Twin Mermaid JCB engines have been chosen to power a new catamaran for fisherman Robert Mole.
'Debra Maria' is a 10m Cougar displacement cat built by Ramsgate based Audacious Marine and fitted out for netting and oystering, based out of West Mersea.
The vessel has a slightly larger propeller and stern gear than usual for towing. In addition, the stern section and deck are strengthened to provide protection from the oyster dredges as they are hauled and emptied.
A larger deck and improved buoyancy are also incorporated into the design.
The fibreglass craft has a top speed of 10 – 11 knots meaning only small engines are needed leading to better fuel economy.
“That’s the advantage of the Cougar displacement boats. They need very little horsepower,” said Paul Cannon who heads Audacious Marine.
The Mermaid J-444 NA utilises the four cylinder base engine from JCB Power Systems making it a British designed and built product that is a leader in the marketplace.
The engine has an indirect cooling system, a high capacity heat exchanger and gear driven raw water pump.
The freshwater cooling system is via a self-adjusting poly vee belt and the centrifugal driven water pump is pressurised and thermostatically controlled.
The engine has been designed for simplicity and easy repairs.
The Mermaid J444 (JCB) range has models from 55kW / 74hp to 120kW / 160hp suitable for a large variety of applications, with the smaller engines particularly suitable for the grant funded repower market.
Debra Maria’s engines are 63kW (85hp) at 2200rpm, de-rated to 55kW with a maximum torque of 320Nm at 1200rpm.
Mermaid Marine is the sole UK JCB mariniser.
By Katina Read
