Guido Perla Designs To Ply Lake Michigan
Two sleek, contemporary casino vessels slated for service on Lake Michigan in Indiana communities next fall are on the drawing boards at Guido Perla & Associates, Inc. (GPA). The naval architecture and marine engineering firm will provide all detail engineering including lofting and numerical plasma cutting codes for the companies selected to build the vessels. GPA plans to solicit bids from shipyards in late August with construction slated to begin this fall, commencing what is expected to be a yearlong project. Majestic Star — a 360-ft. (109.7- m), 3,000-passenger vessel — will be built for Barden Development Corporation for operation out of Buffington Harbor, Ind. A 348-ft. (106.1 m), 3,000-passenger boat, yet to be named, will go into service for Indiana Blue Chip, Inc. at Michigan City.
GPA, according to David Pasciuti, vice president of Naval Architecture and Marketing, has also designed a traditional 260-ft. (79.2-m) stern paddlewheel boat for an island nation in the South Pacific. The vessel will be permanently moored, but will have onboard generators for electrical power generation. The paddlewheel will operate for effect. The vessel will offer casino space, a night club, restaurant, stateroom and lounge. The boat is scheduled to be built in the U.S., and then transported to its future location. Majestic Star will be propelled by two bow and two stern rotatable Z-drives powered by 1,000-hp electric motors. Power will be provided by four CAT 3516 1,825-kW engines. The four-deck vessel will have a 76-ft. (23.2 m) beam, will draw 12 ft. (3.6 m) and provide 40,000-sq.-ft. of casino area. The Blue Chip vessel will operate on the restricted waters of Trail Creek in Michigan City. The two-deck vessel will be constructed on-site. In addition to detail engineering, GPA will support the project in all facets of production. This will include design of launching ways and cradles, planning of module lifts and transports and on-site engineering support. The vessel will offer 34,000-sq.- ft. of gaming space, and will have an 80-ft. (24.4-m) beam and a fullload draft of 8 ft. (2.4 m). Each vessel provides for a crew of 500. Other design work in-house includes a 220-ft. (67-m) supply vessel for deep offshore oil exploration and production. In addition to its fuel, water and mud cargo capacities, the vessel can be equipped for dynamic positioning and fire fighting with a 2,000 gpm fire pump and monitors.
Propulsion for this vessel will consist of two engines. The controllable pitch bowthruster will be driven by a dedicated diesel engine.