60-seats passenger boats, want top speed of 50knots, any idea

For this passenger capacity, the speed of 50kts is beyond any economics...
At 50kts, the craft should be relatively large for comfort of ride.

 

I think TSD was just having us on!
50 knots, 60 passengers, absurd really.
Ground effects perhaps, flying?

 

And a fuel tank good for an hour

 

Those go fast tourist boats in Panama city Florida probably did that.... except for the fuel tankage. They had rows and rows of semi standing shock seats, quad pumped up monster diesels and a hull form of a monster offshore boat.

But they burned fuel like a Kuwaiti oil fire and I'm betting 50 knots was a rare calm day.

 

Some years ago we assisted Royal Schelde (Netherlands) designers to build a 23m SES passenger ferry that carried 60 passengers at speeds in the low 40-knot range. It was in service for a brief period between Southampton to Cowes, Isle of Wight (UK). "Wight Prince" was what they named it if I recall correctly. It had far more than 1000 liter fuel capacity, I'm sure of that. I'm out of my office so I do not have access to any particulars or pictures at the moment.

Expensive to build and operate, the vessel did not turn out to be economically viable, but it was a comfortable ride for the size and speed. An active aircushion control system was incorporated.

Today, we're helping build 28m SES crew vessels that can exceed 50 knots in calm water but typically operate between 35 and 40 for a variety of reasons that include the desire to keep fuel consumption lower and reduce equipment wear. Only configured for 24 passengers, a ferry version could easily be made on the same platform to carry 60 passengers. But, like the 23m RS SES I described above, the cost to build these makes their use as a passenger ferry unlikely.

 

Yes, SES is another possibility to achieve 50 knots and acceptably smooth ride.
However, we still don't have some crucial information:

• The purpose - is it a ferry to transport passengers from one place into another, or a boat for an extreme pleasure ride?
• The range - A short ride to and fro? A several miles ferry? A hundred miles?
• The sea conditions - wind speed, wave height?
• The harbor limitations - width, depth?

Meanwhile, just for fun, I sketched a 50kn hydrofoil for 60 passengers. Something like this:

20m long, 3m wide, 3sq.m of total foil area, 3m draught. 15t displacement. Air propeller used at speed, plus Z-drive for low speed maneuvers. Six control surfaces at the trailing edges of all foils, controlled by a computer system.
Surprisingly, she would need only 600hp to reach 50 knots, so even the 1000l tank provides a reasonable range.
Better not to mention the cost...

regards

krzys

 

Have you found out the distance that has to be travelled in the Maldives yet?
What are the typical sea state conditions that will be experienced by the ferry travelling between the islands?

@TSD Joshua are you proposing to fit your surface drive units in this ferry?
Marine Propulsion Systems Supplier From China - TSD Surface Drive https://www.surfacedrive.net/

 

The resemblance of those to Howard's drives is............uncanny....

 

If it's possible to achieve the expectation, we would like to use our surface drive.However, it seems a little bit didffcult to do that.
Marine conditions in the Maldives are smooth most of the time.

 

Thank you very much for your opinion and will provide my customers with your thoughts.

 

What is the typical distance that this ferry will have to travel?
Will it just be from A to B, or will it stop at various other islands along the way as well?

 

These are good questions.

Joshua, answering them would help move this forward.

Also, where will you fuel?

And perhaps most importantly: what is the timeline and what is the budget?

 

Electric Foil-Assisted Ferry for NYC - Professional BoatBuilder Magazine https://www.proboat.com/2023/05/electric-foil-assisted-ferry/

FEATURE | New hydrofoil ferry concept optimised for Puget Sound waters - Baird Maritime https://www.bairdmaritime.com/work-boat-world/passenger-vessel-world/ferries/feature-new-hydrofoil-ferry-concept-optimised-for-puget-sound-waters/

50 knots is fast for any boat. Hydrofoils tend to cavitate at that speed. Would you be better off using an airplane?

 

It would be a lot easier to guarantee the speed desired. Maybe an improved Short Sandringham?

 

The first is simply an electric-powered version of a catamaran foil-assisted with one of Dr. Hoppe's systems. Lots of those running around diesel powered these days. The second...well...lots and lots of magic has to happen between the 3D rendering and an in-service craft.

Designing foils to operated cavitation-free at 50 knots isn't that difficult if you are a foil designer. The tricky part is to design a cav-free foil system that will also support take-off at full load....full load needing to be something economically viable.