Seal Beach lifeguards have a new high-tech boat to rescue swimmers, save stranded boats and patrol the ocean.
The 33-foot-long customized rescue boat was officially unveiled during an open house held April 10. Seal Beach Mayor Pro Tem Schelly Sustarsic christened the boat with a bottle of a bubbly beverage.
“It’s a big moment,” Marine Safety Chief Joe Bailey said at last week’s event. He described the boat as the “number one piece of equipment” for lifeguards “that allows for us to really do our job well.”
Chief Bailey explained it took about ten years to go from designating funding for the boat to getting it designed and finally delivered. “It’s been a process,” Chief Bailey said and added, “We’re just happy that we ended up with a boat we’re proud of. “
Willard Marine built the boat with specific design input from the Seal Beach Marine Safety Department. Marine Safety Officer Nick Bolin headed up the project. Some of the boat’s new technology and features include GPS, a radio direction finding antenna, upgraded electronics and a dewatering pump that will allow lifeguards to quickly remove water from a boat in distress.
Chief Bailey estimated his department makes 100 boat rescues a year.
The boat will be staffed four days a week this summer, according to Bolin. It will be docked in the Alamitos Bay Marina behind Long Beach Fire Station #21.
Money from the city’s Vehicle Replacement Fund was used to pay for the boat which had an approved cost of $568,300, according to City of Seal Beach Finance Director, Victoria Beatley. It replaces the old lifeguard boat which was built in 1976. Chief Bailey said the old boat would either be auctioned off or sold to another lifeguard agency. Proceeds from the sale will go back into the Vehicle Replacement Fund, according to Beatley.
