HamiltonJet Waterjets Give Houston Pilots Speed and Control for Demanding Transfers

The Houston Pilots Association (HPA) needs its pilot boats to cover 10 to 12 miles to its offshore bar vessel in less than an hour, before switching from high-speed transit to the close manoeuvring required for pilot transfers. Meeting those demands called for a propulsion system that could deliver high-speed performance without compromising control.

HamiltonJet worked with the HPA team to develop a solution around their vessels’ operational requirements, combining three HTX47 waterjets with MAN D2862 LE438 engines producing 1,200hp each, with AVX controls giving the coxswain direct control of the waterjets.

Juan Seguin, which launched in March, is HPA’s second custom pilot boat. Designed by ECS Marine and built by Breaux’s Bay Craft, the 24-metre aluminium vessel follows San Jacinto, which entered service in May 2025. The two vessels share the same HamiltonJet propulsion configuration, giving HPA consistency as the fleet expands.

Juan Seguin reaches a top speed of 37.5 knots and cruises at 32.5 knots, meeting HPA’s transit requirement to the offshore bar vessel. The AVX control system has also been configured around the coxswain’s working position.

A joystick is fitted to the left armrest of the coxswain’s seat, allowing the operator to control the waterjets without leaving the helm, while keeping the right hand available for the waterjet controls during manoeuvres.

The propulsion arrangement also sits within a wider package of equipment specified for the demands of HPA’s operation. Juan Seguin is fitted with a Seakeeper 40 stabilisation system, two Northern Lights 38kW generators and a fixed CO₂ firefighting system in the engine room, with automatic engine shutdown and vent closure functions as well as a manual activation system.

For HamiltonJet, the project is an example of the importance of considering propulsion as part of the vessel’s wider operational requirements. The waterjets, controls and helm arrangement have to work within an overall vessel design focused on performance, crew operation and reliability.

That approach is particularly relevant to repeat-build projects such as Juan Seguin. HPA is not starting from a blank sheet with the second vessel; the propulsion configuration established on San Jacinto provides a known platform while allowing the new boat to be developed around the same operational requirements.

“The HPA team had a clear understanding of what they needed the vessels to achieve, and that gave us a strong basis for the propulsion solution,” says HamiltonJet Global Business Development Manager, Antony Tomkins. “With a repeat vessel, there is also an opportunity to build on what has already been established and apply that experience to the next boat. For Juan Seguin, we focused on how the propulsion and controls would work together from the coxswain’s position as well as delivering the required performance.”

Find out more about HamiltonJet's pilot boat offering here. For commercial vessel propulsion solutions, visit HamiltonJet or contact the HamiltonJet team at [email protected].