Builders Pack Four Diesels Into Double Hull Jet Cat

Diesel Progress North American Edition, August, 2001 by Mark Clevenger

Winds whipped up an apt christening for the Jet Cat Express at the Nichols Brothers Boat Builders yard in Langley, Wash., as Catalina Express Lines took delivery of the 145 ft., 39 knot vessel late this spring. The catamaran, the 26th built by Nichols Brothers since being licensed by Australian naval architects International Catamaran Designs Ltd., was designed to provide smooth passenger transit between Long Beach, Calif, and Catalina Island's Avalon.

Water in the Catalina Channel can get somewhat choppy, particularly in the afternoon when tired travelers are making the 26 mile return trip from the Southern California resort island. So the combination of longer, sharper hulls and Marine Dynamics hydraulic ride control units act to smooth out passage in rough water, as the vessel amply demonstrated for attendees at the christening ceremonies.

Recognition of water conditions also account for the designing into the vessel of a third bow. The structure, installed forward between the double hulls to slice through head seas, is engineered to prevent waves from slapping the undersides of the vessel as the four Cummins diesel engines drive the boat.

The engines, Cummins Marine KTA 50s, are rated 1875 hp at 1950 rpm. Two engines in each hull drive ZF BU 460 gearboxes with 1.689:1 ratios. The marine gear is used to drive Hamilton HM651 waterjets. To place two engines and supporting equipment in the narrow cat hulls, the powerplants are staggered and utilize an engineered system of shafts and pedestal bearings to power the waterjets.

The main engines were supplied through Cummins Northwest, which provided assistance in engineering the propulsion system, although the basic arrangement was worked out by InCat in Australia. In line with a general layout, a steel tube cardan shaft from Driveline Service of Portland runs between the ZF gears and a Cooper split pedestal bearing. A Vulkan carbon fiber shaft carries shaft torque through a Cooper split flange bearing to another Vulcan carbon fiber shaft with crown tooth coupling to the water pump.

The engines are also fitted with exhaust silencers from EM Products and Racor triplex fuel filters. Fuel is stored in twin 4000 gal. tanks.

John Walls, sales manager for Cummins Northwest, said that engines also incorporated Cummins' Centry Fuel Control system and the Eliminator centrifuge oil purification system.

Two 99 kW Northern Lights generators from Alaska Diesel Electric provide service power. The generators are fitted with turbo silencers from EM Products and Racor fuel filters.

Coast Products provided the Carrier HVAC systems. Peter Kalby Co. and Coast Products provided engine room and ventilation fans. Engine room fire protection was supplied by Alexander Gow The vessel utilizes a Speedaire air compressor.

The pump array includes MP 1.5 HHLF fire pumps, 1 hp Ebara submersible bilge pump, 1.5 hp Teel freshwater and flush pumps, 1.5 lip Barnes sewage pump, two dirty-lube oil pumps and two PTO hydraulic pumps. Radio Holland USA supplied the bulk of the communications and electronics equipment.

A total of 381 passengers can be accommodated on the main deck, in a first-class Commodore Lounge on the second deck and in outside seating. Canteen bars are provided on both decks. A baggage room is installed aft on the main deck and provisions for bicycles are aft outside.

The vessel's length at the water line is 129 ft., beam of the deckhouse is 39 ft., the hull beam is 9.9 ft. and the draft at full load is 5.6 ft.

Elaine Vaughan, vice president of marketing for Catalina Express, said that the Jet Cat Express offers four round trips a day between Long Beach and Avalon on Catalina Island. The vessel, which went into regular service in May, makes the 26 miles between mainland and island in 45 to 50 minutes.

Catalina Express operates two other catamarans and five Westport monohulls between Long Beach, San Pedro and Dana Point on the mainland and Avalon and Two Harbors on Catalina Island.

Nichols was scheduled to deliver a 139 ft., 400 passenger catamaran, also driven by Cummins engines, to the Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District in July and a 115 ft., 315 passenger vessel to the Alameda/Oakland Ferry Service later this year.