Aluminium Boats Australia's (ABA) latest vessel is a new 12-metre passenger ferry for the well established area of Church Point, north of Sydney in Australia.
Named 'L Duck' after long time employee and boat skipper of the region Lenny Duck, the vessel is the first newbuild for the present company owners. Lenny was a driver for the service for over 33 years.
Church Point Ferry Service has been in operation since 1940 and services a large number of homes and families, many of which live with water access only to their residences. It is not only an historic service, but also very much part of the unique community. The service takes over 200 children to school daily, as well as commuters and sightseers, newspapers, post and the occasional meals on wheels delivery.
The vessel is designed as a catamaran platform for ferry operations within the southern Pittwater area. Designed by One2Three Naval Architects from Sydney, the vessel was commissioned with the parameters of low speed and to minimise fuel consumption in order to offer a more eco-friendly option for the owners and commuters alike.
Passengers can board the vessel from both the port and starboard side fore and enter into a spacious and airy open-plan saloon with purpose built timber seating. Combined with the extensive windows, this allows the passengers unobstructed 360-degree views of the Pittwater enclave including Scotland Island, Lovett and Elvina Bays. The vessel is built to USL code 1D and can have a maximum of 80 passengers with two crew on board. The onboard toilet is accessed internally aft.
'L Duck' is powered by two John Deere diesel 4045 D engines with Veem five-blade propellers.
