The USCG 40-foot Utility Boat

[Bogwan62000]

hey mike your right about the fiberglass 40.i dont remember the no. of the one we got to run test on,i knew the coxswain that did the testing on it though.he told me the main grip he had with it was when he went full astern it would cavitate so severly it would crack the transome(turned out that,that was the reason she sank at the dock).i didnt know that much about her as we didnt get her untill just before i left.dana your right about the exhaust being above deck but that happened before 66 though because when i got to psu in 63 they were already above deck.of course that could be because of each individual enginering officer dont know.we had nine boats when i got there,then we got the 385 from tracen alameda(they just used it to chase recruits in the lifeboats),and just before i left we got the fiberglass 40 for testing.kinda makes me wonder about bugseys 40 because his exhausts run below deck wonder when it got retired?

[Zoomer]

hey mike your right about the fiberglass 40.i dont remember the no. of the one we got to run test on,i knew the coxswain that did the testing on it though.he told me the main grip he had with it was when he went full astern it would cavitate so severly it would crack the transome(turned out that,that was the reason she sank at the dock).i didnt know that much about her as we didnt get her untill just before i left.dana your right about the exhaust being above deck but that happened before 66 though because when i got to psu in 63 they were already above deck.of course that could be because of each individual enginering officer dont know.we had nine boats when i got there,then we got the 385 from tracen alameda(they just used it to chase recruits in the lifeboats),and just before i left we got the fiberglass 40 for testing.kinda makes me wonder about bugseys 40 because his exhausts run below deck wonder when it got retired?

Ya Bogwan, when you backed down heavily it did cavitate.  That's when I learned the Six "P's"  Previous Planning Prevents Piss Poor Performance.   It also taught me how to operate a boat "slow and sloppy", kinda like playing pool   The twin screw coxswains were used to going balls to the wall and then backing down in the same manner...single screw 40's (which I think there were six made) took some patience.  Along side tows, especially of a vessel larger than the 40 was challanging, but fun.  I put a 90 footer along side a dock, again challanging but fun.  It would have been easier and quicker with a twin screw....but I wouldn't have had the sense of accomplishment   Cheap Thrills

I was at a Forth of July celebration a couple years ago on the "delta", an area between Sacramento and San Francisco, over 1,000 miles of waterway.....anyway....this poor guy, his port engine crapped out and wanted to get the boat back to the dock in Antiock.  He hadn't had the boat for very long and was so very nervious about trying to not only to get it in the marina, but into his slip at the marina.  I got the boat to the marina took it into the marina on one engine and put it into the guy's slip without touching ANYTHING.  Some people are so EASY to impress.  But I learned this by driving that single screw 40.  I was having fun, but this guy was as nervous as a long tailed cat in a rocking chair factory...of course my drinking beer for the hour and a half trip didn't help him out

[BuoyJumper]

The Launching of Bugsey's 40450
September 29, 2008

Start the engines Bugsey

Hey Bugsey ... Where's the running lights? .......... 

MORE PHOTOS OF THE LAUNCH AND SHAKEDOWN CRUISE ON THIS LINK

[BuoyJumper]

Bugsey's 40450 Shakedown Cruise
October 5, 2008

Congrats Bugsey ...... I'll have one too ......  

SWEET ... Love this photo of the 450 getting up out of the water ... 

Short Quick Time Video Of
Bugsey's 45450 Underway

[rustybayonet]

Even though my time and duty aboard 40's was short, the pictures and video sure brought back memories.  For a brief moment I was a 'kid' again at the Yard and at Toledo.  Congrats to everyone involved - that first ride must have been fantastic.  Again thanks for the pictures.

[EX-CG-GM]

Great job!  Sure is nice to see a 40' underway again.

Bugsey, you did a helluva job!  Congratulations!   

[Bill]

Bugsey

Great Job. That ride had to be a thrill, it would be for me.

[Bogwan62000]

hey bugsey congrats on a great job.i was almost able to put myself on that coxswains platform with you,but could only imagine what it was like.had to be like going home.congrats not only for the 450 but also for beating father time congrats

[Jack]

Outstanding work, she does look nice, just one question, where are the running lights? Stop by the club , first round is on me while we talk about her.

[Hooligan 1790]

I spent two plus years on 40' UTs mixed in with a little time on the old 30' steel Uts which were a disaster.  Most of our work was done with 40 footers and the wonderful 44' MLB.  Our primary 40' UT was the 40375 which we ran the entire time I was at Woods Hole.  We had many others that came and went, usually having two 40 footers working all during SAR Season and one through the winter.

I have been told the 375 was the first steel 40' UT.  She was a great boat and the last duty station she went to was Race Point Station I believe in 1975. I got out in 1973 and she was still going strong.  I was also part of the trial team for the then 42' Ut which later became the 41' UT.

I would love to get down to NY and help out on the restoration project but like everyone else time is at a premium.

[BuoyJumper]

Pat ... Did you see this photo of the 375 on page two?

[pachesma]

Hey Hooligan,

Did you ACTUALLY get "suspended" from that other site for 10 days??? UN-believable!!!!

Ya eva get down to Hull to visit the FD chief theres an old 40 boat up on the high & dry at the bar(Jo's Nautical) right next to STA "PA". Been there for awhile, Acushnet Towing owns it, rough shape, probably could be had for a couple "pieces of eight".

My proposal to purchase and restore it was soundly "vetoed" by my "Commander-in-Chief"!!!-JRC

[Hooligan 1790]

Ron,

I have that picture saved on my computers at home and at work and it becomes my desk top from time to time.  I have to work on processing some old slides into digital photos to post.  I have a few photos of the 375 while we were towing etc.

Someone wrote about the plastic 40s.  Talk about a nightmare.  We had one of the single screw plastic 40s that was built for the Kennedy Security Detail when he was POTUS.  Originally it had a turbocharged 6-71 Detroit.  By the time we got it it had been castrated by removing the turbocharger.  It was underpowered and had a high dodger that made it a sailboat in a stiff breeze.  It was pretty tricky making an approach to another vessel in a good wind.  It was basically a 30' UT on steroids.

One day on the way back from Edgartown the rudder snapped off.  It seems that wherever it had been before we got it they had silver soldered the rudder to the post rather than weld it.  This became very interesting as it was single screw.  Having been towed in once before on a 30' UT due to a busted governor, I did not, as boat engineer, look forward to being towed in again.

The Coxswain, a great guy named Ed Santos, had us rig two buckets onto heaving lines.  The SN took one side and I took the other.  When we needed a little to port, the port bucket got tossed out and retrieved and so forth all the way back to Little Harbor.  getting tied up was another story but we did it.  Lousy boat.  Great seamanship. 

[Hooligan 1790]

John,

I have got to get down there to Hull soon.  Perhaps in November as October is pretty well booked up.  When I do I'll reach out and we can grab lunch, tell tall tales and look at the old 40 footer.  I'd love to do a restoration if we could get enough guys to chip in.

Yeah, I got the boot at  for 10 days.  They have their hands full over there.  Well at least I have the Red Sox to keep my spirits up and this place seems friendly enough.

Pat

[vftb]

The Coxswain, a great guy named Ed Santos, had us rig two buckets onto heaving lines.  The SN took one side and I took the other.  When we needed a little to port, the port bucket got tossed out and retrieved and so forth all the way back to Little Harbor.

Now that was clever