# Hike Metal wins small boat contract



## Spencer100 (9 Jul 2015)

Local Ship Builder Wins Government Contract
By Kevin Black on July 9, 2015 11:42am@kevinblacknews  



A Ministry of Natural Resources patrol boat at Hike Metal. July 9, 2015 (Photo by Kevin Black)	
A Ministry of Natural Resources patrol boat at Hike Metal. July 9, 2015 (Photo by Kevin Black)

After being turned down by the provincial government, Hike Metal in Wheatley has won a $43-million federal contract.

They will build six search and rescue vessels for the Canadian Coast Guard to be based in the Maritimes.

Owner Andy Stanton says it’s a good day for Hike Metal, but they should be busier. “This not a consolation prize for Hike Metal Products. We worked very hard on a comprehensive bid proposal that was accepted by the government of Canada.”

The search and rescue boats are to be ready by spring 2017. Stanton says they are hiring skilled trades workers now, and will need to add up to 25 people for the new contract.

He also says they’re now moving on from the disappointment of the provincial governments decision to build the new Pelee ferry in Chile.


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## Spencer100 (9 Jul 2015)

This is after Hike lost a Ontario contract to build a new Pelee Island ferry.  (plus it is a Tory riding) They were said to unable to build a ferry.  The contract went to a Chilean firm.   People are very surprised by this.  Hike is know to build good boats.   Some people here may have a different take.  The rumor is that the Chilean price was 2 million cheaper but does not include transportation to Lake Erie.


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## Oldgateboatdriver (10 Jul 2015)

Fascinating. The Forillon Shipyard, in Gaspésie yesterday also won a contract for 6 such search and rescue boats, also for about 43 millions. And it is not a Conservative riding.

And last week, Zodiac Hurricane Technologies of Vancouver also won a 7.3 millions contract for  27 search and rescue boats for the West Coast (18 station-based and 9 ship-based ones).

Must be an election coming  .

Watch out for an announcement soon that they will go for Davie Shipbuilding's offer of a supply ship.


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## Fishbone Jones (10 Jul 2015)

Spencer100 said:
			
		

> This is after Hike lost a Ontario contract to build a new Pelee Island ferry.  (plus it is a Tory riding) They were said to unable to build a ferry.  The contract went to a Chilean firm.   People are very surprised by this.  Hike is know to build good boats.   Some people here may have a different take.  The rumor is that the Chilean price was 2 million cheaper but does not include transportation to Lake Erie.



Don't forget the other costs.

The last ferry was built offshore also. Parts for it aren't available in Canada. Every time it breaks, it is down for weeks. That 2 million savings is already spent a couple of times over. 

Welcome to Onzacistan.


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## Colin Parkinson (10 Jul 2015)

They built our Hovercrafts, there were some issues, but not huge ones, they seem to have a reasonable mix of contracts http://hikemetalboatshipvesselbuilders.com/


Unlike the yard in Kingston that got the 47' Lifeboat contract, which had never built a real vessel before and made a total has of it. My buddy and I visited that yard and the manager at the time told us about the early days of that contract. They should have never been given that complex of a job in the first place.


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## Underway (10 Jul 2015)

recceguy said:
			
		

> Don't forget the other costs.
> 
> The last ferry was built offshore also. Parts for it aren't available in Canada. Every time it breaks, it is down for weeks. That 2 million savings is already spent a couple of times over.
> 
> Welcome to Onzacistan.



Very right wing of them.  Offshore it to save taxpayers dollars.  Seems like classic sticker price issues, no one calculates how much money they will save on the high efficiency furnace, just want the mid efficiency because the upfront cost is lower.


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## Strike (10 Jul 2015)

Colin P said:
			
		

> Unlike the yard in Kingston that got the 47' Lifeboat contract, which had never built a real vessel before and made a total has of it. My buddy and I visited that yard and the manager at the time told us about the early days of that contract. They should have never been given that complex of a job in the first place.



I'm surprised by that.  I've been out of the marine side of things for some time, but Metalcraft used to be quite the place a decade or so ago.


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## Colin Parkinson (10 Jul 2015)

Their 47's were absolute shit, and the contract was taken away from them. According to the manager we talked to, the yard had never built a proper vessel, just docks, ramps and the occasional pontoon boat. There was still cradles and cut sheets of aluminum laying around that were clearly meant for the next boat when we were there, trying to get a date.


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