Silver Ships Inc., Mobile, Ala., has built a new spec fire/rescue boat, a 26' Ambar series RIB. The center console boat is designed for firefighting, dewatering sinking boats, providing medical treatment, evacuation and search and rescue operations.

Wing Inflatables manufactured the foam hybrid collar, Ullman the medium-back Echelon seats, Fell Marine the wireless remote kill switch, Life Cell Marine Safety the Yachtsman buoyant device and ditch control kit, Viconic Defense the impact absorbing boat matting, and Darley the Hercules HE64RP 575 gpm fire pump. The boat is powered by twin Evinrude E-Tec G2 250-hp outboards.

The electronics package is by Raymarine and includes the eS127 multifunction display with sonor, Quamtum Q24C CHIRP pulse compression radar, ray70 multifunction radio with loudhailer and intercom, AIS650 Class B AIS transceiver, Raystar 150 GPS sensor, EV-1 sensor core, CAM220IP CCTV camera, and the package allows for video recording to SD memory card.

Ken Hocke has been the senior editor of WorkBoat since 1999. He was the associate editor of WorkBoat from 1997 to 1999. Prior to that, he was the editor of the Daily Shipping Guide, a transportation daily in New Orleans. He has written for other publications including The Times-Picayune. He graduated from Louisiana State University with an arts and sciences degree, with a concentration in English, in 1978.