Marine patrol gets new vessel

SANDPOINT — The Bonner County Sheriff’s Marine Patrol has taken delivery of a new boat that will stand up to just about anything Lake Pend Oreille can dish out.

“This will be the boat used on the biggest part of the lake,” marine patrol Sgt. Ron Raiha said of the 30-foot aluminum boat built by Lee Shore Boats in Port Angeles, Wash.

The sheriff’s office acquired funding for the boat through a $90,000 Idaho Department of Parks & Recreation waterways grant. The marine patrol kicked in $60,000.

The boat will be used to accelerate response times in bad weather on the south end of the lake and is slated to be kept at Garfield Bay.

“It can get a little hairy out there in rough weather,” said Sgt. Anker Rasmussen.

The cabin can comfortably hold at least eight people. Twice as many people can fit on the decks, which gives the boat the highest capacity of all the patrol’s boats.

The marine patrol’s deep knowledge of all things nautical was used to customize the boat from bow to stern. The collaboration resulted in a sturdy, user-friendly design that features a single level of ample decking that encircles a roomy cabin.

The cabin’s forward-sloping windscreen and spacious windows provide better visibility and less glare than the patrol’s other vessels, while an aft platform gives deputies easy access to the boat’s 225-horsepower Honda outboards and power supplies. It also has a Samson post on the bow to facilitate the towing of boats that run aground, oversized cleats and boiler-tough welds throughout.

The boat’s 10-plus-foot beam and shallow draft make it more stable in rough waters. A lengthy hard chine on the hull enables responsive handling.

The boat, christened Marine 6, is slated to make its debut on Lake Pend Oreille this spring.