What is it that makes a Special Forces RIB so special? Mike Pullen is first in line to find out.

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It isn’t every day you get an invitation to play with the Special Boat Service and their toys, so there was plenty of competition at SB HQ to bag this one. We drew straws to decide who would go and, naturally enough, mine was the longest, so I made my way to the Portsmouth Naval Base with my mind steeled, ready for an arduous time on the water at the hands of some serious boaters . . .

I was expecting men in black with muscles on top of muscles and chins the texture of granite. But in reality it was not quite that exciting - just a bunch of journos at the hands of the development team and the test drivers. And that’s not to decry or demean the test drivers. After all, they have what must be one of the best jobs in the world and it shows in their faces. Mike and Jerry, our drivers for the day, have a permanent smile stitched across their faces and it’s little wonder. They spend all their lives driving other people’s boats as hard as they can in rough water, just to see if they can break them. They then demonstrate their findings to potential purchasers by showing them just what kind of punishment these vessels can take. And that makes sense. After all, if you spent £150,000 on a bare boat and £350,000 on the on board electronics, you would want to know that it’s capable of staying afloat.

The day started with a look around the new manufacturing plant, where each boat is lovingly crafted by skilled, British boat builders. As the workshop is located within the Portsmouth naval base, everyone building the boats has to be security cleared and that’s a shame because more people ought to get the chance to see how things are done. The actual structure of the boat is laminated from pre-cut material and assembled on jig-aligned moulds. This ensures complete uniformity from one boat to the next. The mouldings are not just your usual hand-laid GRP either. These boats are built from resin infused e-glass (or epoxy) and Kevlar, in order to create a very lightweight, impact-resistant and robust hull - and it’s the same with the deck, hatches and bulkheads. This is the kind of resin technology reserved for the likes of the very best race boats. High strength with light weight are the watchwords for the build of all the boats that come out of the Halmatic workshop.

The Pacific 950

This Pacific 950 Special Forces boat has been developed to take full advantage of the Volvo D6 375hp inboard diesel engines. Traditionally, the role that this boat plays would have been taken by outboard power units, but with the move to a single fuel policy across the Armed Forces, large outboards no longer fit the remit. It’s not a problem though, as the Volvo D6 power plant, with its supercharged and turbocharged induction, provides much of the acceleration and speed previously offered by outboard-driven boats. The supercharger provides instant horsepower at low revs to give impressive acceleration with none of the lag you associate with turbocharging. The turbocharger develops at higher revs to boost the induction at cruising speeds, helping economy and increasing range. The acceleration is important when undergoing boarding operations and the instant boost is required to maintain station alongside an enemy vessel while the specialist boarding equipment is deployed. You need to be able to get in and alongside very quickly indeed so throttle response has to be a major priority  on this Halmatic RIB.

The day job . . .

The current role for these boats involves the management of piracy off the more questionable stretches of African coastline. For this role, they need to be able to carry the men and kit to their destination in any sea conditions at great speed, to preserve the element of surprise. To aid in that work, the extraordinary build strength and the reinforced, large-diameter inflatable tube allow these craft to shrug off impacts against ship’s hulls in big seas - exactly the kind of rough and tumble that would see your average leisure boat crumble in extremely short order.

Other roles for the Pacific 950 include insertion and extraction of personnel and equipment. The type of people who use these boats are rarely in a position to be held up by a seastate so the boat is designed and built to operate in the most adverse sea conditions imaginable. They can be dropped from an aircraft, stacked in a hold or on deck and can be rigged for different functions in a matter of hours. The deck tracks provide a flexible mounting solution for a wide variety of applications, including the mounting of a 50-calibre weapon on the stern and another in the bow. A small inflatable or a few kayaks can also be stowed on deck for covert insertion techniques - so next time you see a bobble-hatted chap in a kayak, treat him with respect. He may not be quite the nerd you think he is.

Load me up

The concept of the P950 is not just focused on high speed. The most remarkable facet of this particular SBS tool is its ability to carry a heavy payload at speed, through mountainous seas and deliver both its men and their equipment safely to their destination. The performance figures are quite revealing. The top speed is not that startling at 46 knots, especially from 750hp, but consider that the P950 will still top 43 knots when loaded with three tonnes of equipment and you begin to see why it is such a special boat. The acceleration of the bare boat is as fast as a ski boat, going from a standstill to 30 knots in a mere seven seconds. And with her full payload of three tonnes on board she still achieves that speed in just 15 seconds - or about the same time it takes a sports cruiser to get on the plane. What is even more remarkable is the fact that this feat is achieved from a standard hull without the efficiency benefits of steps or air scoops.

The P950 was developed to perform at 40 knots through sea state 6 and to withstand that kind of punishment for a military service life of ten years or more. One of these boats will see more action in one year than most leisure boats will see in their entire lifetime, and it won’t be having an easy time of it, swanning around in estuaries either. On a value for money comparison, there is none. When it comes to ultimate quality and dependability, you cannot cut corners to save a few bob.

On the water

Seeing how this boat can be thrown about on the water is a revelation. Mike launched the big, heavy boat into turns at planing speed and she behaved like a heavy-boned ballet dancer, turning full circle in two boat lengths and throwing great walls of water into the air as she did so. Not quite a pirouette around the bow perhaps but very close.

Running across the swells, she lifts level and runs flat. There is a lot of weight in those two engines and the tonne and a half of fuel aboard, plus the inch-thick hull and the suspension seats but even so, the boat does manage to leave the water. Having said that, it’s by no means at wild angles and the hull provides a stabilised, progressive landing with any remnants of jarring removed from the equation by the shock absorbing seats. It’s as though we are flying rather than floating. We are not being subjected to the same kind of treatment as the SBS boys would mete out to each other, but it still gives us an insight into how this boat can deliver an elite force safely, at speed, through seas that leisure boaters would simply overlook as way beyond the point where pain overrides entertainment.

How much?

The figures surrounding these boats are mind boggling when you first see them. This very craft we’ve been playing on today, fully kitted out and ready to go, would set you back a cool £750,000. Yes, read the zeros. That’s three quarters of a million pounds. But when you break it down, the boat itself is actually the cheapest part of the package. It’s the military electronics that really cost the money, easily coming in at double the price of the boat.

If we take the basic price of the boat as £150,000 it’s interesting to see what you could get on the leisure market for the same money. There;’s certainly plenty of choice but, while the pleasure boat tends to be full of fancy embellishments, the military craft sinks all its money into structural rigidity and durability. Apparently Special Forces don’t want cherrywood veneers or Connolly hide upholstery. They just want a boat to stay together under their feet and, having spent a day in the company of the immense Halmatic Pacific P950, I have to say, they could not wish for a better servant . . .

SPECIFICATIONS

LOA            9.5 m

Beam            3.0 m

Weight            bare boat, fully fuelled - seven tonnes

Payload            three tonnes

Max crew            30 persons

Engines            twin Volvo D6 375hp inboard, supercharged and turbocharged diesels

Max speed (bare)          46 knots

with 2000kg payload   45 knots

with 3000kg payload   43 knots

Acceleration            0 – 30 knots

Bare boat            seven seconds

with 2000kg payload      11 secs

with 2000kg payload      15 secs

Price                    from £150,000

CONTACT

BVT Surface Fleet Support,  Small Boat Centre of Excellence, Building 3/236, PP112, Military Road, HM Naval Base, Portsmouth PO1 3NH

Telephone 02392 726543

Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

www.bvtsurfacefleet.com