Vessels

SFSU maintains five vessels in its small boat fleet which provide University students and faculty unparalleled opportunity to conduct research on San Francisco Bay and the California coast.

Small boats are managed at the Estuary & Ocean Science Center, based at the Romberg Tiburon Campus in Tiburon, California. There are five boats in the fleet, ranging from 11-22 feet in length. Each vessel is outfitted with appropriate US Coast Guard approved safety equipment, electronic navigation, electronic depth sounder, fixed radio, navigation lights and other equipment.

unversity's research vessel the Questuary on the bay

R/V Questuary

The R/V Questuary serves the needs of Estuary & Ocean Science Center researchers, educators, and affiliates in the San Francisco Bay and Delta region. The vessel is a 38 foot aluminum monohull built in 1975 and acquired by San Francisco State University in 1991.

The R/V Questuary has a long tradition of providing assistance to scientists, students and educators. The R/V Questuary has been equipped with an A-frame and dual hydraulic winching capabilities for oceanographic instruments and equipment. It can transit water as little as three feet deep and is capable of hydrographic sampling, instrument towing, surface and bottom trawling, sediment coring, geophysical surveying and scientific dive support.

The R/V Questuary is equipped with a SeaBird SBE-19 conductivity, temperature and depth profiler, SeaBird SBE-45 thermosalinograph, SCUFA fluorometer and an underway data acquisition system that records water parameters. All instruments and equipment are available to the research scientists aboard the vessel. 

22 Foot C-Dory "Salty Dog" (Available for External Science Charters)

The C-Dory is the newest addition to the University small boat fleet. This small fiberglass cruiser has a cabin with seating for three people and a work table well suited for computers and other electronic equipment. The boat is equipped with a large screen digital chartplotter, depth sounder and high definition radar. The flat hull is best suited for operating in shallow, calm water though the vessel can handle a significant amount of chop when operated at slow speed.

Registration: CF 7516 PS
Capacity: 8 Persons/1400 pounds
LOA/Beam/Draft: 22'/8'/1'
Engine: Yamaha 90 HP, four stroke fuel injected with auxiliary 8 HP Yamaha
Fuel Capacity: 60 Gallons
Est. Range: 150 NMI
Use: Shallow water access to any SF Bay site; dive support vessel. The Salty Dog is insured for scientific charters with a licensed captain. Vessel is berthed at Paradise Cay Marina.

19 Foot Boston Whaler "Guardian"

The Guardian is the University dive boat of choice and becuase of its hull shape and is well suited for research in San Francisco Bay and nearshore California coastal waters. The boat has a single outboard engine with a mount for an auxillary engine. The fiberglass hull is stable, fast and seaworthy and the open afterdeck is good for transporting dive gear. The boat is equipped with scuba tank brackets and a starboard side davit for deployment of plankton nets.

Registration: CF 3272 XS
Capacity: 7 Persons/970 pounds
LOA/Beam/Draft: 19'/7'/1.2'
Engine: Johnson 115 HP, four stroke
Fuel Capacity: 70 Gallons
Est. Range: 110 NMI
Use: Dive support, crew transport and aquatic sampling in unprotected waters of San Francisco Bay; near-shore coastal waters of Monterey Bay and the Channel Islands.

17 Foot Boston Whaler "Montauk"

Registration: CF 1036 XC
Capacity: 7 Persons/885pounds
LOA/Beam/Draft: 17'6"/5'/0.9'
Engine: Yamaha 60 HP, four stroke
Fuel Capacity: 50 Gallons
Est. Range: 100 NMI
Use: Shallow draft utility boat good for open water use and dive support.

15 Foot Boston Whaler "Striper"

The Striper is a good boat for protected, shallow Bay water and is most suited for a crew of two persons. The boat has a single outboard engine and the fiberglass hull is fast and stable, though excessive weight in the stern make this boat prone to taking on water when backing or operating in heavy chop.

Registration: CF 2135 XS
Capacity: 3 Persons/645 pounds
LOA/Beam/Draft: 15'/5'/0.9'
Engine: Yamaha 60 HP, four stroke (repowered in 2016)
Fuel Capacity: 20 Gallons
Est. Range: 40 NMI
Use: Crew transport and aquatic sampling in protected rivers in San Francisco Bay. This vessel is not permitted in unprotected waters of San Francisco Bay due to it's low freeboard.