Vessels & Vehicles

The R/V Cape Fear is a fast, comfortable vessel available for research, training, and educational cruises in waters from near-shore to the continental slope. Based in Wilmington North Carolina, the Cape Fear operates either as a day boat, or for extended operations up to five days at a time. Operations are conducted from the Chesapeake Bay to the Gulf of Mexico.

• Boating Liability form
• Boating Participation form

Vessel Specifications

• Beam: 21 feet
• Cruising Speed: 12.5 knots
• Draft: 6.5 feet
• Electrical Power: 20kW Lugger Diesel Generator (220/120 VAC, single phase) and 16kW Lugger Diesel Generator
• Fresh Water: 800 gallons
• Fuel Capacity: 1800 gallons
• Gross Tonnage: 77 gross tons
• Hydraulic Power: 1 (one) 18 GPM@1800PSI system and 1 (one) 12 GPM@1800PSI system
• Length: 65 feet
• Propulsion: Twin Cat 3406 - 700 Horsepower

Charter Rates

Rates reviewed annually
*Rates are subject to change without notice.

• Standard daily charter rate for a full day charter (12 hours) - $2,000
• Cost for charter over 12 hours (24-hour operations) - $2,800
• Half-day charter rate for up to 6 hours (6 hours or less) - $1,000
• Lay day rate (includes weather and other non-operational days when away from home port & any non-operational day caused by scientific party. See note 6.) - $400
• Service rate for providing a third crewmember during charters less than 13 hours (Standard rate includes captain and mate/engineer) - $125
• Service fee for a crewmember working on a holiday or weekend day (as requested by the PI) for which one of the day rates listed above is not being charged - $100

The Total Charter Cost will include the above rates and the cost of fuel used. (See note 7.)

Notes:

1. Since oceanographic research missions must be planned far in advance, and since the demand for vessel time, especially during the period from May through September, is high, a deposit of 25% of the estimated Total Charter Cost (charter rates plus fuel), or a purchase order for the total estimated charges, is required to schedule days on the R/V Cape Fear. The Assistant Director for Marine Operations can provide an estimate of the total Charter Cost. Deposit checks should be made out to the University of North Carolina Wilmington and sent to:

Assistant Director for Marine Operations
Center for Marine Science
5600 Marvin K. Moss Lane
Wilmington, NC 28409

2. UNCW must receive a purchase order (PO) at least 10 days prior to the beginning of the charter period. The PO should be in the amount of the total estimated charges (based on the above rates), including fuel, less the deposit (if already paid), for the number of days to be chartered (see note 7). In the event the PO is not received on time, the charter days may be offered to other users and the deposit forfeited (see note 5). If scheduling conflicts cannot be resolved by other means, priority may be determined by which deposit is received first. Fees are subject to change without notice.
3. The charter period begins when vessel operations such as loading, departure or other operations requiring crew to be present are SCHEDULED TO BEGIN by the Chartering Party. The charter period ends when the vessel returns to its slip and off-loading operations are completed. The vessel should be left in the same condition in which it was found. Overnight operations may run no more than four nights and five days (ex. 0700 Monday - 1700 Friday).
4. UNCW will bill the chartering party after completion of the scheduled charter. Invoices itemizing the costs of the charter will be provided. Full payment of the charter lease is required within thirty (30) days of receipt of the invoice.
5. Cancellation Policy: A scheduled mission may be canceled up to ten days prior to the scheduled start of the mission. If the mission is canceled ten (10) days prior to first departure date, ten percent (10%) of the charter cost is non-refundable.
6. If the vessel is forced to have a non-operational day during a charter period, the chartering party will not be charged if the cause of the non-operational day is vessel related (ex. mechanical problems). However, if the cause of the non-operational day lies with the chartering party (ex. equipment problems), lay days will be billed at $400/day.
7. Total cost for charter fees will be calculated using the above listed rates and the cost of fuel actually consumed. The Vessel Captain will gauge all fuel tanks (port, starboard, and generator) each day and record the levels in the fuel log. Expected fuel consumption at a cruising speed of 15 knots (under fair weather conditions) is 40 gallons per hour. Fuel consumption at idle speed (ex. survey work) is about 10 gallons per hour. These estimates include fuel for the 20 kW Northern Light generator.
8. Expenses incurred when away from homeport (such as dockage, crew per diem, transportation, etc.) will be charged to the Chartering Party.
9. On all charters, the R/V Cape Fear crew will operate all shipboard machinery. The chartering party will provide sufficient personnel for loading and unloading scientific equipment and supplies and for carrying out the planned project. Drinks, food, and snacks will be the responsibility of the chartering party for day trips (<12hrs). For overnight trips, meals will be planned with the chartering party, and purchased by UNCW. The chartering party will take responsibility for meal preparation and clean-up.
10. Zero tolerance is a condition for charter of the R/V Cape Fear.

