Oceanscience Q-Boats offer highly stable platforms for acoustic Doppler current profilers (ADCPs) , with hulls designed to minimize pitch and roll even in high velocity conditions.  On-board electrical systems create no instrument compass magnetic interference.  The Q-Boat is therefore able to perform discharge measurements with similar or greater accuracy compared to other deployment methods such as a small tethered boat or a manned boat.  Often used where no other measurement options are available, Q-Boats can be used in conditions ranging from shallow low velocity streams to fast flood waters.



The transect below shows data gathered using the SonTek M9 River Surveyor ADP in under 1m water depth thanks to the very low draft of the Q-Boat 1800P.  The easy-to-use remote control system allows a slow and steady boat speed, important at low water velocities.





The Q-Boat 1800 may be outfitted for multiple acoustic Doppler profilers to allow different instruments to be used as conditions dictate.  This measurement was taken using the Q-Boat 1800P with a Teledyne RD Instruments Rio Grande ADCP, including an integrated Trimble GPS installed to aid boat tracking if needed.





To avoid setting up a tag line or having to conduct an unsafe bridge measurement using a tethered boat, the Q-Boat can be deployed from any convenient river bank. This is just what happened on the River Thames in the UK, below.






The Q-Boats are ideal for "ad-hoc" measurements in new locations, as shown below near Melbourne, Australia.