AWF's skiffs are powered exclusively by Honda outboard motors.
R/V Evolution
52' wood hull converted research vessel
Evolution was generously donated to AWF by Harold and Marianne Moe of Port Ludlow, Washington, USA in April 1996. In our gallery of pictures of "Evo,"
the first picture shows you what she looked like before she was adapted to AWF's needs. Originally she had a Detroit Screaming Jimmy 6 cylinder engine, but in 1998 that was replaced with
a Cummins diesel 4 cylinder 210hp motor. When we are not conducting research, Evo is berthed in Petersburg, Alaska, on the north end of the Wrangell Narrows.
Long before she came to AWF, Evo had been converted from her original incarnation as a troop carrying ship. At that time, she didn't have a wheelhouse,
flybridge, galley, or any such amenities. There is a plaque now mounted in the wheelhouse that gives the vital information:
R/V Evolution
50' Utility Boat (when we rebuilt the bowsprit, it extended her 2 feet)
Boat Registry #C-7210
Built for the U.S. Navy
Built by the Long Beach Machine Repair Company June 1953
Bur. Ships. DWG # S8228(4)50/1298573
Capacity: 4 crew, 150 passengers
Max. Hull Weight: 23,600 lbs.
We have immediate need to make improvements on Evolution. If you wish to make in-kind or monetary donations for our vessel needs, please visit our
support page or feel free to contact us at AWF@alaskawhalefoundation.org.
Click on a thumbnail to view larger pictures
AWF is grateful to:
Christa Hotz for her generous donation of money to obtain a propane stove kindly provided to us by
Seaward Products at a generous discount.
Furuno, Inc. for their generous donation of a monitor for Evolution's navigation system.
Xantrex Technology Inc. for its generous donation of the electrical inverter that provides A/C electricity on R/V Evolution.
R/V Vaquita
20' rigid-hull inflatable
Vaquita is named after the species of tiny porpoise that is found in the northern part of the Gulf of California in Mexico.
This vessel is our main platform for photographing, recording, and approaching whales. It is also used a great deal in disentanglement work. This boat covers a
lot of ground every year. Vaquita winters-over in the San Francisco Bay area in service of the Northern California large whale disentanglement team and search and rescue. It
is transported to Alaska every summer for use alongside Evolution for research.
Vaquita is a Zodiac ZHT 590 Hurricane, made in Canada. She sports a Honda 4-stroke 130hp outboard motor. The manufacturer
has set the boat up with the same arrangement used on Coast Guard rescue boats. Drawings of the boat can be seen if you click on the first thumbnail, it is a large file
(2.2 MB), so be patient as it loads. Vaquita is a favorite workcraft within the organization, because of her speed, maneuverability, seaworthiness, and margin of safety.
Click on a thumbnail to view larger pictures
AWF is grateful for support from Pacific Boat Trailers for help in purchasing a new trailer for Vaquita in Spring 2007.
M/V Geospiza
19' soft-bottom inflatable
AWF's latest craft to see service in Alaska is Geospiza, named for
the genus of the Galapagos ground finch (to continue the Evolution theme). She was generously donated by Lindblad Expeditions. Originally, it was a boat they
used on their expeditions, and it had the name "Gull." Geospiza is a Zodiac Mark 5 HD inflatable boat, much like the ones used by the military. You can see the technical data sheet for this model
in PDF form here (191Kb). She provides a stable and efficient platform for the acoustic studies presently under way.
Click on a thumbnail to view larger pictures
AWF is grateful to:
Honda Marine for their generous donation of a 50hp outboard motor for Geospiza.
AWF is grateful to Lindblad Special Expeditions for its generous donation of this 19' soft-bottom inflatable boat for research and marine mammal rescue.
M/V Wenz's Boing
12' rigid-hull inflatable
Wenz's Boing, or "Boing" as we call her, is named after an acoustic phenomenon described in 1964 by bioacoustician, Gordon M. Wenz, as a "boing" sound. It wasn't discovered until
nearly four decades later that the sound is actually minke whales vocalizations! This faithful boat is a hard-working little skiff; we have asked a lot from this boat, and she has served us well. It is made by Achilles and
is equipped with a Honda 4-stroke 45hp outboard motor. Because of her size, we have used her often in whale disentanglement.
Honestly, this boat is ready for retirement -- she has been patched
a number of times and has seen many miles. We are hoping to replace her with a similar 10-12' rigid-hull inflatable with a Honda 4-stroke 20hp outboard motor. If you have a specific interest in helping us acquire a replacement for Boing,
or would like to make an in-kind donation of a small rigid-hull inflatable skiff, please visit our support page or feel free to contact us at AWF@alaskawhalefoundation.org.
Click on a thumbnail to view larger pictures
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