John Leja saw the dream patrol boat while vacationing in Florida.

Now three of the Key West models that caught his imagination are arriving just in time for the Cayuga County Sheriff's Office's annual boat patrol season.

“There's no one around that has boats like these,” said Leja, a sheriff's office sergeant.

The boats are designed for heavy weather conditions. A manufacturer's video shows the boat model still running - even with the front end of the boat cut off, Leja said.

The office's previous models were pleasure boats, designed to carry families. The new models offer easy movement for officers around a central console. The 23-foot boats have a rear-hatch door to let divers in and out. The 148-gallon gas tanks - 100 gallons larger than the old models' gas tanks - will reduce the number of times boat patrol deputies have to gas up.

And there's the high-performance 250-horsepower E-tech engine.

“It'll move that boat along,” Leja said. “We could - not that the guys would do 48 mph - but it'll open up to 48 mph when fully gassed. It'll shorten distance, time and response going out to a scene.”

Two of the boat deputies, Ralph Gray and Jerry Kelly, took the new boats to attend a week-long police boat training involving slalom courses. They reported other agencies' boats paled to what the sheriff's office has now.

Most of the 12-member boat parol deputy crew drove two of the boats for the first time during a training session Sunday. The third boat is being manufactured and will be delivered June 16 by Seager Marine of Canandaigua. The boats were purchased in December and are replacing a 1999, 2000 and 2002 Chaparral boats.

The $52,000 boats will cost the county about $11,000 apiece after subtracting the trade-in value of the older models and a state reimbursement of 75 percent, Leja said.

The three boats will dock at Owasco Lake, Cayuga Lake and Little Sodus Bay in Lake Ontario. A 1972 Boston Whaler, which was recently refurbished, will be kept on a trailer ready for use when needed.

The boat patrol also cruises Lake Como, Cross Lake, Duck Lake, and the Cayuga County portions of Skaneateles Lake and the Seneca River. A dual-person patrol consists of a police officer and peace officer who check for boat registrations, proper floatation devices and boating equipment and enforce boating while intoxicated and speeding laws.

The boat patrol issued 400 warnings and tickets in 2006, Leja said. A total of 39 complaints, 62 arrests and 27 boater assists were completed. Four accidents were investigated. On average, the boat patrol attends 12 marine regattas each boating season.

“It's not our point to go out there and issue tickets. It's to check for safety and make sure everyone is safe out there and enjoying themselves,” Leja said. “We get to do less accident investigations (that way).”

Staff writer Amaris Elliott-Engel can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 282 or at amaris.elliot-engel@lee.net