The Dauphin Island Sea Lab maintains two research vessels, the R/V E.O. Wilson and the R/V Alabama Discovery.
The R/V E.O. Wilson is a 46-foot Fiberglass vessel made by Newton industries. It is powered by twin John Deere marine engines with a cruising speed of 16 knots. It has the capacity to carry up to 20 people. As a research vessel, it comes equipped with 500 lb rated davit, a winch with the capabilities of pulling a 20-foot net, and the capacity to do long-line and vertical line research and instrument deployment. The vessel is equipped with state-of-the-art VHF, Fathometers, and GPS instrumentation.
The R/V Alabama Discovery is a 65-foot x 23-foot wooden vessel covered in fiberglass built by Chesapeake Boat Works in Maryland. The vessel has twin 650hp Cummins engines and can cruise at 15 knots. It can carry a class of 37 students for its educational mission. For research cruises, the vessel has a 500lb side davit, a large winch with the capabilities of pulling a 45-foot net, and full instrumentation package.
In addition to the Wilson and the Alabama Discovery, the Dauphin Island Sea Lab maintains several small (14 to 30 feet) outboard boats and skiffs.
