Page 18: of Marine News Magazine (January 2017)

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BOATBUILDING tive fuels, hybrid propulsion systems, and improving sta- new generation ferries. Wake wash mitigation has started bility and ride quality. to become a trend in new ferry designs and it has become

Not so long ago, builders and naval architects were rent- more and more common for operators to task ferry design- ing super-computer space from tech capitals such as the ers to meet a speci? c set of wake wash energy criteria and

University of Iowa to run very complex hull design cal- provide the testing for adequate con? rmation.

culations> Now, boat builders have in-house capability

ERRY OMPLICATED to utilize the principles of Computational Fluid Dynam- F C ics (CFD) modeling to optimize hull shapes. With a few For passenger vessels in the private sector, the impli- keyboard strokes and mouse clicks, designers can digitally cations associated with the transition from EPA Tier III tweak the shape of a hull, run the model through a virtual regulations to those of Tier IV has certainly sparked some tow tank, and semi-instantaneously realize any resulting of the motivation to move forward on laying new keels, bene? ts. CFD analysis can be used to enhance hulls for but that is not completely the case. Some public agen- speed, seakeeping, and wake wash; all top concerns for cies such as San Francisco Bay Ferry (also known as Water

At the most basic level, all new construction projects should offer an improved customer experience. While there are many challenges for designers and builders, complying with the latest ADA accessibility guidelines is a given. Likewise, customers have an elevated level of expectation for improved technology to augment their ride. WiFi, power ports, automated ticketing or counting systems, and onboard information displays are all fast becoming necessities, rather than amenities.

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