Marine boats are proudly assembled in the USA.
15. Can I visit the Ocean Craft Marine factory?
Yes, we would be happy to show you around and offer you a consultation. Please get in touch here.
16. Can I try the boat on the water before I buy?
We offer a sea trial at our four locations: Annapolis, Miami, Los Angeles and in Southampton. To book your sea trial, call us at this number – Annapolis: +1 (410) 263-3242.
17. Who designs the boats at Ocean Craft Marine?
Engineering, Design and Production of all Ocean Craft Marine boats is done in house giving us great capabilities to create new models in a short time frame & meet customer’s specific requirements.
18. How long does it take to build an Ocean Craft Marine boat?
Building a boat takes around 2 months on average. However, this also depends on your specific requirements. That said, our delivery time is faster than most other boat building companies as we have control of most all of the construction elements.
19. Are Ocean Craft Marine boats certified?
All Ocean Craft Marine boats come with European CE approval, NMMA and ABYC. We also have approvals from different maritime authorities including USCG
Sub-Chapter T, SOLAS. Our Transport and Tour amphibious boats have also been certified by the Australian Marine Safety Authority, and are the only boats in the category to have this certification. We are an ISO company – therefore every supplier that we work with and all the materials we use is pre-screened and tested.
20. How can I choose an RHIB that is right for me?
Choosing an RHIB that’s right for you depends on a number of factors, including the intended operational environment, and the planned frequency of use. Ocean Craft Marine also offers many customized options so that our boats will be configured to your specific needs. Our team of experts can help guide you in the selection of a RHIB that’s tailored to your needs.
21. Do RHIBs deflate in summer?
No.
22. How does cold weather affect an RHIB?
In extreme cold weather a pneumatic (air-holding) tube-set can lose some of its pressure and may need to be “topped-off” before first use. And for those customers operating in these extreme cold climates we do offer our closed-cell foam-filled tube-sets to address their unique circumstances.
23. What happens if a RHIB develops a leak?
The tube-set if compartmentalized so that a small leak in one section/compartment will not affect others and in any case the tube-set is not required for the bouoncy of the vessel it is there primarily for shock-mitigation and prominent all-round fendering.
24. What should I check for before taking an RHIB out on the water?
We provide a comprehensive “pre-underway check-list” to all of our customers coving many items from proper tube-set pressure to fuela and oil levels, etc.
25. What types of boats does Ocean Craft Marine makes for professional mission-profiles?
We offer a wide range of professional boats, including boats for Law Enforcement and Police, Search and Rescue operations, Firefighting, Oil and Gas operations, and Transport and Tour.
ALUMINUM BOATS
26. What are the advantages of an aluminum boat?
Aluminum boat hulls offers the advantage of robustness, and thus a greater resistance to repeated grounding-impacts. This makes them suitable for riverine and near-shore operational environments.
27. What kind of Aluminum is used to make Ocean Craft Marine’s aluminum boats?
Ocean Craft Marine uses marine-grade Aluminum that offers the strength, durability and corrosion resistance necessary for maritime applications. CNC design and cutting helps to achieve outstanding quality and consistency of all our Aluminum components.
28. Why are aluminum boats more expensive than fiberglass boats?
Aluminum boats are more labor intensive to construct requiring more man-hours than a fiberglass hull that can be molded.
29. Which of Ocean Craft Marine’s boats are constructed with an aluminum hull?
All our boats are built to suit the specific mission needs or individual requirements. However, we generally recommend aluminum hulls only for professional applications, such as riverine and coast guard boats.
30. How long does an aluminum boat last?
Aluminum boats have a very long lifespan. A well-constructed aluminum boat can be operational for 30-40 years with regular service and maintenance.
MILITARY BOATS
31. Does Ocean Craft Marine make military and navy boats?
Yes. Ocean Craft Marine builds various military boats that are configured for special mission profiles such as homeland security, harbor patrols, harbor defense, maritime law enforcement patrols, marine environmental protection, special operations, and search and rescue operations.
32. What types of military boats does Ocean Craft Marine make?
Ocean Craft Marine proudly makes boats for the Navy and Coast Guard, Riverine ops, Special ops and anti-piracy missions and much more.
33. Which Ocean Craft Marine boat is best suited for navy purposes?
Our navy boats are built and customized according the mission specifications. However, our Amphibious boats are the most versatile boats that we offer as they can be configured for a range of missions – from Search & Rescue to Flood response, to border patrol and homeland security and more.
34. Are Ocean Craft Marine’s military boats harder to sink than others?
Yes. Our military boats are generally more heavily constructed and can also be equipped with advanced features such as self-righting systems.
35. Does Ocean Craft Marine build customized boats for the navy?
Yes, Ocean Craft Marine builds customized RHIBs that are designed for both shore-based and
ship-board operations, in various sizes and above-deck configurations. We have had the honor of building boats for many elite military and law enforcement organizations throughout the world.
