New Tour Boat for Argosy Cruises

 

This project will mark the first keel laid at All American Marine’s new shipyard currently under construction in Squalicum Harbor at the north edge of Bellingham Bay. AAM will to open the new state-of-the-art 57,000-sq. ft. boat building facility in January 2017. The Port of Bellingham is developing the new site to further support AAM’s ability to take on and pursue larger vessel projects with hulls over 100’ in length alongside their regular production of mid-sized monohulls and catamarans.

 

The new monohull will be certified under the latest U.S. Coast Guard Subchapter-K regulations to carry 500 passengers. Argosy selected AAM and Teknicraft Design as the leaders in building high quality and fuel efficient aluminum vessel designs. Kevin Clark, president and CEO of Argosy Cruises was most pleased with the value in terms of price, maintenance and functionality that was offered in the selection of an aluminum hull versus steel which is more common in his current fleet. “The value of Teknicraft and All American Marine design teams working closely together to build us a quality boat, made the design and construction process absolutely seamless,” Clark said. 

 

Argosy intends to primarily deploy the new vessel on a route to ferry passengers between their Seattle waterfront location at Pier 55 and their long-standing concession at Tillicum Village on Blake Island State Park. The Tillicum Excursion provides visitors with a Northwest Native American cultural experience inclusive of a narrated cruise, traditional style dining in a cedar longhouse, and live stage performance. The vessel will also be adaptable to provide private event charters, as well as join Argosy’s Christmas Ship Festival fleet.

 

While on board, passengers will enjoy panoramic windows from both the main deck and second deck cabins. The versatile floor plans of each cabin will offer both fixed and configurable interior seating, elevator accessibility, and fully-equipped service bars. The second deck aft viewing veranda and spacious bow foredeck will provide perfect platforms for capturing selfies or snapshots of Mt. Rainier and the Seattle cityscape. The upper deck features a 360-degree viewing experience, complete with elevated observation and ceremony platform. The vessel will be powered with twin Scania DI 16-080M engines and auxiliary power will be supplied via Northern Lights 65kW and 40 kW generators. AAM’s CEO, Matt Mullett is proud to partner with Argosy on this project and believes the finished product will be remarkable. Mullett commented, “We have been working hard to reach this point and are truly excited about the comprehensive design and features that this new boat will offer to Argosy while moving the bar for our future designs.”