The new patrol boat was purpose built for the rugged alpine conditions on Lakes Jindabyne and Eucumbene. The size of the new vessel will enable it to cope with any weather and wave conditions that occur and allow it to be called upon to assist police in any search or rescue of missing or overdue vessels.

Member for Monaro Steve Whan inspected the new vessel on Lake Jindabyne and met with the skipper, local boating safety officer Mick McKenzie.

“It’s a challenging environment in the alpine area for our frontline Maritime officers like Mr McKenzie, and we needed a vessel built to the correct length and specifications to cope with the unique conditions,” Mr Whan said.

“A common task for our boating safety officers is to conduct on-water safety checks and the NSW Maritime network of officers last year conducted more than 40,000 such checks in a bid to ensure safe boating.

“This new purpose built vessel, which was manufactured in the local region, will enable our local boating officers to do this important work more safely and effectively, Mr Whan said.

Mr McKenzie said the new purpose built 6.8 metre aluminium constructed patrol vessel, which has replaced the previous smaller 5.5m vessel, would be powered by two 115 Evinrude engines and is designed to operate in the extreme weather conditions that occur on the mountain lakes.

“Because lake levels rise and fall significantly, this vessel has been fitted with a built-in winch to assist in the moving and removal of temporary marker buoys which are used to highlight any major hazards to navigation,” Mr McKenzie said.

“The trailer has also been engineered with an extendable draw bar to make launching possible in shallow areas to reach deeper water, Mr McKenzie said.

Mr Whan said the Snowy Mountains enjoyed huge economic benefits that 33,000 visiting anglers brought to the region each year, creating 700 local jobs.

“But underpinning all this is the safety of our boating visitors. Lake conditions can change quickly, and water levels are constantly changing, exposing all sorts of water hazards,” he said.