RIBCRAFT will build up to 278 of the 7-Meter rigid inflatable boats worth approximately $80 million. This is purported to be the largest single contract based on number of boats ever awarded by the U.S. Navy.
Each vessel is powered by a single Steyr SE266E40 diesel engine with Bravo Two X Mercruiser outdrive and equipped with a Briartek man overboard indicator system (MOBI), and forward M60/M240 weapon foundation. With a full load of 18 sailors, the 7-meter RIB will have a sprint speed of 25 knots.
These boats will be built alongside the U.S. Navy Expeditionary 11-Meter RIB that RIBCRAFT is currently building at its Massachusetts facilities. Together these contracts have a total value of over $120 million, making the company New England’s most significant boat manufacturer.
These appear a bit less capable than the water jet powered Coast Guard 8 meter “Over the Horizon” cutter boat, more like the Cutter Boat, Large, employed on WMEC210s and 225 foot buoy tenders.
Chuck Hill's CG Blog 
Does this mean willard Marine is out?
@Andy, did they have the contract before? I mostly brought this up so that it could be compared with Coast Guard boats.
Pretty sure it had been Willard Marine previously. Agreed though, they should just make the CG gear work for them.
They have different priorities, but I don’t think their boats have any advantages over the Coast Guard’s.
That comes to just shy of $288,000 per boat. Seems like a lot to me.
If you check the price of the new 8 meter Over the Horizon Cutter Boat, it is going to be about half a million. We do expect more from our boats though. I think it is remarkable that the Coast Guard needs almost as many RHIBs as the Navy, and the Coast Guard program may cost more than theirs.
Everything is expensive. I once figured out that my 378 cost about $40,000 per operating day. That was 40 years ago.
You gotta pay for performance. This ain’t a pontoon boat on a small inland lake.