New San Francisco Bay tourist boat launches

All American Marine has launched Enhydra, the newest member of the R&W passenger excursion vessel fleet.

The 39-metre LOA aluminum monohull vessel with a nine-metre beam was designed by Teknicraft Design and is the largest lithium-ion battery electric hybrid-powered vessel in North America built under USCG Subchapter K certification.

The 600-passenger vessel is specifically designed for harbour tours of San Francisco Bay and the Golden Gate Bridge. Guests on board the Enhydra can experience views of the bay and cityscape from all three decks.

All American Marine partnered with BAE Systems to design and integrate the complete electric hybrid system. BAE supplied its HybriDrive propulsion system that includes a generator, propulsion power converter, house load power supply and control system. The generator is mounted to a variable speed Cummins QSL9 300kW diesel engine.

The system offers parallel hybrid powering of the AC traction motor from either the generator, the batteries or both. The motor is coupled to the propulsion shaft via a reduction gear for thrust and increased propeller efficiency.