The Western Flyer Foundation operates the iconic R/V Western Flyer, a 77’ historic wooden purse seiner that has been beautifully restored as a state-of-the-art research vessel. The Western Flyer is a comfortable and capable platform available to charter for marine research and science education in Monterey Bay and surrounding areas.
The vessel offers 300’ of deck space, an oceanographic winch with 600 meters of line, a boom and cargo winch capable of 2400 lbs safe working load, and a davit with a Kolstrand 10’’ hydraulic line hauler. Indoor spaces include a deck house with a galley, 11 berths, two toilets, 1 shower, and a dry lab space below deck.
Research tools onboard include a Seabird flow-through surface seawater system with sensors for temperature, salinity, turbidity, and fluorescence; a Seabird profiling CTD with sensors for salinity, temperature, pressure, oxygen, pH, and fluorescence; a meteorological array with sensors for visibility, air temperature, humidity, wind characteristics, light characteristics, and more (see spec sheet below), and a Simrad scientific echosounder with a split-beam transducer at 38 Hz & 200Hz.
For day trips, capacity is 24 people including crew. Number of crew will depend on the operations proposed for the charter.
Charter Rates
Standard charter rate is $6,000 per day, for up to 8 hours of vessel time. Additional time beyond 8 hours is billed at $750 per hour. Rates include the vessel and standard crew configuration.
Charter rates may be adjusted for projects that include student learning, education, or training components. Please contact us to discuss your project and eligibility.
For pricing details, availability, or to begin a booking inquiry, please contact charters@westernflyer.org.
Specifications
| PRINCIPAL PARTICULARS | |||
| Year Built: | 1937 (Rebuilt 2023) | Vessel Type: | Purse Seiner |
| Built in: | Tacoma, Washington, U.S. | Material: | Wood |
| Port of Registry: | Monterey, California, U.S. | Hull Planking: | Mahogany |
| U.S. Coastguard Vessel ID: | 236142 | Hull Framing: | White Oak |
| Vessel Call Sign: | WDN9028 | Decking: | Douglas Fir |
| Length: | 77 feet | Hull Fasteners: | Non-magnetic Bronze |
| Gross Tons: | 93 GT | Beam Max: | 20 feet |
| Net Tons: | 63 N.T. | Draft Max: | 8 feet 6 inches |
| Flag: | U.S. | Bridge Clearance Max: | 45 feet |
| Classification: | Oceanographic Research Vessel (ORV) | ||
| PERFORMANCE | |||
| Max Speed Diesel: | 10 knots | Fuel: | Diesel |
| Max Speed Hybrid: | 8 knots | Fuel Consumption: | 8 gal/hour @ 8 knots |
| Economical Speed: | 8 knots | Hybrid Range: | 50 nm @ 5 knots |
| MAIN ENGINE/HYBRID & SYSTEMS | |||
| Main Engine: | 6135 John Deere | Hybrid Drive System: | Transfluid |
| Main Engine Horsepower: | 425 hp | Maximum Hybrid Output: | 100 kw |
| Reduction Gear Box: | 6:1 | Maximum Hybrid Generation: | 100 kw |
| Fuel Capacity: | 2000 gal in 4 tanks | Hybrid Battery Bank: | 400 ah/288 volts |
| Fresh Water: | 600 gal in 2 stainless tanks | Auxiliary Generator: | 28 kw |
| Water Maker: | FCI 1200 gal/24 hr | Steering System: | Kobelt Hydraulic |
| Hot Water Heater: | 30 gal | Main Steering Station: | Hydraulic helm pump + FFU |
| Flying Bridge Station | Electronic helm pump + FFU | ||
| NAVIGATION & ELECTRONICS | |||
| Radar: | 48-mile Furuno | Main VHF: | Furuno FM-4850 |
| Chart Plotter: | Furuno TZTL12F (x2) | Second VHF: | Furuno FM-4850 |
| GPS Compass Antenna: | Furuno SCX-21 | Handheld VHF: | Icom ICM73 |
| Satellite communicator | Garmin Inreach | AIS vessels tracking: | Furuno FA-170 |
| Autopilot: | Furuno NAVPILOT-711C | Emergency vessel tracking: | Epirb ACR |
| FIRE FIGHTING & SAFETY | |||
| Engine Room: | Halon Fire Boy | Life Rafts: | 2 16-person offshore Zodiac |
| Handheld Fire Extinguishers: | 10 total | Life Jackets: | 30 USCG type 1 |
| On Deck Fire Fighting: | 1 high-output saltwater pump | EPIRB: | ACR |
| Bilge Pumps: | 5 @ 2000 gal/minute | Second Anchor: | 85 lb Fortress |
| Main Anchor | 350 lb Forfjord anchor | Second Anchor Scope: | 50 feet ½” chain/300 feet ¾” rode |
| Main Anchor Winch | Kolstrand Drum | Main Anchor Scope | 100 feet 1” chain/300 feet ½” cable |
| ACCOMMODATIONS | |||
| Main Cabin: | 6 bunk bed style berths1 captain’s stateroom2 sinks & 1 toilet | Below Deck: | 4 bunk bed style berths 1 sink, 1 toilet & 1 shower Washer/dryer |
| Total Accommodation: | 11 persons | Refrigerators: | 1 Vitrifrigo on main deck 2 Vitrifirigo below deck 1 Freezer in utility room below deck |
| RIGGING MAST & BOOM | |||
| Mast: | 10-inch schedule 40 aluminum | Standing Wire: | ¾” 7 x 19 galvanized |
| Boom: | 8-inch schedule 40 aluminum | Cargo Winch: | P.L. 8 wire |
| Boom Sliding Winch: | P.L. 5 wire | Boom Vang Winch: | P.L. wire |
| Boom Topping Winch: | P.L. 5 wire | ||
| DECK EQUIPMENT & CAPACITIES | |||
| Winch, reel, and cable: | Hydraulic oceanographic winch with 600m line | Deck area | 300 square feet |
| Crane capacity | Main boom and cargo winch – 2,400 lb Safe Working Load | ||
| SCIENTIFIC EQUIPMENT | |
| Flow-through system | Seabird SBE21 SeaCAT TSG with vortex de-bubbler, SBE38 remote digital oceanographic thermometer, C-Star transmissometer, and WETLabs ECO-FL fluorometer |
| Meteorological array | Campbell Scientific CR6 datal logger with CS125 Present Weather and Visibility Sensor, ClimaVUE50 weather sensor, IRGASON open-path gas analyzer, Heitronics CT15 IR pyrometer, Vaisala HUMICAP humidity and temperature probe, Apogee SN-500 net radiometer, and VectorNav VN-300 dual GNSS/INS. |
| Profiling CTD | Seabird SBE19 Plus V2 SeaCAT profiler with 40’’ titanium cage and PDIM/SBE33 Carousel Deck Unit. Includes SBE 43 Dissolved Oxygen sensor, SBE18 pH sensor, WETLabs ECO-FL fluorometer. 1200m depth rating. |
| Scientific Echosounder | Simrad EK80 Portable Echosounder with ES38-18/200-18C transducer |
| Observation-Class ROV | Poseidon Robotics Lanai Pro ROV with SPU and hand reel with 250m tether |