The University of New Hampshire (UNH) is excited to have All American Marine (AAM) design and construct a new aluminum catamaran research vessel, custom built by Teknicraft Design of Auckland, New Zealand.

The new vessel that will allow UNH to collect state-of-the-art seafloor and water column mapping data as well as samples and ground-truth data. This information is key for better understanding what the team’s remote mapping systems are telling us about the seafloor and ocean environment.

According to AAM, the catamaran will feature the signature Teknicraft Design hull shape with symmetrical bow, asymmetrical tunnel, and integrated wave piercer. The propeller driven vessel will be powered by a pair of Cummins QSB 6.7 Tier 3 engines and auxiliary power supplied by a Cummins Onan 21.5kW generator. The gear on deck will include a hydraulic A-frame, davit, scientific winch, side mount sonar strut, and moon pool with deployable sonar strut.

According to AAM’s Vice President of Business Development Joe Hudspeth, inspiration for the design comes from the NOAA’s R/V Auk, built by AAM in 2006 and the R/V David Folger built for Middlebury College in 2012.

As Hudspeth stated,

We are honored to have the opportunity to build this new vessel for UNH. It is exciting to see that our early work with NOAA has helped establish All American Marine as a leader in the production of innovative aluminum research vessels and this new catamaran design promises to impress.”

The new vessel is being funded thanks to a grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and will serve the Joint Hydrographic Center (JHC) at UNH.

Completion of the new boat is expected early 2016.