Today
Modern pilot boats can be from 20 feet to over 75 feet in length, built to withstand heavy seas and bumping against 100,000 ton tanker ships, they are high powered and hence both very quick and durable, purpose built boats. They are normally painted a highly visible colour such as orange, red or yellow.
A pilot boat can be identified by the red and white signal flag or H(otel) signal flag during daytime and showing a white light over a red light at night. Pilot boats also normally have the word "PILOT" written in large black letters on both sides of the cabin. Some harbors that require offshore boarding will find pilot boats on station for many hours in the worst of weather conditions including tropical cyclones.
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