The new boat is the only tour boat on the island that is air-conditioned, the owner says. Breaux Brothers Enterprises photo
Breaux Brothers Enterprises, New Iberia, La., delivered the 67'x17'x7.5' Pride ofMaui, to owner Scott Turner’s Pride of Maui, Wailuku, Hawaii. Breaux Brothers also designed the 49-passenger aluminum catamaran, giving the boat a 4' draft.
“This boat is actually the Pride of Maui 'Elua, which means two in Hawaiian,” Vic Breaux, the shipyard’s vice president, said from the wheelhouse of the new boat as it made its way to the Bahamas. “We built the first Pride of Maui 30 years ago, and that boat is still running.”
When reminded that the Bahamas was in the opposite direction of where the boat was to be delivered, Breaux said, “Yeah, we have to put her aboard a carrier to get her to Hawaii. But the price to haul from the Bahamas instead of the U.S. was much cheaper.”
Main propulsion comes from twin John Deeremain engines, producing 650 hp at 1,800 rpm each. The diesel engines are connected to ZFwheels through Twin Discgears. The propulsion package gives the new boat a running speed of 18 knots.
“I could have built the boat in California, but the quality and craftsmanship this yard gives me was worth it,” said Turner. “They built the first Pride of Maui,and we couldn’t be happier with it. It’s the best built boat on the island of Maui.”
Ship’s service power comes from two Northern Lightsgensets and the electronics suite is from Garmin.
Turner said the boat will be used for a number of different excursions including tours, snorkeling, whale watching, weddings and more. “Even with the added transportation costs, it’s worth it,” said Turner, “and it’s the only air-conditioned tour boat on the island. Everything on this boat is high-end."
Pride of Maui is USCG classed, Subchapter T. It was delivered in mid-April 2024.
Ken Hocke has been the senior editor of WorkBoat since 1999. He was the associate editor of WorkBoat from 1997 to 1999. Prior to that, he was the editor of the Daily Shipping Guide, a transportation daily in New Orleans. He has written for other publications including The Times-Picayune. He graduated from Louisiana State University with an arts and sciences degree, with a concentration in English, in 1978.
