Foiling Revolution Series Part II – Funding Approved for Demonstrator Foiling Passenger Ferry
In Part 1 of our Foiling Revolution Series we took a look at Navier, an electric foiling “Uber of the sea” company founded by Dr. Sampriti Bhattacharyya in California. Among Navier’s team is the company’s lead naval architect Paul Bieker, an Anacortes, Washington-based boat designer with decades of hydrofoil innovations under his belt. Among his notable projects include acting as the structural designer for Oracle Team USA’s America’s Cup campaigns (31st to 35th) with wins. He was on the ground floor of foiling designs taking over the elite racing circuits in the 2010s and is still applying the principles he learned to new projects in addition to his time at Navier.
Enter all-electric fast foiling ferry Demonstrator—a Washington state local agencies-funded, 150-passenger vessel on track to be built in 2027.
Foils in Passenger Ferries
Bieker’s first foray into putting foils on passenger ferries dates back to 2011 when he redesigned and reengineered the hydrofoil still in service on the Rich Passage passenger catamaran for Kitsap Transit. The vessel operates between Bremerton and Seattle in Washington state. Unlike Demonstrator, this vessel is best described as hydrofoil-assisted in that the foil lifts the hull to skim on the water but never fully “flies” over it. But the foil allows the catamaran to operate at high speeds, generally around 35 knots, and at increased fuel efficiencies.
Bieker reported to Nautical Northwest magazine that the foil uses high performance carbon fiber composite construction techniques inspired by his America’s Cup foil designs but with beefed up safety factors. The foil has taken some non-catastrophic damage and needed repair and positioning tweaks over the years, but according to Bieker the foil has experienced two years without needing any sort of major assistance.
The experience has honed Bieker’s ferry foil knowledge and been a reminder for how much the quirks of an environment matter to naval design. Puget Sound has a lot of potential when it comes to foiling ferries with many populations centers to service, often sheltered waters, and local agencies interested in investing in technologies that reduce fuel consumption. On the other hand, these waters are known to float trees and debris at certain times of the year as well as be the home of beloved and endangered Southern Resident Killer Whales.
Another challenge to new, innovative designs like hydrofoiling is not on the water or dealing with laws of physics at the design desk, but on land—regulations. Navigating US Coast Guard approval for new boats is infamously labyrinthine and difficult, especially when vessels get over a certain size and with less traditional features like hydrofoils. It is largely for this reason that the easier-to-achieve Subchapter T designation of fewer than 150 passengers is the target size for Demonstrator.
Enter Demonstrator
Demonstrator is a Paul Bieker and Glosten (a Seattle-based naval architect firm) team up that was developed under a grant funded by local agencies that include the Port of Skagit County, Port of Bellingham, Port of Anacortes, and Kitsap Transit in addition to the Federal Transportation Authority. The name invokes the vessel’s primary purpose to demonstrate the fully foiling concept as viable to the world. Demonstrator is a one-third scale version of the full-size fast foiling ferry the design firm would like to build.
In addition to being a fully foiling, 150-passenger public ferry bound for the Bremerton-Seattle rout, Demonstrator will be fully electric. The hull is also completely carbon fiber composite just like an elite racing sailboat might be. The 30-nautical mile round trip should be run at speeds between 25 and 30 knots with a fast-charging station at one side of the route. The designers tout one third of the energy use of traditional ferries currently in service.
A notable safety feature is that the foils are designed with a patented mechanical fuse system to allow the foils to swing aft in the instance of a collision. This aims to reduce the deceleration experienced by passengers and reduce damage to the foil in the instance of a log strike.
The funds are approved and construction on Demonstrator is planned to begin this year. If all goes to plan, this vessel could be the first in a new era of public ferries and I for one am keen for a ride. You can check out more info on the Glosten website or at Beiker Boats.
Foiling Revolution Series – Part 1: Navier’s N30 Pioneer Edition Pushes Electric Boating into a New Era
