FLOATING CHAPEL ON THE BAY
60' Catamaran Barge Passenger Vessel
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Design No. 422
Length Overall: 60-6" Beam 30'-5" Hull Depth 6'-1" Draft 2'-9" Displacement: 57 tons full load |
Construction: Fiberglass
Propulsion: Two Cummins 6B5.9 115 HP diesel engines Auxiliary: 27Kw generator Regulatory: USCG SubChapter T Built to ABS Rules for Fiberglass Reinforced Vessels Passengers 125 and 3 crew |
The FLOATING CHAPEL ON THE BAY is on of the more unique vessels we have designed. We not only designed the it but also built the vessel.
The client for this boat was a very experienced owner/operator of passenger vessels. During a visit to Australia he saw a wedding chapel on a barge that was towed out into the harbor for weddings. And so it was born the first and only floating wedding chapel in the United States.
Some have asked why we designed this as a catamaran barge instead of simply a barge. Well, there are a number of reasons. First, the owner wanted the vessel to register under 50 gross tons. By making each hull 7' wide the vessel registered well under 50 tons. The boat was designed with a raked bow and a towboat type stern. Being two hulls also, gave the boat enough hull submersion that keels were not needed to provide directional stability. A simple barge hull would not have had sufficient draft to give good manuverability and prevent the propellers from cavitating. The cat barge hull also makes for less resistance when going through the water. The twin 115 hp diesel engines give a maximum speed of 9 knots and cruising speed of 6 knots. The boat was given two spud wells with steel pipe spuds which permit mooring the vessel in shallow waters these are handled by electric winches.
The interior of the chapel is open, light and airy. A brides changing room with private bathroom is provided. There are two public bathrooms and a sound control room. The chapel was designed to ABS rules for commercial vessel structures.
We believe there are many other applications for cat barge hulls. It makes and excellent work and cargo platform and would make a good housing barge platform or even houseboat.
Needless to say this boat has given some people a startle when they see it approaching.
The client for this boat was a very experienced owner/operator of passenger vessels. During a visit to Australia he saw a wedding chapel on a barge that was towed out into the harbor for weddings. And so it was born the first and only floating wedding chapel in the United States.
Some have asked why we designed this as a catamaran barge instead of simply a barge. Well, there are a number of reasons. First, the owner wanted the vessel to register under 50 gross tons. By making each hull 7' wide the vessel registered well under 50 tons. The boat was designed with a raked bow and a towboat type stern. Being two hulls also, gave the boat enough hull submersion that keels were not needed to provide directional stability. A simple barge hull would not have had sufficient draft to give good manuverability and prevent the propellers from cavitating. The cat barge hull also makes for less resistance when going through the water. The twin 115 hp diesel engines give a maximum speed of 9 knots and cruising speed of 6 knots. The boat was given two spud wells with steel pipe spuds which permit mooring the vessel in shallow waters these are handled by electric winches.
The interior of the chapel is open, light and airy. A brides changing room with private bathroom is provided. There are two public bathrooms and a sound control room. The chapel was designed to ABS rules for commercial vessel structures.
We believe there are many other applications for cat barge hulls. It makes and excellent work and cargo platform and would make a good housing barge platform or even houseboat.
Needless to say this boat has given some people a startle when they see it approaching.