USV MARINE ROADSHOW 2026
In 2026, Tri-Site took to the road to showcase the latest CHCNAV's marine equipment had to offer. As the UK's number 1 CHCNAV marine dealer, we picked 5 locations across the UK to display a cheap, safe and flexible alternative to traditional marine surveying.
WHAT WAS ON SHOW: THE APACHE 4 PRO AND THE LATEST PAYLOAD
The APACHE 4 PRO is CHCNAV's multi-purpose unmanned surface vessel, built for bathymetric and hydrographic work in exactly the environments our attendees deal with. Here is what we showcased:
A GENUINELY CONFIGURABLE PLATFORM.
The 24 cm central access shaft and 50 kg payload capacity mean the vessel is not locked to one sensor. It supports mainstream ADCPs including the CHCNAV RiverStar series and integrates directly with the CHCNAV HQ-400 multibeam echo sounder. Side-scan sonar and water quality monitors can be fitted alongside. One hull, multiple survey products.
MULTIBEAM CAPABILITY IN A PACKAGE ONE PERSON CAN DEPLOY.
This was the specification that generated the most discussion. The ability to collect multibeam bathymetry from a compact, car-transportable, single-operator platform changes the economics of routine survey work — pre-dredge and post-dredge volumes, berth clearance checks, scour monitoring around structures, and the sort of quick verification survey that has historically been difficult to justify mobilising a crewed vessel for.
POSITIONING THAT HOLDS UP IN REAL PORT ENVIRONMENTS.
GNSS RTK combined with INS keeps position and heading solid through the signal interruptions that quay walls, cranes, bridges and vessel superstructure inevitably cause. Dual GNSS antenna positioning provides reliable heading. For anyone who has tried to survey tight against a quay face, this is not a marginal feature.
HIGH-SENSITIVITY, ADAPTIVE ALGORITHMS.
The bathymetric processing adjusts to variable bed conditions and complex underwater terrain rather than requiring the operator to constantly retune.
CONTROL THAT PEOPLE PICKED UP IN MINUTES.
Missions are planned, monitored and adjusted in real time through the Android-based EasySail app, over 4G or 2.4 GHz. Automated route planning meant attendees were running proper survey lines almost immediately rather than manually flying the boat around.
WHY ARE MARINE OPERATORS LOOKING FOR UNMANNED SERVICE VEHICLES?
The APACHE 4 PRO USV puts data collection into places where you would otherwise be putting people and a crewed vessel. Shallow water. Silted berths. Close to structures. Near outfalls. Post-incident or post-storm assessments where the bed condition is unknown. Confined basins with restricted manoeuvring room. The survey still happens; the exposure does not.
The vessel itself is also built to survive contact rather than assume it will not happen. The hull uses high-strength, high-modulus carbon fibre with HPT one-piece moulding technology, achieving strength up to 10 MPa for meaningfully improved collision resistance. The motors are protected by mesh covers, reducing the risk of deformation on impact and guarding against entanglement — a genuine consideration in debris-heavy harbour water.
On the operational side, obstacle detection alerts warn the operator during autonomous runs, and the 4G and 2.4 GHz control links allow the vessel to be worked at range while remaining under supervision. Lower vessel movements, fewer personnel over the side, less time spent in hazardous positions, and a full audit trail of the survey.
FREE LUNCH, HANDS ON CONTROLS AND DATA PROCESSING ON THE DAY
Attendees arrived to a free lunch and an introduction to the platform and payload from our technical team. Then everybody got on the water.
DRIVE IT YOURSELF.
Not a demonstration to watch — a set of controls to hold. Attendees planned a line, launched, ran the survey and recovered the vessel themselves. Several commented that the gap between "never seen this before" and "running a competent survey line" was measured in minutes, not days.
COLLECT YOUR OWN DATA.
The survey each group ran was their survey, on their local water, in their local conditions.
PROCESS IT THE SAME DAY.
This was the part that landed hardest. Rather than being told what the output would look like, attendees sat down with our team and took their own dataset through to a processed result on the day — seeing the workflow end to end, asking questions at the points where questions actually arise, and judging the data quality with their own eyes.
THEN ASK US ANYTHING.
With the technical work done, the rest of the session was open. Real questions about integration with existing systems, mobilisation, training, support, and commercial terms — and for those ready to move, the opportunity to talk through pricing and package deals directly with the team who had just spent the afternoon on the water with them.
OUR DEMONSTRATION SERVICE: THREE WAYS TO GET HANDS ON
The roadshow is finished, but the demonstrations are not. They are a permanent part of what we do, and there are three routes in.
1. WE COME TO YOU. Our team will travel to your site, your water and your operation, and demonstrate the equipment in the conditions you actually work in. This is the most useful option for the majority of marine and port clients, because it removes every "yes, but our situation is different" caveat. Your berth, your silt, your quay wall, your GNSS environment.
2. YOU COME TO US. If it is easier to visit, we will host you, run a full demonstration and give you as much time on the controls and in the software as you want.
3. VIDEO CALL WITH OUR TECHNICAL TEAM. For early-stage enquiries, distributed teams, or where travel simply does not fit the diary, we will run a live remote session. This is not a slide deck — it is a conversation with experienced, knowledgeable technical staff who use this equipment, covering the specification, the workflow, the integration questions and the awkward edge cases. Bring your whole team; bring your difficult questions.
WE TRAVEL FOR FREE, AND WE ARE COMFORTABLE SAYING WHY
We do not charge to demonstrate this equipment. We will get in a vehicle and drive to your site to show you an APACHE 4 PRO at our own cost.
That is not a promotional gesture. It is a straightforward commercial judgement: we are confident enough in this platform that we believe the demonstration sells it. Once an operator has driven the boat, collected the data and processed it themselves, our job is largely done. The strongest sales argument we have is the equipment working in front of you, in your water, with your hands on the controls.
If it did not stand up to that, we would not offer it.
GET A DEMONSTRATION BOOKED
Thank you to everybody who joined us in Edinburgh, Liverpool, Southampton, Norfolk and Middlesbrough — the standard of questions across all five events was excellent, and several conversations are already progressing.
If you missed us, you have not missed out. Whether you want us on your site, would prefer to visit us, or want to start with a call, get in touch and we will arrange a demonstration of the CHCNAV APACHE 4 PRO around your operation.