Incat Crowther joins the search for Nessie

MARCH 1, 2016 — A 20 m catamaran passenger ferry under construction at Exeter Fabrication Ltd in England  will ply the waters of Loch Ness in Scotland, taking tourists in search of Nessie, the lake’s the famous monster.

The aluminum hulled vessel is being built for Cruise Loch Ness and will be the first to be fully designed in Incat Crowther’s Europe office, providing a full service from preliminary design through to functional and production design.

In addition to regulatory guidance, the preliminary design phase included an analysis of the vessel’s platform, with a narrow-beam catamaran giving good efficiency while allowing the vessel to access the loch via a canal and lock.

The spacious main deck provides large windows for monster-spotting opportunities and has toilets and a bar located aft.

The upper deck is open at the side while being covered above. This allows the cruise to operate in various weather conditions, without forcing passengers inside.

As with a number of other Incat Crowther vessels, the design features an asymmetric wheelhouse that incorporates an enclosed wing control station on the port side (which will see all docking movements), and an open access passage to starboard. The open starboard side passage allows direct access for crew between the wheelhouse and foredeck and also facilitates passenger flow between foredeck and upper deck.

The vessel will be powered by a pair of Volvo D9 MH main engines driving fixed pitch propellers and producing 313 kW per side to propel the vessel to speeds over 20 knots.

Length Overall                   68′ 11″ / 21.0 m
Length Waterline                65′ 8″ / 20.0 m
Beam Overall                     23′  0″ / 7.0 m
Draft (hull)                             3′ 4″ / 1.0m