Norsafe’s Munin S1200 Open will be at Seawork, showing off its potential as a very nifty but low-maintenance vessel designed for everything from patrol, security, search and rescue to dive and survey support.
In fact, it’s suited to any general workboat duties, especially where a turn of speed is useful.
The 12m by 3.5m deep-V hull has two, stepped chines which enhance its general sea keeping ability, even at speed. Interestingly, it’s a lightweight composite, fabricated by vacuum infusion with a multiaxial, Kevlar-reinforced glass fibre in a vinyl ester matrix, surrounding a Divinycell core. The Kevlar element is particularly resistant to hydrodynamic fatigue loading with useful, punch-through resistance.
The structural strength is further enhanced by longitudinal box stiffeners and transverse bulkheads. This gives Munin’s latest design a lightship weight (without equipment) of just 4,800 kg, the loaded displacement coming to 7,230kg. As it can also be fitted for four-point lifting, the design makes it a good candidate for a larger daughter craft role, launched and recovered from an offshore mothership.
However, this particularly lightweight construction also yields a fast 65 knot pace when fitted with the triple Mercury Verado 400hp outboards sitting three across on the transom, the configuration that will be shown off at Seawork (hold onto your hats). Manouvering in tight spaces or berthing is assisted by bowthrusters, but there’s also a wide range of main propulsion options as the S1200 also has room inside for inboard engines, paired with twin sterndrives, surface drives or even waterjets.
The focus is on reliability as well as speed: the vessel has a pair of independent batteries for each electrical starter; inboard engines benefitting from clean, freshwater cooling, the seawater side of the heat exchanger running to a wet exhaust outlet at the transom. In case of capsize there’s both an automatic engine shut-off (provided by mercury switches) and air intakes designed to prevent water ingress, so on righting the boat, you’ll still have power.
While this S1200 sits inside Munin’s Open series, in fact it’s designed to close the gap between them and the closed cockpit range. Therefore, while still having an open deck area, it is topped with a large, hard bimini cover, again constructed from GRP on a heavy duty, marine grade aluminium structure with integral ladder. As a result, it’s possible to enclose the sides, front and back with a canopy, helping personnel stay a little more sheltered from the elements; there’s also a heater and fan too.
In the centre are purpose-built, shock absorbing seats for 12, equipped with four-point seatbelts for safety. At the helm are three, ergonomically designed chairs placing the pilot in the centre with navigator and co-pilot seats each side; these also have a tilt arrangement which allows the helmsmen to stand upright. The dashboard, which features most of the usual kit including VHF and loudhailer, has a 220V shore power connection and is broad enough for other equipment to be integrated, with a windscreen surround. The lights are LEDs with no disturbance for VHF, DAB or other communication systems.
To help crew keep their footing, the anti-slip surface underfoot is all on one level (even around the cockpit), with lifelines and grab handles fitted on the gunwale and superstructure.
Unusually for an open boat, there’s a small ‘hideaway’ berth, entered from the front of the console, measuring 75cm by 200cm: very snug. At the rear, behind the crew, is a multifunction workbench and storage lockers. Below the deck are the fuel tanks with 1,050l capacity. There’s also a 60l water tank with a pressurized system ready for a mister, and two autostart bilge pumps (along with a manual version for emergency backup).
The maximum load capacity is large enough for most duties, coming in at around 2,500kg: there are cargo rails on the deck for fixing storage boxes and other equipment onto the deck so the vessel can be used for a variety of support roles.
Finally, it’s pretty robust but the S1200 Open also has a heavy-duty polyethene foam fender (protected by a double skin of reinforced PVC) to absorb impacts.
Visit Norsafe at Seawork International 2018 at their indoor stand at PB73 or on the berth at VA30.