36. What kind of accessories can be added to a military boat?
Our military boats can be fitted with varied above-deck configurations as well as optional Self-righting systems, Man Overboard recovery systems, the latest shock-mitigation seating, C4ISTAR technologies, wireless headset
crew-communications systems, various weapons systems, ballistic protection and much more.
37. What type of maintenance is necessary for a military boat?
All our military boats are built to require minimal maintenance. Care should however be taken to ensure that the tubes are not punctured and any damage to the hull in the course of normal operations are dealt with properly.
RIVERINE BOATS
38. What is the purpose of a riverine boat?
The purpose of a riverine boat is to provide a robust platform for the uniquely challenging environment of rivers where flotsam, jetsam, sandbars and shoals are very frequent obstacles. They can be designed as multi-mission platforms and used for humanitarian-relief missions and then also as a robust ballistic-protected
weapons-platforms to permit the safe insertion and extraction of special operations forces in the riverine and near-shore environments.
39. What environments are best suited to a riverine boat?
These boats are ideal for coastal and shallow water environments in which the normal wave-action experienced at sea is not present.
40. What is the advantage of Ocean Craft Marine’s riverine boats?
Ocean Craft Marine’s Riverine Command Boats are fast, have exceptional maneuverability and are designed with shallow draft capabilities. They can be customized for command and control operations, humanitarian relief, Search and Rescue operations and as weapons platforms.
41. What customizations can be added to Ocean Craft Marine’s riverine boats?
Ocean Craft Marine offers different RCBs configurations to meet our client’s many varied requirements.
42. What safeguards are used to strengthen Ocean Craft Marine’s riverine boats?
The hulls are constructed with aluminum and specially reinforced to withstand frequent groundings. Ballistic protection can be added to critical areas to protect personnel, propulsion systems and on-deck weapons-stations and they can be configured while the latest C4ISTAR equipment to ensure maximum
situations-awareness and command & control for any mission.
SPECIAL OPS / ANTI PIRACY
43. How are Ocean Craft Marine’s Special Ops / Anti-Piracy boats different from others?
Our Special Ops and Anti-Piracy boats are specially designed, built and equipped for long duration missions, high-speed vessel interdiction operations and non-compliant boarding team operations.
44. What sizes are available in Ocean Craft Marine’s Special Ops and Anti-Piracy range?
We offer several size options, ranging from 4.1M to 12.5M. Our Fast Patrol vessels are
12.5 meters in size and designed to offer maximum mission-range and crew comfort.
45. What configurations does Ocean Craft Marine offer for Special Ops and Anti-Piracy boats?
We offer a wide range of configurations, to suit unique mission requirements. These include deck-mounted crew-serve weapons systems, tactical boarding ladders, thermal and infrared video camera systems and wireless headset
crew-communication systems.
LAW ENFORCEMENT / POLICE
46. Does Ocean Craft Marine make patrol boats?
Yes, we do. Our comprehensive line-up of Law-Enforcement Boats are all multi-mission configurable to include: Harbor Patrol/Defense, Natural
Resource/Fishery Enforcement, High-Speed Vessel Interception, High Value Asset (HVA) Force Protection and Riverine & Coastal Security Operations.
47. What is the price of a patrol boat?
Prices will vary according to the boat’s size, configuration and accessories.
48. What accessories can be added to a patrol boat?
There are very few real limitations in to the type of equipment and accessories that can be added.
49. What is the top speed of a patrol boat?
Every boat is powered diferenlty and according to operational needs, but speeds in excess of 70 MPH are possible
50. Which is the best patrol boat available?
Each boat is designed specific to our customers’ unique operational-environements and mission-profiles
51. Are coast guard and patrol boats the same?
No, they are not.
POLICE BOATS
52. How do Ocean Craft Marine’s Police boats differ from others?
Police boats hanve unique design features and equipment specicife to the law-enforcemtn mission.
53. What kind of hull is recommended for a police boat?
Fiberglass
54. What is the typical configuration from an Ocean Craft Marine Police boat?
There is no “typical configuration,” for a police boat, it always depends on where and how that boat police will be utilized.
SEARCH AND RESCUE
55. Does Ocean Craft Marine make boats for Search and Rescue operations?
Yes we do. Our Search and Rescue boats are specially designed for ‘no-failure zone’ applications, where consistency and reliability are critical factors that determine the success of a mission.
56. Can Ocean Craft Marine’s Search and Rescue boats carry heavy loads?
Yes. Some of these boats can carry exceptionally heavy loads in excess of 1.5 tons.
57. What is the top speed of an Ocean Craft Marine Search and Rescue boat?
These boats are designed with a surface effect hull, and can run continuously at speeds of 63 mph in high seas as well as waters as shallow as 3.3ft.
58. What is the significance of the ‘Surface Effect Hull’?
The surface effect hull enables the RHIB boat to make high-speed tactical turns and withstand rough sea conditions like no other boats.
59. What accessories can be added to Ocean Craft Marine’s Search and Rescue boats?
A range of accessories can be added to our Search and Rescue boats to further enhance their capabilities. These include: scuba-bottle holders, diver-ladders,
diver-doors and diver-notches and more, all of which enable easy deployment and recovery of both divers and recovered persons, even on a stretcher or backboard.
60. Are Ocean Craft Marine’s Search and Rescue boats certified?
Yes, our rescue boats are SOLAS certified.
61. What is the advantage of Ocean Craft Marine’s SOLAS Fast Rescue Boats?
Our SOLAS Fast Rescue Boats (FRB) are valued for their steadiness, shock absorption, exceptionally high load carrying capacity and ease of control, so vital in life-safety situations for rescue operations on commercial ships.
62. What hoisting systems are available on Ocean Craft Marine’s SOLAS rescue boats?
We offer two options for hoisting systems: 4 points lifting system and a single point lifting system.
FIREFIGHTER BOATS
63. Does Ocean Craft Marine make boats for firefighting profiles?
Yes. In addition, our marina and sail support boats can also be configured with the equipment necessary for firefighting activities on the water.
64. Do firefighting boats use sea water to put off the fires?
Yes.
65. How is a typical firefighting boat constructed?
Boats constructed specific to fire-suppression mission are built using specific fire-retartdant resins and have other unique design features.
66. What is the speed of a firefighting boat?
The speed is ultimately determined by the engine power and mission requirements.
TRANSPORT AND TOUR
67. Does Ocean Craft Marine manufacture boats for transport of commercial passengers?
Yes, we do.
68. What kind of activities are Ocean Craft Marine’s Transport and Tour boats suited for?
Our transport and tour boats can be used for eco-tourism, whale-watching, resort guest sightseeing, resort diving excursions, or transporting work personnel to and from offshore facilities.
69. What sizes are available in the Transport and Tour range?
These boats are available in three sizes: 8M, 9.5M and 12M.
70. What are the hull specifications of Ocean Craft Marine’s transport and tour boats?
Our Transport and Tour boats are constructed with a deep-V hull that features our unique concave, reverse-chine design. This design deflects sea spray away from the boat, creates more lift, facilitates smoother turns and reduces fuel consumption. So passengers enjoy smoother, drier rides, in all sea conditions.
71. Are Ocean Craft Marine’s transport boats certified for safety?
Yes, our boats can have the USCG Sub-Chapter “T” certification, as well as European CE approval, NMMA and ABYC.
72. Does Ocean Craft Marine offer an Amphibious model in its Transport and Tour range?
Yes, we recently launched our Amphibious Transport and Tour boat, which also has the distinction of being AMSA certified. It is the only Amphibious Tour and Transport boat to have this certification.
MARINA AND SAIL SUPPORT BOATS
73. Does Ocean Craft Marine offer boats for Marina and Sail Support boats?
Yes, we do. Our Sail Support vessels feature inflatable and prominent fendering, and are suited for personnel transfers underway and man-overboard recoveries. Our Professional Marina Operations / Tow Boats are ideal alongside/hip-towing and to help in mooring yachts and boats.
74. What bow options does Ocean Craft Marine offer for its Marina and Sail Support boats?
Ocean Craft Marine’s Marina and Sail Support boats are fitted with pneumatic or prominent foam-fendering for ease of coming alongside and hip-towing. We also offer the option of a foam or aluminum constructed flat bow with “pushing-knees” to assist regular and mega yachts in mooring.
75. What deck configurations are available for Marina and Sail Support boats?
We offer several configurations for our sail support boats, including provision for firefighting monitors and pumps, and can customize your boat to meet your specific requirements. We also offer the option of a rubber protected deck to carry chains and heavy equipment without incurring damage.
OIL AND GAS
76. What are the challenges with a boat for the oil and gas industry?
Requirements at an Oil and Gas rig range from transport of personnel and equipment to platform security-zone enforcement. Therefore the boats that we build for this category need to be quite versatile. However, Ocean Craft Marine has a vast experience in fielding advanced designs for this specialized work environment.
AMPHIBIOUS
77. What is an amphibious boat?
An amphibious boat has a retractable wheel system, giving you the ability to drive it straight into and out of the water.
78. How are Ocean Craft Marine’s amphibious boats different from others in the market?
All of Ocean Craft Marine’s amphibious boats are built with the advanced AAS-100 amphibious system. It comprises of four independently motorized, steerable, wheels that retract completely from the water, offering exceptional on-water and overland capabilities.
79. How far can an Ocean Craft Marine amphibious boat go on land?
This depends on the size of the boat and the capacity of the engine as well as other environmental factors.
