This 78’ high-speed, ultra-low wake passenger catamaran built for Kitsap Transit, provides foot ferry service between Bremerton and Seattle with 4 roundtrips each weekday.  The 78’ x 28’ 118 passenger catamaran is unlike any other craft ever constructed in the U.S. The innovative vessel was built specifically for low wake research purposes with the objective of creating an ultra-low wake energy hull design that can be used for high-speed passenger transport applications operating on wake-sensitive routes.

Kitsap Transit had been searching for an economically feasible solution to bring fast and environmentally safe passenger-only ferry service back to the Kitsap Peninsula since Washington State Ferries was forced to terminate their service in 2003.  Through a series of federally funded wake wash studies, it became evident that the wake signature of a hydrofoil-assisted Teknicraft Design catamaran produced the least amount of wake wash energy within its tested vessel class.The core elements of the new design include an optimized aluminum catamaran hull shape with a composite superstructure and deck and a carbon fiber hydrofoil system.  Before the first weld was made, Teknicraft Design principal naval architect, Nic de Waal, of Auckland, New Zealand worked with hydrodynamicists from the University of Iowa’s IIHR-Hydroscience and Engineering Research Center as well as naval architects from INSEAN in Rome, Italy to digitally model and test the ultra-low wake hull design. By creating a digital model of the hull, the vessel’s wake wash properties could be studied and predicted. The optimization study utilized Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) techniques to help refine the shape of the hull and hydrofoil to produce lower wake heights with less wake energy.  “Our hydrofoil supported hull has been developed and refined over the last decade to become a leader in catamaran technology,” states de Waal. “With the additional benefit of sophisticated and intensive CFD modeling over recent periods, we now have one of the most advanced and environmentally friendly hulls in terms of the combination of low wake, high speed, and low fuel consumption.”

Complementing the revolutionary hull design, the research ferry also features ‘smart’ technology for wake wash mitigation.  The Naiad control systems for the adjustable composite hydrofoil and wake mitigating interceptors have been integrated with GPS technology to automatically position the foil and interceptors for the lowest wake energy signature when the vessel enters wake sensitive coastal areas.  The system will also make adjustments for optimizing performance and fuel efficiency when wake mitigation is not the critical operation. The adjustable hydrofoil can be manipulated intentionally through minor adjustments to optimize speed without increasing engine rpm or fuel consumption.  The adjustable foil is highly beneficial for commuter ferry applications where the passenger load may be heavier in one direction than the other. Golder Associates has supplied a specialized monitoring system for the hull and hydrofoil system that is currently providing detailed performance data for continued research purposes.

“Following the initial sea trials, we are very pleased with the results which prove that the vast amount of work that went into optimizing the hull shape and hydrofoil system has certainly been worthwhile. The performance exceeded predictions and we are confident that the vessel will break new ground in terms of both fuel economy and low wake,” remarked de Waal.  Once wake wash testing is complete, Golder Associates will begin processing the data and results. The vessel’s current operation and passenger service is also part of the research and data collection phase.

The cutting-edge vessel is powered by four Caterpillar C18 ACERT engines fit with CleanAIR Permit filters to reduce harmful emissions by up to 99%.  The vessel’s noise emission is mitigated with acoustic foam insulation and composite sandwich decking material. The cabin interior is finished with recyclable aluminum honeycomb wall panels and recyclable aluminum ceiling tiles with acoustic insulation.  Other amenities include ADA-friendly accommodation spaces, comfortable Beurteaux seating, and bicycle storage racks to encourage as many commuters as possible.