RV Bowditch at sea

R/V Bowditch Reservation Center

The Research Vessel Bowditch

workers on the deck of the RV Bowditch attending to a remote sensing buoy R/V Bowditch is Bigelow’s 48-foot research vessel. She is a twin screw aluminum catamaran with an 18 knot cruising speed. The vessel was built by All American Marine in Bellingham, WA for Middlebury College in 2012 and served mostly in Lake Champlain (as the R/V David Folger) up until the fall of 2022 when she was transferred to Bigelow. Bowditch is inspected by the US Coast Guard as a small passenger vessel and certified to carry 24 passengers up to 20 miles offshore and 18 passengers from 20-100 miles. Range is limited by fuel to ~120 miles but can be extended with a portable tank if needed. A large open deck allows for a variety of equipment to be deployed/recovered using either the 2000 lb capacity A-Frame and winch. Standard operations often utilize our six bottle CTD Rosette, and also include net tows, buoy deployment or recovery, and/or sediment collection.

VESSEL SPECS

  • Dimensions: 48’ LOA, 17’ beam, 5’6” draft
  • Gross registered tonnage: 17
  • Propulsion: 2x Yanmar 6-cylinder diesel engines (366 BHP each) turning 25” 5-blade propellers
  • Cruising speed 18 knots, top speed: ~22 knots
  • Northern Lights 16-KW diesel generator
  • Fuel capacity: 300 Gallons
  • Potable water: 50 Gallons

SCIENCE EQUIPMENT

workers on the deck of the RV Bowditch with rosette

  • Seabird 55 rosette with 6x 4L bottles, SBE 25plus CTD, and 500m conducting wire allowing real-time water sampling and data acquisition including:
    • Temperature
    • Salinity
    • Chlorophyll fluorescence
    • Turbidity
    • Dissolved oxygen
    • pH
    • Surface and in-situ PAR (Photosynthetically Available Radiation)

  • 2000 SWL A-frame with ¼” SS wire rope on Pullmaster winch and metered Main Winch for deep towing or sediment coring. Main winch can be swapped out with ¼” synthetic Aracom for TM sampling.
  • 3300-lb Morgan deck crane for mobilizing heavy equipment on/off vessel
  • Deployable boom for towing Neuston or other nets alongside
  • Wet/dry lab space for processing samples and additionalscience gear
  • XBT launcher (user provides probes)

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

Zone map for calculating cruise charges. (Note: Cruises scheduled for dates after July 1, 2026 will be charged at the rate schedule for FY 2027 as indicated beneath current rates)

NEW MILEAGE SURCHARGE - Due to the recent spike in fuel prices there will be an additional charge for actual miles steamed on top of the day rates below. The price will reflect any cost increase above $4.00 per gallon (what our current price structure is built around) at the most recent fuel delivery. This surcharge applies only until the new rates go into effect on July 1st
As of March 18th 2026 the rate is $2.00 per mile. Please contact Dave Drapeau with any questions.

R/V Bowditch FY 2027 Project Rates

Internal (Bigelow research, education, outreach)
Full Day 6-12 hours - $3500+ mileage
Half Day 1-6 hours - $2350+ mileage

External
Full Day 6-12 hours - $5600+ mileage
Half Day 1-6 hours - $3760 + mileage

Mileage charge - reflects price of diesel at last re-fueling, average $5.50 per mile over previous years. Fluctuation in fuel prices may force this price higher or lower.

Surcharges

CTD - $200 per day (technical operator required and certified by Captain or Marine Operations Coordinator)

Weekend usage - $500 per day, weekend/holiday operations should be arranged in advance with the Marine Operations Coordinator in order to ensure a captain is available

Cancellation fee - $2350 If a reservation is cancelled by the user with less than 72 hours notice and NOT due to weather the user will be charged the half day rate

Any non-fuel expenses (marina/dockage fees, food/lodging/transportation for multi-day cruises offsite, etc..) to be determined in advance with Marine Operations Coordinator.

Mobilization/Demobilization outside of a scheduled cruise day should be arranged in advance so we can work around other cruises. We will try to accommodate users in order load and unload gear without charging for extra time but if extensive crew time before or after a billed cruise day is needed a $500 per day fee may be required. If any single piece of equipment exceeds 500 lbs. we may need to make alternate arrangements to load/unload since we are limited in our ability to move heavy equipment up/down the ramp at our dock.

Please contact the Marine Operations Coordinator with any questions regarding cruise planning. Mileage for any previous cruises is known or can be estimated to predict costs for any future work. Any cruise estimated to be over 120 miles will require a deck tank with extra fuel. Range can be extended to 180 miles maximum.

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 deckhand 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 vessel is in charge of every cruise and is the authority. The Captain is responsible for the ship, crew, equipment and passengers.

Documents:

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


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

Photo 1: Aerial view. of RV Bowditch (Courtesy of WGBH Educational Foundation, image captured by Chun-Wei Yi)
Photo 2: Deck views of RV Bowditch (Courtesy of David Drapeau)

R/V Bowditch