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WA 1993 40' WILLARD LAUNCH / PATROL BOAT

Road Warrior 88

Member
Steel Soldiers Supporter
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Location
Grangeville, Idaho
1993 40’ Willard Marine naval personnel launch boat. This launch boat was stored in a naval boat shed in San Diego California for over 25 years, and was never pressed into service, thus no name was assigned to this boat only its original hull number. The windows were boarded up and the interior has finally seen sunlight in March of 2023. Technically, it’s a new boat, and it can be considered a rare barn find.

Boat name: None
Hull # 12MPE9209
16,000lbs. dry weight
42” Draft Fully Loaded
40’OAL
11’-9” Beam
GRP Hull & Superstructure Full Displacement W/Keel
26” Bronze Prop
Twin 75 Gallon Fuel Tanks Gravity Fed
Forward & Aft Bilge Pumps 24 Volt
Manually Hand Operated Emergency Edson Bilge Pump
Cummins 6BTA 5.9 220HP M2 Engine
Engine hours: 10
Twin Disc MG 506A RH Rotation 2.50 to 1 Transmission
Commercial 24 volt electrical system
Bomar Ocean Rated Hatches
Hydraulic Steering W/Stainless Lines
Second auxiliary rudder
Main Rudder Stainless Steel


Flock system to drain engine & transmission fluids. There were hundreds of other 40' personnel boats made by Willard but with semi displacement hull designs. Documented top end speed during sea trials at Willard Marine before turning it over to the Navy was 18.61 knots with its stock single 6BTA 220HP engine.

Built to NAVSEA specifications, this boat is number 9 of 9 of these unique launch boats produced by Willard Marine with this full displacement hull design. With her low profile cross section and rounded super structure makes this boat easy to maneuver in windy conditions. The bridge clearance from the waterline to the top of the canopy is only 115”.

The engineer's chest found in the engine bay contains full blueprints, service manuals, technical manual and detailed booklet of the ship testing done by Willard Marine prior to delivering it to the Navy. She is rated to carry 43 personnel in her forward, and aft compartments. Integrated hull full flotation compartmentalized buoyancy foam cored hull in the forward and aft ship bulkheads which makes this boat virtually unsinkable. In the event of a hull breach or crash, the naval manual states: stay with the boat unless it has an out of control fire onboard which would be highly unlikely with diesel. The hull was made with fire resistant resin as another safety feature. In an emergency situation these launch boats were designed to be pushed off and dropped 60’ to 80’ feet off a ship into the water without sustaining damage or operational capabilities due to the full-length twin steel beams molded into the hull. Some call it the water tank. Would make a great passage maker with some customized upgrades.

Analog simplicity, ease of maintenance and reliability on a very capable boat. The entire boat is entirely made from GRP, so there’s nothing that will ever rot. The auxiliary rudder I'm told is to steer the water over the prop to prevent cavitations and also for a maneuvering aid in backing up the boat. This boat comes with new spare prop in crate, new drive shaft with coupler in crate and a full complement of spare engine service parts, new Bimini top, and boat cover. Also included, is the steel 2 point boat lifting cable for ease of handling negating the need for a travel lift, with just only a crane or a gantry required to lift her. This boat has been fully serviced, and activated as per naval long term storage directions. Location: Anacortes, Washington. 65K firm.
 

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