We are extremely proud of our new boat. Christened the "Hawksbill", she is a 50 foot Newton Dive Special. With a weight of 17 tons and a beam (width) of 16 feet, the Hawksbill is an exceptionally stable ride and dive platform. She is powered by twin 370 HP turbocharged Yanmar diesels driving 22" by 22" four blade Nibral propellers.
The main deck of the Hawksbill is uniquely spacious, with over 350 square feet of space for diver seating, gearing up and equipment storage. Being divers ourselves, this was one of the features that sold us on the Newton. We were tired of jockeying for seating space with divers on other dive boats, being forced to stand the entire ride out or back, or sitting on the side-facing seats with our backs against uncomfortable dive gear. Our boat has plenty of seating space for every diver to sit--with backrests that are clear of gear (your dive rig will be positioned in front of you to make gear preparation exceptionally easy). To give you an idea of how spacious that main deck is, the Coast Guard approved her to carry 72 people on the main deck on lakes, bays and sounds! With dive charters limited to 24 divers, and most trips carrying fewer, you know that you'll have plenty of elbow room on this boat.
The Hawksbill is a Coast Guard inspected vessel. She is equipped with radar, two VHF radios, an EPIRB, and all of the myriad other safety items required by the Coast Guard for passenger vessels. Many of these safety items are not required on smaller boats. (For those with a good nautical eye, these photos were taken before all the upgrades occurred, so some of the safety features (such as life rafts) are not visible.)
