R/V Bowditch Reservation Center

The Research Vessel Bowditch

R/V Bowditch is Bigelow’s 48-foot research vessel. She is a twin screw aluminum catamaran with an 18-20 knot cruising speed, and is capable of 25 knots. The vessel was built by All American Marine in Bellingham, WA for Middlebury College in 2012 and has operated mostly in Lake Champlain (as the R/V David Folger) up until the fall of 2022 when she was transferred to Bigelow. The vessel is Coast Guard certified to carry 24 passengers up to 20 miles offshore and is equipped with 2000 lb capacity A-Frame and winch, six bottle CTD Rosette, and other science capabilities.

Questions: Contact Bigelow Marine Ops Coordinator, David Drapeau: ddrapeau@bigelow.org for questions. For scheduling and to initiate a reservation please use this form. For changes to the schedule please contact the Marine Ops coordinator, David Drapeau or click the "Edit Submission" link in your Reservation Confirmation email.

Project Rates by Zone:

  • Zone 1: Flat rate of $2,250 per day; $1,700 if less than 4 hours. Zone 1 is bounded by Seguin Island to Monhegan Island. Includes Captain + 1 crew member + fuel.
  • Zone 2: Flat Rate of $2,550 per day. from mid-Casco Bay to Rockland out to 20 miles from nearest harbor of safe refuge.
  • Anything beyond Zone 2 is Zone 3 (western Casco Bay or eastern Penobscot bay) and would require more detailed planning in terms of the length of the day, any work required on station, and the need to re-fuel before next charter. Final rate will be determined by Marine Ops Coordinator but, customarily will be $3,000 per day + non-fuel expenses for multi-day cruises.
  • Special Equipment : Use of CTD is an additional $200 per day (technical operator required and certified by David Drapeau).

Reservation Calendar: Please confirm availability on the calendar and use the form below to request a booking.

Requirements:

Safety: Please read Bigelow's Boating Safety and Operating Policy before completing your reservation.

Captain and Crew: Every voyage must have at least 3 competent adults onboard. 2 of which need to be a Bigelow certified Captain and 1 first mate that is signed off by the Bigelow Marine Ops Coordinator. The third has to be at least 25 years of age and will be considered a passenger but must be willing to take direction from the Captain of the boat when necessary. The Captain of the boat is in charge of every cruise and is the authority. The Captain is responsible for the ship, crew, equipment and passengers.

The vessel serves as a training and research platform and is USCG certified for 18 passengers plus 2 crew.

Bigelow Certified Captains and Crew Members: You can request, but ultimate assignment will be made by Marine Ops coordinator/ Bigelow Exec. assistant. Available resource list - (to be considered please contact David Drapeau for consideration):

  • David Drapeau (Captain or crew request)
  • Tim Pinkham (Captain or crew request)
  • Adam Smart (Captain or crew request)
  • Chris Salatino (crew only)

Documents:



Fill out the form below to reserve your research cruise dates:

Pictures: