Research vessel - RV Serpula

The CMBB's boats include the research vessel, RV Serpula, which is moored at its Loch Creran base. The vessel is a 26.5 ft Kingfisher which has an eight ton displacement hull, driven by a 130 HP Perkins Sabre diesel engine, giving a cruising speed of 7-8 knots. She has a roomy forward wheelhouse incorporating chart table and seating for 4, a small forward cabin furnished with two berths and cooker and a large open working deck, 11.5 ft wide. She is fully compliant with the Maritime and Coastguard Agency Code of Practice for Small Workboats and holds a Category 3 certificate, allowing use up to 20 miles from a safe haven. She can carry up to 10 crew/passengers.

Instrumentation

Furuno differential GPS (ground station and EGNOS corrections)
Raymarine radar/plotter with C-Map chart system
Raymarine C120 plotter with Navionics Gold chart system
NMEA data stream for PCs
JRC colour fishfinder/log
Forward-looking echosounder
Icom GMDSS-compliant VHF
ICS Navtex
Six 12 volt sockets

Deck gear

Aft gantry with derrick
Twin drum hydraulic winch
Electric anchor windlass
Deck wash
Diving ladder

The vessel is rigged for small otter and beam trawling, grabbing, coring, plankton sampling and diving. She is regularly used for drop-down video, ROV, sidescan sonar and AGDS surveying.

In addition to the research vessels, the CMBB has access to the following equipment for seagoing and coastal research:

Drop-down video system with 150 m umbilical
Underwater video & still photography equipment for divers
Three zodiac inflatable boats and associated outboard engines
Long arm Van-Veen Grab
Craib Corer
Multi-Corer
Beam Trawl
Naturalists Dredge
Pipe Dredge