New composite tour boats airlifted into Crater Lake
Composites Technology
October 2003
By: STAFF
When three new composite tour boats, built by Modutech Marine (Tacoma, Wash., U.S.A.), were delivered to Oregon’s famed Crater Lake in July, the means used to move the custom-built 15,000-lb, 48-passenger craft to the road-inaccessible lake – situated in the crater of extinct volcano Mt. Mazama – were as unique as the boats themselves. Modutech trucked the boats to Pumice Desert near the park’s north entrance, where a Columbia Helicopters Boeing 234 Chinook airlifted the 12,000-lb craft, one at a time, eight miles to the lake and over the 7,000-foot-high crater rim to Governor’s Bay at Wizard Island.
Built for quiet operation and fuel efficiency, the boats’ composite design optimizes safety as well, with foam-filled buoyancy chambers and molded hulls of inch-thick sandwich construction, featuring 7 to 10 layers of fiberglass and a foam core, with fiberglass composite decks and seating, as well. Engine compartments are sealed and the composite hulls dampen engine noise. In addition, Bilge pumps are fitted with smart sensors to prevent engine fluids from getting pumped into the lake.
The composite hull and bilge precautions were especially important to tour boat operator Xanterra Parks & Resorts (Aurora, Colo., U.S.A.), which took over operation of the lodge and other concessions at Crater Lake National Park last year. In the 1990s, researchers had detected gasoline residue near the tour boat docks on the lake’s north shore. A subsequent federal investigation, concluded in 2002, found serious safety lapses in the operation of the previous wooden vessels. Xanterra layed out a total of $600,000 for the virtually unsinkable and corrosion-resistant composite craft. the new boats are expected to be less likely to leak gasoline into the lake and will be easier to repair than the wooden hulled boats of the 30-year old fleet they replace.
Other pages in this section
- Obituary: Marion C. ‘Rib’ Ribble – December 29, 2003
- Crater Lake historic home to be restored – December 10, 2003
- Park officials seek public comments about plan to rehabilitate superintendent’s house – December 01, 2003
- Crater Lake vendor gets serious about recycling – November 12, 2003
- Rim Drive closes at Crater Lake – November 07, 2003
- East Rim at Crater closes for the winter – November 04, 2003
- Governor appoints former KF woman to state travel council – October 19, 2003
- County claims Crater Lake – October 16, 2003
- Look up – Skies above Crater Lake are clear, too – September 25, 2003
- Friends of Crater to meet Saturday – September 29, 2003
- Norton cancels Crater Lake visit – September 17, 2003
- Researchers delve into lake’s clarity – September 15, 2003
- Sinnott Memorial Overlook: new exhibit provides answers to lake’s geologic history – September 02, 2003
- Participants call Rim Run volunteers the ‘best anywhere’ – September 02, 2003
- Crater Lake boats refloated: builder modifies engines; allows tours to resume – August 25, 2003
- Roadwork proposed near entrance of Crater Lake – August 20, 2003
- Geologist honored for Crater Lake work – August 19, 2003
- Project aims to keep Crater Lake black bears wild – August 18, 2003
- Lindgren wins 2nd straight women’s 6.7-mile run; Gregg wins men’s – August 11, 2003
- Klamath Falls native wins marathon – August 11, 2003
- Winners have no trouble with hills at end of race – August 11, 2003
- Boats land in Crater Lake: new boats to start service on Sunday – July 23, 2003
- Geologist receives research award – July 22, 2003
- At Crater Lake even ordinary years are pretty sensational – July 07, 2003
- New fleet for Crater Lake – July 07, 2003
- Rim Drive is open – July 07, 2003
- North entrance ready for travel: road to Crater Lake near Fort Klamath open to travelers – June 07, 2003
- Hartzogs honored – May 29, 2003
- Crater Lake ski patrol earns national honors – May 29, 2003
- Comments sought for Rim Village project – May 25, 2003
- Look at the local top 10 attractions first – May 12, 2003
- Crater Lake back to normal, spectacular self – May 12, 2003
- National Award for Crater Lake Ski Patrol – April 29, 2003
- Fee collection starts Saturday: unpredictable weather opens Crater Lake’s busy season – April 24, 2003
- Volcanic Scenic Byway gets large grant – April 21, 2003
- Local pair to help promote the Volcanic, All American Scenic road – February 03, 2003
- County repaid for Crater Lake license loan – January 07, 2003