Equipment

The R/V Cape Fear can be equipped with the following:

CTD Profilers (2)

• Seabird Electronics SBE-25 with SBE-33 Deck Unit and SBE-32 Water Carousel
• Seabird Electronics SBE-19plus
• Auxiliary CTD sensors: Dissolved Oxygen, pH (2), Light Transmission, PAR, chlorophyll a fluorescence, Turbidity

Oceanographic Winch

• SeaMac 302 EHS with IEC-BXU Slip-Rings (8 conductor)
• Maximum capacity: 1250' of 0.355"cable

Thermosalinograph

• Seabird SBE-21
• Auxiliary sensors: chlorophyll a fluorescence, light transmission

Side Scan Sonar

• Edgetech DF-1000 Digital Dual Frequency Towfish (100/400 kHz)
• Humminbird 1198c SI Dual Frequency hull-mounted transducers or towfish (455/800 kHz)

Sub-Bottom Profiler

• GeoAcoustics Boomer plate with solid state power supply
• GeoAcoustics hydrophone

Survey Data Acquisition PC

• Intel Core 2 Duo @2.93 Ghz (3.24 GB RAM) running Windows XP
• RAID 5 hard drive configuration with 500 GB storage
• Triton ISIS v 7.0.106.0 for Edgetech DF-1000 side scan sonar
• Triton SB-Logger 1.6.106.0 for GeoAcoustics sub bottom profiler

Electronics

Communications

• Inmarsat IsatPhone Pro satellite phone
• ICOM IC-M602 VHF with DSC enabled calling
• ICOM IC-M502 VHF

Navigation

• Furuno NavNet vx2 Chartplotter
• Humminbird 1198c SI Chartplotter
• Furuno 1942 Mark-2 Radar (48 nautical mile range)
• Furuno 1954c Radar (72 nautical mile range)
• Simrad Robertson AP-35 Autopilot

Meteorological

• Furuno FAX-30 Weather Facsimile
• Furuno PB-150 Weather Station (NMEA output available upon request)
  Air Pressure, Air Temp, Wind Speed and Direction

Depth

• Furuno FCV-295 Color Digital Sounder - 50/200 kHz transducers (1 Hz NMEA output available)
• Humminbird 1198c SI Color Fish Finder - 83/200 kHz transducers

The R/V Seahawk is a fast day boat located at UNC Wilmington’s Center for Marine Science. The Seahawk is used for educational cruises, dive support and survey work, and can be relocated to other coastal ports throughout the Carolinas.

• Boating Liability form
• Boating Participation form

Vessel Specifications

• Length: 34'
• Beam: 12'
• Draft: 3'
• Propulsion: Twin Yamaha 350 Outboards
• Cruise Speed: 25 Knots
• Electrical Power: Westerbeke 7.5 kW, 120 VAC, Single Phase
• Fuel Capacity: 300 gallons
• Passenger Capacity (Including Captain): 10 Offshore/15 Inshore
• Davit Capacity: 400 lbs.

Charter Rates

Rates reviewed annually. Rates are subject to change without notice.

• Half Day Charter (3.5 Hrs): $350.00 + Fuel Used
• Full Day Charter (8 Hrs): $650.00 + Fuel Used
• Lay Day (Weather or Other Non-Operational Day): $200.00
• Extra Hours (Over 8): $100.00
• Fuel: Based on Current Marina Price
• Extra Crew Service Rate: $125.00
• Crew Weekend/Holiday Fee: $100.00

Electronics

Communications

• Furuno VHF Radio
• ICOM IC-M602 VHF Radio
• ICOM MA-500TR AIS

Navigation

• Garmin echoMAP CHIRP 94sv Chartplotter
• Furuno NavNet Chartplotter, Sounder, Radar
• Humminbird 1198c Chartplotter, Side Scan, Sounder
• Garmin GHC 10 Autopilot

Interested in renting a small boat to enjoy the water near UNCW? Get details for rates, operating requirements and more.

Rates reviewed annually. Rates are subject to change without notice.

• Jon Boats: $40/day plus the boat operator pays for the fuel used
• Fiberglass Boats: $50/day plus the boat operator pays for the fuel used
• CMS Licensed Captain Fee: $100.00. Applies to researchers not affiliated with UNCW or UNCW researchers that have not completed the boat operator certification process.

Boat Operator Certification Process

• First Aid/CPR card from a nationally recognized organization
• Proof of completing a recognized boating safety course (this one is free)
• CMS small boat application and boating history form (provided at time of interview)
• Written test on CMS Safe Boating Operations (provided at time of interview)

Once the paperwork has been completed, the applicant will demonstrate skills such as trailering a boat, launching and recovering a boat and on water safety procedures. The applicant should have sufficient experience to demonstrate these skills with limited input from the CMS staff conducting the interview.

The Center for Marine Science owns trucks. Learn more about reserving a truck through the CMS.

View current truck schedule

For more information about CMS truck availability and support, please contact:

Steve Hall       

halls@uncw.edu
910.962.2558

Loaner Vehicles

2006 F-350 w/cap
White PK-8965

2018 F-250 w/cap
White PA-7331