Coast Guard Modeling Logo

Small Boats

Surfboats

Class Lead Boat Number Year Comments Pictures
           
30' Raymond Nantucket Whaleboat     1791 The first lifesaving station in the US
Operated by the Massachusettes Humane Society at Cohasset
Designed by William Raymond
Manned by 12 men and capable of carrying 20 survivors
Link
Jersey Type Pulling Surfboat     1871 First "standard" pulling surfboat adopted by the USLSS
From 25' to 27' with 6 thwarts for 10 oars, double banked
Clinker built - No sailing rig
Based on square sterned fishing boats in use along the Jersey coast
Neither self righting nor self bailing
Versions included the "Squan" and "Long Branch"
CGP
LSS
26' Monomoy Type Pulling/Sailing Surfboat       Originated on Monomoy Island off Cape Cod
Either 23' or 26' with 4 thwarts for 8 oars, double banked
Clinker built - Sprit sailing rig with jib and mainsail
Neither self righting nor self bailing
Capable of holding 14 survivors
Note that 26' Monomoy surfboat was built with a carvel hull
and used as the standard cutter boat
CGP
LSS
24'6" Race Point Type Pulling/Sailing Surfboat       Originated at Race Point, Cape Cod
24'6" with 5 thwarts for 5 oars, single banked (alternating sides)
Clinker built - Sprit sailing rig with jib and mainsail
Neither self righting nor self bailing
Capable of holding 10 survivors
LSS 
27' Higgins and Gifford Pulling Surfboat       Designed and built at Higgins and Gifford Boatyard in Gloucester
27' with 5 thwarts fro 10 oars, double banked
Carvel built
Neither self bailing nor self righting
LSS 
27' Beebe Type Pulling Surfboat       Designed by Frederick Beebe
27'4" with 5 thwarts for 10 oars, double banked
Clinker built - No sailing rig
Neither self righting nor self bailing
LSS 
26' Beebe-McLellan Type Pulling/Sailing Surfboat       Designed by LT McLellan, USRM, and Frederick Beebe
Replaced all previous designs
26' with 3 or 4 thwarts for 6 or 8 oars, double banked
Clinker built - Sprit sailing rig with jib and sprit sail
Self bailing but not self righting
LSS 
27' Beebe Type Motor Surfboat       27' Beebe pulling boats converted by adding a 12 hp gasoline engine
Capable of about 8 knots
LSS
26' Beebe-McLellan Type Motor Surfboat       One 26' pulling boat was converted as an experiment
Almost all others were built new with the engine
LSS

Lifeboats

Class Lead Boat Number Year Comments Pictures
           
English Lifeboat     1873 Evaluated by the LSS and used throughout the country until
US-built boats were available
 
26' Merryman Type Pulling/Sailing Lifeboat       Designed by Capt. J.H. Merryman, USRM
26'8" with 4 thwarts for 8 oars, double banked
Standing lug or sprit sailing rig
LSS
Dobbins Type Pulling Lifeboat     1878 Designed by David Dobbins, Superinyendent, 9th LSS District
24' to 32' with 4 thwarts for 8 oars, double banked - no sailing rig
LSS
34' Merryman Type Pulling/Sailing Lifeboat     1890 Larger version of the 26' Merryman with 5 thwarts for 10 oars, double banked
Two masted sailing rig with jib, spritsail, and mainsail
LSS
34' Converted Merryman Type Motor Lifeboat   26 1899 LT McLellan fitted a gasoline engine in the steran of a Lake Superior Merryman lifeboat
Capable of about 7 knots and a range of 275 nautical miles
Retained the oars and sailing rig
Experiment was successful and 25 more boats were converted
New boats currently in design/production were redesigned to incorporate the motor
LSS
36' McLellan Type E Motor Lifeboat   46 1908 First US lifeboat designed from the beginning to incorporate a motor in the stern
Designed by now-CAPT McLellan, USRM
Capable of about 10 knots
Not capable of being rowed but retained the two sailing masts for emergency use
The boats were named in addition to numbered - the only MLBs so honored
Remained the standard motor lifeboat until replaced by the Type H in 1919
 
36' Hunnewell Type H Motor Lifeboat   76 1919 First motor lifeboat designed by the Coast Guard
The Coast Guard centralized all small boat construction at the depot at Arundel Cove
which is now called the Coast Guard Yard at Curtis Bay
Incorporated several imrovements to the Type E boats
Engine moved to midships and rudder moved forward of tiller
Retained the oars and sails
Capable of 9 knots
Remained inservice until replaced by the Type T in 1929
 
