WorkBoat has announced its 10 Significant Boats of 2021, and we’re honored to have the Gretchen V. Cooper included among them! From these 10 boats, the Boat of the Year will be selected on December 1 at the 2021 International WorkBoat Show in New Orleans. Thanks to Workboat for recognizing this state-of-the-art linehaul vessel. For the complete list, visit Workboat.
About the Vessel
The Gretchen V. Cooper, the nation’s first linehaul towing vessel powered by Tier-4 Caterpillar high-speed engines with selective catalytic reduction, was built by Blakeley BoatWorks and is now operated by Cooper Marine and Timberlands. Fully compliant with the latest United States Coast Guard regulatory requirements, this 3,400-horsepower vessel is 110-feet long, 33-feet wide.
Workboat’s Selection Process
The Workboat editorial team is tasked with selecting the Boat of the Year. Choosing the 10 Significant Boats is subjective, with many boats deserving of making the list each year. However, there are certain parameters that the Workboat editorial staff does follow in its efforts to give all boats that qualify a chance. For example, the editors try to select at least one boat from each sector of the industry that WorkBoat covers — inland towboats and barges, tugs, offshore service vessels, passenger vessels, etc. In addition, if possible, editors try to select one boat from each region of the U.S. — East Coast, West Coast, Gulf Coast, and the Great Lakes.
Furthermore, while design is the most important ingredient in selecting a Significant Boat, it is not the only one. This is not a list based on naval architecture and marine engineering only. What makes a boat “Significant” can be that it’s a first of its kind, a successful series build, or where it operates and who it serves, or how it helps advance new workboat frontiers like wind energy.
Only boats that appeared in WorkBoat magazine from December 2020 to November 2021 were considered.