Incat Design News

Resolute, one of two high-speed passenger catamarans delivered by Gladding-Hearn Shipbuilding, Duclos Corporation, to the Government of Bermuda, Ministry on Transport in 2002, has returned to service after a compete refit. In turn, the vessel’s sister ship, Serenity, has been delivered to the shipyard for the same types of upgrades — scheduled for completion by next March.Designed by Incat Design (currently Incat Crowther), Resolute carries 250 passengers. It measures 84 feet (27.7m) long…

Resolute, one of two high-speed passenger catamarans delivered by Gladding-Hearn Shipbuilding, Duclos Corporation to Bermuda's Ministry on Transport in 2002, has returned to the shipyard for a complete refit. The project’s completion is scheduled for May 2021.Designed by Incat Design (currently Incat Crowther), the all-aluminum 250-passenger vessel measures 84 feet long, 30 feet abeam and draws 5.3 feet.Among myriad items to remove, repair or replace is replacing the vessel’s Detroit Diesel engines with new engine controls and monitoring systems to operate twin MTU 10V2000M72 diesel engines…

Incact Crowther contracted to design a pair of 25 m catamaran ferries for construction at Midship Marine in Louisiana. These vessels will follow on from the successful quartet of UltraJet boats built by the yard. The new vessels will have a similar configuration, with a  half-height wheelhouse allowing a completely open upper passenger deck. 72 seats will be fitted to the upper deck, whilst the main deck passenger cabin will be fitted with seats for 131, plus a pair of wheelchair spaces. The aft deck houses an ADA compliant toilet and luggage racks.

The American Shipbuilding Association has long bemoaned the level of U.S. Navy funding, arguing that the amount of spending on new ships would, in the future, leave the force woefully under-equipped to handle its duties of defense. Though the ASA is but the lobbying voice of the country's "Big Six" shipbuilders — by consolidation now reduced to, in effect, the Big Two — would be the primary beneficiaries of a spending splurge, it now seems the arguments presented were visionary, as the U.S. enters a gray area in international relations with the recent terrorist attacks in New York and Washington and the resultant war in Afghanistan.

Caterpillar Engine Products Division has announced the completion of a new catamaran fast excursion vessel for Yankee Roamer, Inc., Key West, Fla. The 92-ft. boat has a top speed of more than 27 knots. Yankee Freedom II was designed by Phil Hercus of Internation Catamaran Designs-Sydney, Australia. The Incat design uses a single chine Z-Bow hull shape that increases waterline length for improved high-speed performance and seakeeping ability. Gladding-Hearn Shipbuilding, Somerset, Mass. built the all-aluminum vessel and designed the interior and mechanical systems. Gladding-Hearn is Incat's U.S. East Coast licensee and is schedule to launch two more Incat designed ferries this year. Yankee Freedom II is powered by two Cat 3412C marine engines, each rated 1,050 bhp at 2,300 rpm.

The image of a fun-loving boat full of passengers in Hawaii may provide the slightest bit of wintertime relief for those of us snowbound in the Northeast U.S., but it also could be be seen as a harbinger for good times to come in the passenger vessel sector of the marine market. The spectre of a robust passenger vessel market — particularly for fast craft — has loomed on the yearly planning agenda of nearly every marine related company for many years. The anticipated “boom”, as we like to call them, has yet to fully materialize, but the prospect of increased ferry utilization and activity in North America continues to grow. Giving credence to this possibility are developments in the Gulf of Mexico region…

Gladding-Hearn has again added to its reputation as one of the preeminent builders of fast craft in the U.S. with the delivery of Jet Express III, a new 88-ft. (26.6-m) high speed passenger ferry for Put-In-Bay Boat Line and Put-In-Bay Township Port Authority of South Bass Island, Ohio. The catamaran, built to the Incat design, will transport up to 149 passengers between Port Clinton and South Bass Island on Lake Erie. The owner currently operates two 98-ft. high speed ferries, which have carried more than 150,000 passengers each summer from the mainland for more than a decade. The new Jet Express III features composite hulls and an aluminum superstructure. superstructure, while TPI Composites of Warren, R.I.

Known for its sleek, fast and high-performance wave-piercing catamarans, Incat Australia expanded its reach to U.S. shores with its decision last year to partner with Lockport, La.,-based Bollinger Shipyards for the construction and design of a new breed of high speed, aluminum fast craft for operation in the U.S. Wanting to break into the U.S. military market, Bollinger Incat USA is poised to establish a new breed of fast ferry construction that will meet the needs of the U.S military forces. The company also plans to position its vessels as a means to alleviate traffic on highways with its plan for high-speed, high-performance freight vessels, which will be able to carry a mix of semi-trailers and freight vehicles.

Blue & Gold Fleet, of San Francisco, has sold its 72 x 29 ft. all-aluminum, high-speed passenger catamaran ferry, Ohlone Spirit (ex-Alderbrook Express) to T.M.T. Corp., of Washington. The 212-passenger vessel was built in 1984 by Nichols Bros., of Freeland, Wash. to an INCAT design. It was powered by twin GM16V92Ts for a total of 1,600 hp producing a speed of 22 knots. Ohlone Spirit was most recently serving as a passenger ferry on San Francisco Bay, until its delivery. Intended service for the vessel will be as a tour/sightseeing vessel in Southeast Alaska. Also, Pacific Northwest Aggregates, Inc., has taken delivery of 250 x 76 x 16.7 ft. ocean deck barge St. John, from Crowley Marine Service. The 5,970 tdw barge was originally built in 1976 by Todd Shipyards, Inc.

Measuring 175 ft. in length, dinner cruise vessel Starship was recently delivered to Starship Cruise Lines of Biloxi, Miss. Boasting a mega-yacht style, the vessel was designed by Naval Architects Dejong & Lebet of Jacksonville, Fla., and constructed by Freeport, Fla.-based Freeport Shipbuilding. Plachter-Vogel Design provided interior architecture. USCG-Certified under Subchapter K for 600 passengers, plus 30 crew, Starship carries a Stability Letter for Partially Protected waters. The vessel is designed to have a 5-5.6 ft. full load draft enabling it to access some of the Biloxi area's more shallow waterways. The hull features tunnels to allow large enough propellers while minimizing the draft.

Gladding-Hearn has again added to its reputation as one of the preeminent builders of fast craft in the U.S. Express III, a new 88-ft. Bass Island, Ohio. The catamaran, built to the Incat design, will transport up to 149 passengers between Port Clinton and South Bass Island on Lake Erie. owner currently operates two 98-ft. more than a decade. The new Jet Express III features composite hulls and an aluminum superstructure. while TPI Composites of Warren, R.I. fabricated the hulls from vinyl ester resins and E-glss over a balsa core, using the SCRIMP vacuum-bagging process. president. ease of repair. The vessel has a 28-ft. (8.6-m) beam and draws four ft. (1.3 m).