All American Marine to build research vessel for Cal Poly Humboldt

The vessel will be a 78- by 26.7-foot semi-displacement aluminum catamaran that was developed by Nic de Waal of Teknicraft Design in Auckland, New Zealand. Credit: All American Marine and Teknicraft

Bellingham, Wash.-based All American Marine, together with the California Polytechnical Institute at Humboldt (Cal Poly), just announced the contract to build an innovative research vessel for the Cal Poly marine sciences program.

The vessel will be a 78- by 26.7-foot semi-displacement aluminum catamaran developed by Nic de Waal of Teknicraft Design in Auckland, New Zealand. It will incorporate the design elements of several successful, recently delivered vessels, such as the R/V Shackleford for Geodynamics, and the University of Hawaii at Manoa’s R/V Imua.

The vessel will be inspected to U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) Subchapter T standards and will operate as a multipurpose research vessel in the near coastal waters of Northern California and Oregon, as well as offshore on ocean routes. This vessel’s twin-engine speed and fuel efficiency will be fundamental to meet Cal Poly’s research needs in its Northern California location, with immediate access to coastal environments and deep-water environments of continental shelves, slopes, and canyons. Similar to the R/V Shackleford, this new vessel will be capable of supporting the emergent offshore wind industry on the West Coast for years to come. It will be outfitted with a Kongsberg ADCP electronics suite augmented by a fixed WASSP multibeam system.

The vessel will provide scientists, students, and guests with a state-of-the-art platform, allowing them to access and study a wide array of marine environments. The knowledge gained from scientific missions on this vessel will directly support the management and conservation of California’s marine resources.

The vessel integrates the signature Teknicraft Design symmetrical and asymmetrical combined hull shape, bow wave piercer, and a patented dynamic hydrofoil-assisted hull design. The hull and hull components are designed to break up wave action and ensure reduced drag while enhancing passenger comfort. This design is proven to have both low-wake wash energy and increased fuel economy.  This advanced hull shape was custom-designed using digital modeling and Computational Fluid Dynamics analysis testing.

Crew comfort

The vessel’s design offers all passengers and crew a smooth ride and comfort, as the hull provides a cushioned effect when encountering waves.  For the operator, the most valuable feature of these vessels is the excellent fuel economy, which consumes approximately the same gallons per nautical mile throughout the estimated cruising speed of 18-24 knots, with a fuel-efficient survey operation speed of 4-8 knots, fully laden. With a large fuel capacity of 1600 gallons, this fuel-efficient design will be able to hold up to 40 total day passengers, or 14 live-aboard.

“From the outset, our discussions with All American Marine have been highly productive in designing a vessel that is being built specifically to advance our academic vision of educating future scientists, while keeping the latest environmental standards in mind,” said Eric Riggs, Dean, Cal Poly Humboldt College of Natural Resources & Sciences. “They have an excellent record designing and building state-of-the-art research vessels to the performance specifications we need on California’s North Coast, and this was a key consideration when we chose them as our builder. Upon completion, this vessel will become the centerpiece of our academic fleet, supporting our marine research and teaching efforts for decades to come.”

Propulsion package

The propulsion package includes two fixed pitch propellers powered by twin MAN D2862LE438 EPA Tier 4 engines, including a diesel particulate filter. These engines, rated at 1182 bhp @ 2100 RPM, are designed to meet current, stringent California requirements. Onboard the vessel, scientists and crew have comfortable live-aboard quarters, large state-of-the-art wet and dry lab spaces, as well as a range of the latest oceanographic equipment with which to conduct a variety of missions. The vessel was custom-designed to support a diverse portfolio of scientific research and academic missions, including Cal Poly Humboldt’s Marine Sciences commitment to provide students with a comprehensive understanding of marine ecosystems, coastal environments, and the scientific principles underlying marine biology, ecology, and oceanography.

“All American Marine remains on the leading edge of manufacturing techniques and is an industry innovator, merging the latest technology into a functional and proven vessel,” said Ron Wille, All American Marine president. “We are thrilled to receive this contract for another multi-mission research vessel that will service a variety of critical missions such as offshore research, oceanographic surveys, and ocean monitoring, as well as informing the emergent offshore wind market on the west coast. This vessel will open a new era of ocean conservation and research capabilities.”