New Fast Ferry Shows Potential for Bremerton
By hdnelson
Hi speed foot ferries have had difficulty cutting the time for commuting to downtown Seattle because of wake limiting speed restrictions in Rich Passage. This Kitsap Sun article discusses a new high speed low wake ferry under development and testing by Kitsap Transit.
The faster the boat goes, the less wake generated. Researchers figure about 37 knots is optimum for limiting wake in Rich Passage, then 32 knots the rest of the way for best fuel consumption. Several advancements combine to minimize the wake. Building the cabin out of composites instead of metal saved about 1,000 pounds. An already-good Teknicraft hull was refined by supercomputer. A 14-foot composite foil extends across the catamaran’s tunnel. A 2-foot-wide interceptor is hinged onto each of two transoms, functioning like trim tabs. The foil and interceptors are adjusted from the pilothouse.
The boat was tested off Illahee this month, running back and forth at different speeds, and foil and interceptor settings, searching for the best combinations. It appears to have easily bettered the specifications to allow Kitsap Transit to accept the boat from builder All American Marine of Bellingham, though the final report isn’t complete.
Read more: http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2011/nov/22/ferry-shows-off-high-speed-low-wake/#ixzz1eVJk9BI0
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