Seaworthiness, safety, low maintenance and strength are the hallmarks of the Gulf Coast Crew Boats. These boats were built to go out in weather that would keep most boats tied to the dock.
Navigator is not a conversion but a custom crew boat, built at Breaux Bay Craft to be a comfortable cruiser. The boat can cruise at 10 knots with a fuel burn of 1.3 miles/gallon or it can cruise at 19 knots with a fuel burn of 2 gallons for each mile. Being aluminum, the boat is very light for its size—with full fuel she tips the scales at 54,000 pounds.
The boat has always been updated. In 2005 a major repowering was completed. The older Detroit 892’s were removed and replaced with two Deutz 1015 engines of 600 HP each. These engines develop full horsepower at 2100 RPM. The shafts were replaced at the same time and a second generator was installed with a sound shield.
The engines at this time have 1000 hours on them. They have titanium heat exchangers eliminating the need for zincs and the oil changes are at 500 hour intervals. The transmissions are twin disc with a 25:1 ratio.
Navigator draws attention wherever she goes. One would be hard-pressed to find a better vessel.