With Viridian’s drill season well under way at the Kraken site, we spoke with Mike Ives-Ruyter, operations manager at Compass Exploration, about the custom person-portable drill he helped build in partnership with Viridian Metals.
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What can this drill do that a normal rig can’t?
It’s fully person portable. Every piece is light enough to be carried by hand — no helicopters, no trucks. You can set it up in about two hours.
What makes it innovative?
Portability and impact. It weighs under 200 pounds, breaks down into components, and only needs a footprint of about one square foot. No drill pads, no tree clearing. It burns just 20 to 30 liters of gas a day which is a fraction of a standard rig. And because it uses off-the-shelf parts, even students and geotechs can learn to run it.
How does it perform in the field?
It’s not about speed. We’ve only tested it to 25 meters so far, and big rigs will always drill deeper and faster. But in tough terrain — steep slopes, wetlands, uneven ground — this thing shines. You can mount it anywhere there’s bedrock or even a boulder. For shallow holes, it’s faster and much cheaper overall.
What are the specs?
About 10 feet tall, 2000 pounds total. Powered by a 14hp Honda gas engine that drives a hydraulic pump. Fastest hole so far: 25 meters in two shifts, including a move.
What about environmental impact?
Minimal. You only need one square foot to anchor, so sites are nearly invisible after you leave. Fuel and water use are tiny compared to a standard rig.
Why build it instead of buying a commercial mini-drill?
We tried modifying smaller rigs, but nothing really worked. Conventional drills are too expensive, especially if you only need to test the first 25 meters. This gives juniors flexibility: you can start and stop whenever you want, drill exactly where you need, and avoid helicopter bills that run $1 per second.
Sum it up in one line.
Cost and impact: a drill you can carry anywhere, run cheaply, and leave no trace behind.
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Note: the hydraulics were built by The Hydraulic Company in Smiths Falls, and the custom machining and fabrication was completed by EIP Manufacturing in Pembroke.