ACI Gillnetter

As the shallowest part of the Bering Sea in Southwest Alaska, Bristol Bay is a treacherous region for vessels. Navigating strong winds amid the world’s highest tidal extremes with incredible shoals, sandbars and shallows is a required skill for commercial fishermen chasing the world’s largest salmon run.

With all five Eastern Pacific species spawning in the bay's freshwater tributaries, including coveted sockeye, the traditional gillnetter is about 15 feet wide and restricted to 32 feet in length. Washington-based boatbuilder ACI’s latest offering is 16 1/2 feet, providing extra deck space with more natural light for the pilot house and crew quarters. The competitive, fast-paced season could create cabin fever. However, hardworking crew benefit from a pilothouse with direct bonded windows and 360-degree visibility.

This is the fourth gillnetter produced by ACI, an aluminum builder of catamarans and monohulls including long range cruisers, recreational fishing boats, charter boats, eco-tourism, commercial crab boats, and gillnetters. Additionally, the plumbed RSW system maintains premium quality fish. With the fleet racing fresh catch to local canneries for processing, speed and performance were factors influencing this twin jet sternpicker’s design.

The boat was designed by ACI Boats in collaboration with Mike Carr, a second-generation Bristol Bay fisherman. “After getting my degree in naval architecture from the University of New Orleans in 2016, and with all that I’ve learned from Cory Armstrong at ACI Boats, I wanted to apply my own experiences as a fisherman to design a high-performance gillnetter,” said Carr.

Boasting an impressive turning radius and smooth ride, the ACI Gillnetter is powered by twin Cummins 600HP QSC8.3 propulsion engines and twin Hill HI-401 jets. “We like Cummins engines,” said Armstrong. “Our sister company, Gold Star Marine, is a Cummins dealer. With maintenance expected on these boats in extreme climates, we want an engine that is pretty bulletproof in the first place, The QSC8.3 engine is that kind of powerful, dependable workhorse.”

Sporting electric power steering with three station Glendenning controls in the pilothouse, flybridge and port aft station, the gillnetter’s proven hull design is outfitted and constructed with 5086 alloy aluminum hulls, longitudinal "T" hull stiffeners and self-bailing decks. Deck gear includes a power roller, anchor winch and drum. The comfortable galley and berthing area accommodates five crew with another bunk in the pilothouse