OIMB has a small fleet of boats available to visiting investigators, students and groups. These include flat bottom aluminum boats for use in the estuaries, an inflatable zodiac that can be used nearshore in the open sea, a 42 foot inboard trawler that can be used up to 20 miles offshore, a 20 foot covered aluminum boat for use in Coos Bay, and a large Kayak for estuarine work.
R/V Pluteus is a 42 foot aluminum-hull trawler with twin inboard motors that was built specifically for use as a marine laboratory teaching vessel. It is equipped with GPS, radar, VHF radio, inflatable life raft, fixed a-frame and a hydraulic winch that curently carries approximately 100m of cable. The ship works well for classes or groups of up to
12 and can be used for trawling, dredging, bottom grabs, plankton sampling, whale watching, CTD casts and other kinds of shallow oceanographic sampling. It is also an excellent dive platform. Interior space includes a small galley, a head and two berths below, and a wheelhouse with approximately 6 linear meters of laboratory bench space on the main deck.
R/V Pugettia is a 20 foot aluminum (Woolridge) boat with a 130-horsepower outboard motor that carries small groups efficiently throughout the Coos Bay system. It can also be used outside the bay on calm days.
Boats may only be used for research purposes.
Check here for current boat use fees.
