JW Fishers
Family-run Massachusetts maker of low-cost underwater search gear: SeaLion-3 inspection ROV, side-scan and scanning sonar, metal detectors and magnetometers.
JW Fishers is a US manufacturer of underwater search equipment based in East Taunton, Massachusetts. It sells low-cost inspection ROVs, sonar, metal detectors and related tools to public-safety dive teams, the military, commercial divers, salvors, researchers and treasure hunters. Jack W. Fisher started the company in the 1960s. He was a diver who needed an underwater metal detector for a salvage project and could not find one, so he designed and built his own. Company materials give the start date as both 1966 and 1968. The Fisher family still runs the business.
The product range grew out of that first detector:
- Hand-held and boat-towed underwater metal detectors, including the Pulse 8X. JW Fishers says a US Homeland Security assessment rated the Pulse 8X the top underwater metal detector.
- Boat-towed and hand-held marine magnetometers.
- Underwater camera systems, including the MC-2 HD mini camera.
- Side-scan sonars at 600 kHz and dual 450/900 kHz with CHIRP processing.
- The SCAN-650 sector-scanning sonar, which can be pole-, tripod- or ROV-mounted.
- A sub-bottom profiler.
- Acoustic pingers, pinger receivers, transponders and interrogators.
- Cable trackers for buried power and fibre lines.
- A remote metal detector (RMD) that fits on ROVs or towed bodies.
JW Fishers first moved into ROVs with the SeaOtter and SeaLion vehicles, each of which went through several generations. The current model is the SeaLion-3, the company's third-generation SeaLion, listed at USD 48,995. It is rated to 1,000 ft (about 300 m) and runs on up to 1,500 ft of cable. It has seven brushless thrusters: four vectored horizontal thrusters that let it move in any direction and turn in place, and three vertical thrusters that also adjust pitch and trim. JW Fishers says this is twice the power of the SeaLion-2. The ROV carries front and rear HD cameras, and the front camera pans and tilts. The topside control unit has a 15.6-inch full-HD video monitor with picture-in-picture and a data overlay, plus a 12.1-inch touchscreen for vehicle control. The vehicle is driven with an off-the-shelf Logitech USB gamepad. Options include Water Linked DVL A50/A125 and Underwater GPS G2 navigation, CMS-1 and CMS-2 cable reels, a single-function manipulator, the ROV metal detector and the SCAN-650B scanning sonar. Equipped this way, the SeaLion-3 can search for weapons, unexploded ordnance, pipelines and anchors in zero-visibility water, which cuts the time divers spend in the water.
The company sells to seven markets: defense, civil inspection of bridges, dams and pipelines, first responders, offshore oil and gas, hydroelectric facilities, shipping and salvage, and science and research. Its main customers are law enforcement and fire-rescue dive teams, which use the side-scan sonar and ROVs to find drowning victims, evidence and submerged vehicles. Fishers equipment has appeared on TV shows such as The Curse of Oak Island and in films such as Fool's Gold and Into the Blue. Products come with a two-year warranty, and JW Fishers repairs its own equipment through a mail-in repair service. Products are sold directly through the company website, which offers worldwide shipping.
Primary type & automation activities this supplier delivers:
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Contact JW Fishers
WEBSITE
https://www.jwfishers.comPHONE
+1 508-822-7330HEADQUARTERS
United States
Company Facts
Founded
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Primary Role
Manufacturer
Company Size
-
Primary Region
North America
Annual Sales
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Funding Stage
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Funding Total
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Keywords
- JW Fishers
- SeaLion-3 ROV
- SeaOtter ROV
- side scan sonar
- SCAN-650 scanning sonar
- underwater metal detector
- Pulse 8X
- marine magnetometer
- acoustic pinger
- cable tracker
- public safety dive teams
- Manufacturer
- Service Company
- Unmanned Marine Vehicle
- Perception & Vision
- Navigation & Positioning
- ROV
- Defense & Security
- Oil
- Gas & Energy
