The Brown Water Navy

[Navatech]

Maybe this has been posted before... I don't know... I just stumbled across it on Youtube... Thought it was something the membership would enjoy seeing:

[Navatech]

And another related one... Narrated by William Burr... A.k.a. "Ironside"...

[Navatech]

And no, I didn't have Wagner's Ride Of The Valkyries on the stereo in the background ;-)))



I don't "do" Wagner...

[Charlie J]

who manufactured the river boats

[CaptPatrick]

Almost, if not, all were Uniflits Charlie...

In 1965, the Navy awarded Uniflite with a contract to build 120 - 31' River Patrol Boats (PBR's). The PBR's were powered by twin Detroit 6V53's with water jets and they cruised between 25 and 31 knots. There were over 750 PBR's built and at the height of production two PBR's were rolling off the assembly line along with one 36' landing craft each day! In addition to the Navy contracts, in the 1960's and early 1970's Uniflite had numerous other military contract building 14' and 50' boats: patrol craft, landing craft and personnel boats.

[Joseph Fikentscher]

I believe they got the contracts because they used a fire retardant fiberglass resin?? I'm pretty sure that was Uniflite's claim to fame.

[CaptPatrick]

Think you're right Joseph...

[neil]

One of my customers had one that was navy issue that he converted in a sportfish,cut the transom and added four feet one hell of a boat,it was called the escaped out of brielle nj

[Charlie J]

interesting thanks guys

[Rawleigh]

I dove to clean the bottom of a houseboat that was built on the same hull back in the '80's. I think it was a commercial production that used the same hull design, not a conversion.

[Bertramp]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FtED6jqykFk

At one point I had heard that the government wanted the 28 Hatteras as patrol boats, but due to a disagreement with Hatteras (Slane), bought one, made a mold and had someone else build the boats.

[Navatech]

I believe they got the contracts because they used a fire retardant fiberglass resin?? I'm pretty sure that was Uniflite's claim to fame.

Bertram build a few 31's or 33's (I'm not sure which) for the Israeli navy back in the 60's... They too were build with a fire retardant fiberglass resin so I doubt that was something unique to Uniflite... It was (and still is) a technology available to anybody willing or needing to pay the premium...

[Navatech]

At one point I had heard that the government wanted the 28 Hatteras as patrol boats, but due to a disagreement with Hatteras (Slane), bought one, made a mold and had someone else build the boats.

I have heard the same story before but it doesn't make sense... The legality of ripping off IP in such a blatant manner would have reached the courts and I haven't been able to dig up anything along those lines... Even if Hatteras wouldn't/didn't sue (due to patriotism or whatever) they would have used the story in their advertising... But I haven't been able to dig up anything along those lines either...

[Mikey]

Raymond Burr