80. How fast can an Ocean Craft Marine Amphibious boat go?
Ocean Craft Marine’s amphibious boats can reach speeds of up to 63 MPH on water, and 9 KPH on land.
81. What are the advantages of an amphibious boat?
These amphibious boats offer these advantages —
● Land on, and drive up, any beach or boat ramp
● Faster launch time
● Wider reach with the ability to reach areas with high tidal variance and the shallowest of waters
● Ability to traverse obstacles, variable depths and debris with ease
● Unique rescue capabilities and flood response
● Access to previously inaccessible areas, such as remote islands and coves
82. What are the types of Amphibious boats available?
Ocean Craft Marine’s amphibious boats are extremely versatile, and can be configured for military, professional and recreational applications.
83. In what sizes are Ocean Craft Marine’s Amphibious boats available?
Our amphibious range is available in varied sizes, starting at 7.1M and up to 10M, including our bow-ramped Beach-lander model which is 8.75M. However, our most popular size is the 8.4M.
84. How difficult is it to drive an Amphibious boat?
Driving an amphibious boat is as easy as driving a car. We also offer training to help our customers get the best performance from their amphibious boats.
85. Can an amphibious boat be used for sightseeing tours?
In a word, yes. In fact, Ocean Craft Marine offers an Amphibious Tour and Transport boat, which has the distinction of being the only boat in the category with AMSA certification.
86. What is the specialty of the Beach-lander?
The Beach-lander model is an Ocean Craft Marine innovation. In this model, the front bow opens into a ramp that serves as a walkway for you to board and disembark the boat and bring equipment onboard. It also doubles as a swim and diving platform in the water.
87. Who is the Beach-lander model of boat ideal for?
The Beach-lander is a great choice for resorts that offer guests private tours of beaches and islands. It is ideal for families and people with special needs as the bow-ramp allows anyone to get on and off the boat easily, and this ramp doubles as a swim platform in the water. We also recommend this model to sport-divers as they can get into and out of the water safely and well away from the engines and propellers.
INFLATABLE BOATS
88. Does Ocean Craft Marine make heavy duty inflatable boats?
Yes. Ocean Craft Marine Inflatable Boats are designed for the most rigorous environments and harshest use. They are perfectly suited for military insertion/extraction, law enforcement, search and rescue, swift-water-rescue and other military and first responder missions.
89. What is an inflatable rescue boat?
An Inflatable Rescue Boats (IRB) is a rubber boat with an outboard motor, which is used predominantly during lifesaving operations conducted inside the surf-zone. Ocean Craft Marine’s entire range of Military Inflatable Boats is purposely designed for the most rigorous environments and harshest use, and are suited for military insertion/extraction, law enforcement, search and rescue, and other military and first responder missions.
90. What is the cost of an inflatable rescue boat?
The exact cost for your boat, of any size, can be determined after it has been fully-defined.
91. What materials are used to make inflatable boats?
Our inflatable boats are constructed from Orca 866 Hypalon fabric and at nominal military-grade thickness of 1670 Dtex.
92. Which is the best inflatable boat suitable for navy use?
The robust ‘Ranger’ inflatable has been designed to tackle the most difficult tasks that a military inflatable could possibly encounter. It has been survival tested in the harshest conditions of extreme heat, humidity, exposure to UV radiation and saltwater. They are also impervious to all types of caustic chemicals and fuels.
93. How are military inflatable boats be used?
Our Ranger inflatables are lightweight and easy to assemble and disassemble. They can be deployed from vehicles, ships, fixed and rotary wing aircraft and submarines.
94. What can Ocean Craft Marine’s military inflatables be used for?
These boats are suitable for military insertion/extraction, law enforcement, search and rescue, and other military and first responder missions.
95. Under what circumstances would an Ocean Craft Marine inflatable boat sink?
Extreme and catastrophic circumstances coul sink any boat or ship.
96. Why are military inflatable boats hard to sink?
The separate air-holding compartmentalization make them extremely robust.
97. What is the price of an Ocean Craft Marine inflatable rescue boat?
All our boats are reasonably priced, however we can only calculate the price of your boat depending on its exact specifications.
CUSTOMIZED SOLUTIONS
98. Does Ocean Craft Marine make customized boats?
Yes. In fact, all our boats are customized per our clients’ specifications for better performance.
99. Are all Ocean Craft Marine’s boats customized?
Yes. We believe that no two customers are alike, and no two missions are alike, and therefore their boats will not be exactly the same. So we work with all our customers to design and build boats that best suit their specific needs.
100. What customizations can be made?
You can customize your boat from the hull up. We offer choices for hull material and type, engines, tubes, seating, frames, tops and canopies, color, console, electronics, accessories and much more. Our teams work closely with you to design a boat that is best suited for your needs.