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'Zephyr' Breezes Into Service
01 Sep 2004
Zephyr , a recently completed 6.9m Cheetah Survey Catamaran , was delivered by Isle of Wight based Cheetah Marine to the Southampton Oceanography Centre in late July. The vessel will be used primarily for bathymetric surveys of the nearshore sub-tidal zone in the Christchurch Bay area and is owned and run by the New Forest District Council/Channel Coastal Observatory , in partnership with the Southampton Oceanography Centre.
Zephyr is the first Cheetah to be fitted with twin two stroke 50hp Evinrude E-tec outboard engines, delivering a cruising speed of 15 knots and a top speed of 22 knots. Twin Hydrive hydraulic steering is supplied by Southern Cross Marine.
A long survey wheelhouse is fitted with workbenches port and starboard while a forward shelf to the left of the helm offers a safe space for computer installation. Electronics include a Trimble positioning system and ICOM M601 waterproof VHF.
Transducers are mounted in both hulls, with the portside unit positioned below the GPS antenna and linked to the Raytheon DE 719E echosounder.
The transducer for a Garmin 250 echosounder is mounted further forward in the starboard hull to give advanced warning in shallow water as the vessel surveys close to shore.
The vessel is built to conform to the MCA Code of Practice category 4 and will carry four people plus all necessary safety equipment and a life raft.
Stainless steel keel bands offer additional protection to the hulls when beaching or in shallow water. All stainless steel work is carried out in-house at the Cheetah Marine metal shop.
Cheetah Marine have also supplied a tri-axle disc brake trailer allowing safe transport between survey sites. The engines are used to power the catamaran on and off the trailer during launch or recovery.
MJInformation No: 19808
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