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The Big Cat Express News

05 Apr 2004

Vessels: Big Cat Express: A Very Fast Sea Trial

It's 8:30 a.m. as the Big Cat Express saddles up to the dock at the Port of Morgan City, La. It is Sea Trial day for the big quad engine catamaran ferry. No question she is waterjet powered as the tops of the blue "buckets" of the four Hamilton Jet 651's break the surface of the water at the stern. Just above the buckets are the exhausts, large four stainless steel pipes that curve downward toward the water. About 25 pickup trucks and my Ford Taurus wait the arrival of the 150-ft. by 34-ft. vessel. Painted gleaming white, the three-deck vessel looks like it was built for speed. Today we will find out just how fast it can travel. Emerging from the vehicles were several executives from Gulf Craft, Inc.

05 Apr 2004

Garibaldi Glass Supplies Big Cat Windows

This projects designer, Crowther Multi Hulls, specified all safety tempered windows aboard the Big Cat Express to be frameless. Due to their quality and experience, Garibaldi Glass Industries, Inc. was chosen to supply these windows. Utilizing a direct glaze technique, Garibaldi Glass applied a perimeter coat of black ceramic frit to the glass. This frit creates an ideal bonding surface and eliminates any UV penetration that may otherwise harm the polyurethane adhesive used to bond the windows to the vessel. Garibaldi's frameless windows eliminate leaks and vibration noise. Vessel operators will never be required to do any of the corrosion maintenance that is required with traditional framed windows.

11 Jan 2005

A Market that has Rediscovered its Rudder

The year 2004 was a watershed year for the passenger vessel industry. The first two American flagged fast passenger and vehicle ferries went into service and equally important was that business was up in all sectors of the marketplace. There is more variety as well. For the first time in several years, new casino boats are being built. One is for an operator in Michigan City, Indiana, a vessel being built at Chicago Bridge & Iron as a replacement boat for a vessel now almost 10 years old. A second is for the Lake Charles, La. Subsidiary of Pinnacle Entertainment, a Las Vegas-based gaming company. This is a 330-ft. by 225-ft. powered barge built by Leevac Shipyards, Jennings, La.