36' Hansen Type T Motor Lifeboat   27 1928 Incorporated improvements to the Type H
Partially enclosed cockpit
Capable of 9 knots and a range of 280 nautical miles
CGH
36' Type TR Motor Lifeboat   72 1931 Modified Type T
TR = Type T, Revised
CGH
CGP
52' Wooden Hull Motor Lifeboat   2 1935 Stationed in the Pacific Northwest
Named Invincible and Triumph
Invincible was transferred to the Navy in 1967
Triumph was lost in a rescue attempt in 1961
CGH
CGAA
36' Type TRS Motor Lifeboat   130 1937 Modified Type TR
TRS = Type T, Revised, Simplified
The last Type TRS was retired in 1987
CGH
CGP
52' Steel Hull Motor Lifeboat   4 1956 Designed to replace the wooden hulled 52s
Victory, Invincible, Triupmh II, and Intrepid
Still in service
CGH
CGP
44' Motor Lifeboat   110 1963 Probably one of the most llegendary boats to serve coastal SAR in the US
Built at the Coast Guard Yard in Curtis Bay, MD
Capable of 14 knots with a 164 nautical mile range
Coast Guard crews speek if the 44 with reverence in their voice
Adopted by at least 10 other nations as their primary SAR boat
CG 44301 was the last 44 in service - Retired from Chatham in 2010
CGH
CGP
47' Motor Lifeboat   100 1991 Designed to replace the venerable but aging 44
Current near shore SAR boat
Capable of 23 knots
Can operate in 20 foot seas and 20 foot surf
CGH
CGH
CGAA

Utility Boats

Class Lead Boat Number Year Comments Pictures
           
36' Picket Boat   103 1925 Built to enforce Prohibition
Built as either single cabin or double cabin
Out of service after WWII - Replaced by the 40 foot UTB
CGH
38' Picket Boat   500+ 1920 Built to enforce Prohibition
Sturdier than the smaller 36s
Direct forerunner to the 41s
CGP
63' Air Sea Rescue Boat     1944 - 1946 Wooden hulled and fitted with hospitla beds CGAA
30' Utility Boat     1950 Replaced the aging 36' Picket Boats in inland/near shore waters
Built at the Coast Guard Yard in Curtis Bay, MD
Steel hulls
Served into the 70s - Replaced by the 41' UTB
CGP
40' Utility Boat (40-Boats) 40369 331 1950 Replaced the aging 38' Picket Boats and 30' Motor Rescue Boats
Built at the Coast Guard Yard in Curtis Bay, MD
Early boats were wood, most were steel, the last ones were fiberglass
Capable of 20 knots with a range of 380 miles in moderate seas
The Mark IV was capable of carrying 20 survivors or 5,000 lbs. of cargo
Served into the late 1970s - Replaced by the 41' UTB
CGH
CGP
38' Air Cushion Vehicle 38101 3 1970 Evaluated for use - not accepted into service CGH
CGP
CGAA
31' Port Security Boat 31001 28 1970 Built at the Coast Guard yard in Curtis Bay
Fiberglass construction
Equipped with a 250 gal/min fire pump
CGH
CGP
27' Presidential Security Boat     1970 Built for speed and fire power CGP
41' UTB 41300 156 1973 Replaced the aging 30 and 40 boats
Built at the Coast Guard Yard in Curtis Bay, MD
Capable of 26 knots and operating in heavy seas
Proved to be a rugged utility boat for all but fast law enforvement
Currently showing their age- limited to 8' waves and 30 knot winds
Being replaced by the 25'
CGH
CGH
CGP
32' Ports and Waterways Boat 32301 50 1976 Built in response to the Port and Waterways Act of 1973
Fiberglass construction
Built for fire fighting and pollution investigation
Out of service by 2000
CGP
43' Coastal Interceptor 43501 5 1987 Designed as a high speed law enforcement boat
Not very fuel efficient
Retired by 2000
CGH
25' Transportable Port Security Boat     1997 Capable of 40 knots CGH
25' Defender Class   457 2002 Developed in response to the need for Homeland Security assets after 9/11
Capable of 45 knots and highly maneuverable
Can survive in 10 foot seas
 
45' Response Boat Medium   180 2008 Replaced the 41s  
Fireboatss     1942 - 1946 The Coast Guard acquired several fore boats during WWII CGAA
Misc Small Boats       The Coast Guard used a variety of small boats
For a variety of missions and duties
To list them all would be impossible
You can see pics of them at the listed links
CGH
CGP
CGAA

Surf Rescue Boats

Class Lead Boat Number Year Comments Model
           
38' DUKW     1944 Built for the Army in WWII for amphibious warfare
Coast Guard used them in heavy surf and for flood relief
Additional units built in CG Yard
Suffered from high maintenance costs
All units disposed of by 1970
CGH
CGP
CGAA
35' Land Amphibious Rescue Craft (LARC)   27 1963 Designed for the Army as a replacement for the WWII era DUKW amphibious vehicles
35 mph on land and 9 knots underway
Could handle 10 foot surf and climb a 60 percent grade
Extremely hig maintenance limited their use
Out of service by the 1980s
CGH
CGP
CGAA
26' Motor Surfboat 253301 117 1969 Shore-stationed version of the 26' shipboard MSB
Development of the 30' Surf Rescue Boat was behind schedule
As a temporary measure, 17 cutter-based MSBs were modifies with cabins
They served until the SRBs were in service
CGH
30' Surf Rescue Boat 30201 20 1986 Designed for near shore SAR in heavy seas and surf CGH
CGAA

Cutter Boats

Class Lead Boat Number Year Comments Model
           
26' Monomoy Type Pulling/Sailing Surfboat       26' Monomoy shoreside surfboat built with a carvel hull
and used as the standard cutter boat
 
26' Motor Surfboat   206 1960 Standard cutter boat that replaced the 26' pulling Monomoy surfboat CGAA
26' Over-the-Horizon Boat     2008 Cutter boats CGH
36' Long Range Interceptor     2008 Cutter boats CGH
25' Defender Class     2008 Cutter boats CGH