AAM Delivers High-Speed Ferry to Kitsap Transit

August 1, 2019

The Lady Swift, an aluminum catamaran coupled to a composite superstructure and a dynamic carbon fiber hydrofoil, was delivered to Bremerton on Friday, July 26, 2019. PHOTO: AAM

All American Marine (AAM) has completed construction and delivered the last of three low wake and high-speed passenger vessels built for Kitsap Transit based in Bremerton, Wa.

The Lady Swift, an aluminum catamaran coupled to a composite superstructure and a dynamic carbon fiber hydrofoil, was delivered to Bremerton on Friday, July 26, 2019. The vessel was designed by Teknicraft Design Auckland, New Zealand and will operate on Kitsap’s current cross-sound ferry route between Bremerton and downtown Seattle, alongside the recently delivered Reliance.

The design of the new 78’ x 28’ vessel was based upon the ultra-low-wake Rich Passage 1 (RP1), built by All American Marine in 2011. AAM, the exclusive builder of Teknicraft Design in North America, was selected as the sole source to build this vessel. Teknicraft’s patented hydrofoil-assisted hull design is proven to have a low-wake wash energy signature that will not degrade the sensitive shorelines of Rich Passage. The vessel is nearly identical to its sister ships Reliance and Rich Passage 1.

The delivery of the Lady Swift will provide Kitsap Transit with a back-up vessel on the Bremerton-Seattle route. “Lady Swift is not your typical ferry, it was built to be very lightweight and to fly smoothly through the wake sensitive zone,” explains Matt Mullett, CEO for All American Marine. “This vessel was strictly modeled on the proven hull design of Rich Passage 1 and Reliance, but additional enhancements and modernizations were added without hampering performance.”

The 78’ Lady Swift was designed to carry 118 passengers and travel at service speeds up to 36 knots. AAM constructed the hulls with high tensile strength 5383 aluminum alloy. The passenger cabin and deck were made from composites. The dynamic hydrofoil, built by Betts Boats, was molded in carbon fiber and automatically adjusts as the vessel transits Rich Passage. Quad Hamilton 403 water jets and Caterpillar C-18 engines were fit to provide the high-powered propulsion system in compliance with EPA Tier III emission regulations.

AAM’s craftsmen also utilized lightweight aluminum honeycomb panel materials for finishing the interior spaces and applied high-performance bottom paint to help accomplish the speed and wake requirements. Lady Swift also incorporates additional acoustical noise reduction measures, lowering cabin noise further while underway.

AAM has an exclusive partnership in North America with Teknicraft Design, and is always actively exploring new opportunities to build unique and innovative vessels. AAM is currently constructiing a research vessel for Duke University, a law enforcement vessel for the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, as well as an 80’ tour catamaran.