All American launches first of two distinctive excursion vessels
Written by Nick BlenkeyAll American Marine, Inc. (AAM) has launched the first of two 80 foot x 27 foot aluminum catamarans for Great Western Attractions (GWA). The second sister ship is set to launch in June.
Designed by Teknicraft in Auckland, New Zealand, the identical Subchapter T certified vessels will operate as passenger excursion vessels in Puget Sound and are under construction at All American Marine’s state-of-the-art 57,000 square foot facility on Bellingham Bay.
They will 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.
Each carrying 149 passengers, the catamarans are powered by twin Caterpillar C18 engines rated a 803 bhp at 2,100 rpm, driving Veem NiBrAL propellers.
“All American Marine is proud to build such unique vessels for an iconic Seattle company and to support expansion of GWA’s tourism operations.” said All American Marine’s Business Development Manager Ron Wille. “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.”
As owners of the Seattle Great Wheel and Wings over Washington attractions, both located on Pier 57 on Seattle’s waterfront GWA is a leader in the Seattle tourism industry.
“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,” said Kyle Griffith Vice President of Great Western Attractions. “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.”