All American Marine, Inc. (AAM), together with Great Western Attractions (GWA), is pleased to announce the delivery of two 80’x 27’ aluminum catamarans for operation as a passenger excursion vessels in Puget Sound. Orca I and Orca II were designed by Teknicraft in Auckland New Zealand, and are identical Subchapter T certified vessels that were constructed at All American Marine’s state-of-the-art 57,000 square foot facility on Bellingham Bay. These vessels will be a part of GWA’s multi-faceted tourism experience based in downtown Seattle.
GWA selected industry leaders AAM and Teknicraft Design, widely acknowledged for designing and building high quality and fuel-efficient aluminum vessel designs at a great value. These new vessels combine innovative design features to enhance the passenger experience during excursions, as well as celebrating the prominent native culture that is a significant part of life in the Pacific Northwest. One specific feature is the unique design of an extended hull section on the bow and stern, creating a canoelike appearance. These 149 passenger catamarans are powered by Twin Caterpillar C18 Engines rated at 803 bhp at 2100 rpm, driving Veem NiBrAL propellers, and are constructed to USCG Subchapter “T” standards, designed as a passenger vessel for use on “Lakes Bays and Sounds.”
All American Marine’s Business Development Manager Ron Wille said in a statement, “All American Marine is proud to build such unique vessels for an iconic Seattle company and to support the expansion of GWA’s tourism operations. Our mission is to provide our operators with the best custom vessel for their application, and we are excited to help design and build GWA’s first two vessels.”
Kyle Griffith Vice President of Great Western Attractions stated “We always provide the best experience for our customers and throughout our operations, so selecting All American Marine to build the boats for our new marine division made perfect sense. All American builds the highest quality vessels and offers the best value overall value in the country. When we visited their state of the art facility and saw the rapid progress and the quality of work on our first boat, we decided to go ahead and build two vessels.”
As owners of the “Seattle Great Wheel” and “Wings over Washington” both located on Pier 57 on Seattle’s waterfront GWA is a leader in the Seattle tourism industry. Building their first vessels with AAM will only help grow their presence as well as contributing to an ever-increasing and valuable tourism industry on Seattle’s bustling waterfront.
All American Marine All American Marine Inc., located on the shores of Bellingham Bay, was founded in 1987 and specializes in the construction of custom-tailored aluminum boats. Today, the company has become a leading builder of high-speed passenger boats, hybrid vessels, dinner cruise boats, and research vessels. All American Marine is the exclusive builder for Teknicraft Design Ltd. catamarans in North America.
