Vulcan Materials Co., Birmingham, Ala., one of the largest producers and suppliers of aggregate construction materials in the country, took delivery of a new pushboat built by Diversified Marine Services LLC, Bourg, La., in March.
Moving away from leasing vessels or purchasing used boats, Vulcan ordered two 72'x30' pushboats from Diversified in February 2025. The series’ first vessel, the Larry Gravely, is named in honor of a longtime Vulcan operations manager who is retiring. Its sistership is currently under construction.
Gravely has been with Vulcan for 47 years and was surprised when he was informed the vessel would be named after him. “It was an honor for sure,” he said. “They don’t name boats after people unless they’re a president or someone high up the ladder.”
He said that Vulcan’s decision to purchase new pushboats instead of used vessels was the result of high price tags on the pre-owned boats and the upkeep cost for them. “It’s nice to have something you don’t have to worry about,” said Gravely.
Diversified Marine specializes in pushboats and tugs ranging from 25' truckable diesel- and electric-powered vessels up to the 72-footers that Vulcan will be operating.
The yard decided to step up its interior finishing game with the Larry Gravely, according to Adam Hutchinson, general manager at Diversified. “We went above and beyond with interior finishes,” he said. “We moved away from a typical workboat style and went more with how a home would be finished.” That included lighter colors and finishes on interior walls and granite countertops.
“We wanted to redefine what a workboat looks like,” he said. “When you have crew on these boats working most of the year, you want them to have the feel of being at home. You want to have a warm feel instead of a cold workboat feel.”
Added Gravely, “Adam built a big, roomy boat that’s comfortable for the crew, that gives them a feel for home. They do spend half a life on them.”
To give the crew the comforts of home in another way, Diversified has started putting Starlink high-speed internet systems on all its boats.
The Larry Gravely has accommodations for six plus a full galley equipped with a stove, microwave oven, refrigerator/freezer, an icemaker, and a washer/dryer.
Hutchinson said that Vulcan got a deal by ordering two boats, but a retail price for the 72' pushboat as equipped would be just shy of $5 million.
The Larry Gravely is powered by a pair of 800-hp Mitsubishi diesels from Laborde Products, Covington, La. The electro-hydraulic steering and electric engine controls are provided by Glendinning.
For the helm, Rhodes Marine, Houma, La., provided a full suite of Furuno electronics, including 6-kW, 96-nautical-mile digital radar with a 4' antenna and 15-meter cable, a Class A AIS transponder with a 4.3" color LCD display, a satellite compass, 4.3" LCD navigation data organizer, depth finder, and bridge alarm system.
The boat features Standard Horizon marine VHF with NMEA 2000, AIS, a graphic display, built-in GPS, and a loudhailer. For entertainment, the boat is equipped with a Kenwood Marine digital stereo receiver with 6.5" marine speakers.
Diversified builds its pushboats without bowthrusters, preferring to improve their maneuverability another way.
“We’re running 76"-diameter propellers, so you have a lot of surface area to work with, and you have flanking rudders that really helps with the maneuverability,” said Hutchinson.
In addition to the two primary rudders that are in-line abaft the propellers, there are two flanking rudders forward of the propeller on each side that enhance the 72' pushboat’s maneuverability. “These boats can almost move laterally,” said Hutchinson.
The Larry Gravely will push aggregate loads from Richmond, Va., to Norfolk, Va., and down to Kitty Hawk, N.C. She will run on the Chesapeake Bay and the James River. For the first trip, Larry Gravely himself will be at the helm.
