Mary Ann
Refit and repower for Marine Rescue Hopetoun
The final refit undertaken for the Western Australian Department of Fire and Emergency Services (DFES) in 2020, this project updated and extended the life of the rigid inflatable boat (RIB) Mary Ann.
In August 2020, DFES and Marine Rescue Hopetoun issued a request to a number of companies to undertake necessary maintenance and refit for both the boat and trailer. Dongara Marine was selected to undertake the project in September 2020, and the boat was trucked to our facility from Hopetoun – a road trip of some 900 kilometres – in late October.
The scope of the work package we undertook to improve and extend the 10-year-old Naiad-designed vessel’s capabilities included:
- Installation of a new collars and bladders onto the rigid hull;
- Repowering with new twin 250hp Yamaha outboards with digital throttles and power steering;
- Painting including updating the livery to meet new Marine Rescue WA standards;
- Supply and install new electrical items including an LED light bar and power outlets; and
- Boat trailer maintenance.
The refurbishment and upgrade of Mary Ann was completed in December 2020.
The Hopetoun volunteers are one of 37 Marine Rescue WA groups situated along Western Australia’s coastline from Esperance in the south to Kununurra in the north that are managed and funded through DFES. Another two, in Christmas Island and Cocos (Keeling) Islands, are funded and managed by the Commonwealth.
Marine Rescue Hopetoun is part of South Coast Volunteer Marine Rescue, a collective of four marine rescue groups on the south coast of Western Australia. Visit its Facebook page here.
For more information on Volunteer Marine Rescue Western Australia (VMRWA) visit www.vmrwa.org.au or its Facebook page.
“Successfully completing this refit on a boat that is home ported nearly 900km away from our facility demonstrates both our ability to work effectively with geographically remote clients and the competitiveness of our services”
Rohan Warr - Dongara Marine
