The Coast Guard has started activities to eventually replace the response boat-small II, the current workhorse of the Coast Guard’s boat fleet, here patrolling coastal waters. U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 1st Class Jon-Paul Rios.

Below is a release from the Acquisitions Directorate, CG-9.

June 1, 2026 —

The Coast Guard on April 28 accepted delivery of four demonstration boats that will be used to generate operator feedback that will help inform the requirements and specifications for the next generation of response boats-small (RB-S).

Delivered to Coast Guard Base Charleston in North Charleston, South Carolina, the four boats will be operated by multiple Coast Guard crews to identify features or equipment that enhance mission performance. The boats will be used to develop and validate performance requirements, assess industry capabilities and gather information about the marketplace. The Coast Guard will then transition to developing the requirements for the third-generation RB-S. The upcoming RB-S III program will replace the approximately 350 RB-S II vessels in operation across the Coast Guard.

Following the Jan. 8, 2026, contract award, each of four contractors delivered one demonstrator boat, ranging in length from approximately 29 to 37 feet. Each of the boats is powered by twin outboard engines producing up to 600 horsepower.

The contractors are:

• Birdon America Inc. of Denver, Colorado.
• Gravois Aluminum Boats LLC of Jeanerette, Louisiana, doing business as Metal Shark Boats.
• Inventech Marine Solutions LLC of Bremerton, Washington.
• SAFE Boats International of Bremerton, Washington.

The RB-S II is the workhorse of the Coast Guard’s boat fleet and the second generation of this platform. This fleet patrols coastal waters and is approaching the end of its service life. Coast Guard boats support a wide range of crucial missions, including drug and alien interdiction; living marine resources; defense readiness; search and rescue; other law enforcement; aids to navigation; and ports, waterways and coastal security.

For more information: Boat Acquisition Program