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Tri-Coastal Marine Inc. (ID: 1717)
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Established in 1983 for the restoration and preservation of historic ships, TCM is now a modern engineering consulting firm providing a full range of engineering services. Our core business is sailing ship design. Here are some examples of what we do: Sailing school ships Operational replica vessels Passenger carrying vessels (Subchapter "T") Museum ship historic replicas Our design specialty has been large sailing vessels: SSV's (sailing school ships), Subchapter-T passenger carrying vessels, and sailing replicas. All of these tend to be one of a kind with extremely varied mission requirements. The design solution is complex -- particularly when working with regulatory bodies. Our design philosophy is founded in the understanding that the ship is just one part of a transportation, passenger carrying or educational system. The vessel's ability to function in its desired capacity depends on how well that system is understood by the designer. A successful design fulfills the owners goals for the vessel -- this is true from the smallest yacht to the largest ocean carrier. That set of goals is called its mission statement. The initial concept coupled with the mission statement are the first step in the design process. A clear understanding of the performance goals is essential in the preliminary design stages. Identifying limits early on helps define the basic parameters of the design and to put the different requirements of the mission statement in proper priority. We are known for traditional designs that recall the great yachts of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. William Fife, G.L. Watson, and N.G. Herreshoff are the masters of the past who we look to for modern inspiration. These men designed sailing yachts before the era of auxiliary engines -- they had to be handy and weatherly. Unfortunately, since the 1930's the gaff rig has become rare and only seen on historic replica vessels. We believe it still has a lot to recommend it and favor it for all our larger, traditional sailing yacht designs. For custom sailing yacht less than 100' LOA we like to use wood. Ocean going yachts exist in a harsh environment -- sea water is corrosive, cold and electrically conductive. Wood is a good thermal insulator and doesn't rust. It's also comparatively inexpensive, easy to work with and builds a beautifully fair boat. Maritime Preservation Our company was established for the restoration, preservation and construction of historic ships; that has been our principal business since the restoration of the bark Elissa. TCM continues to help preserve America's maritime past by surveying historic vessels and assisting the organizations that maintain them. Preservation projects, past and ongoing: Restoration of the 1925 Forest Service ranger boat M/V Chugach, the 1877 iron bark Elissa, and the 1893 fishing schooner Lettie G. Howard Historic structure reports for the San Francisco Maritime National Historic Park, including the Alma, the C.A. Thayer, the Eppleton Hall, the Eureka, the 1907 tugboat Hercules, and the Wapama Technical support for the preservation and maintenance of the fleet at the South Street Seaport Museum in New York Restoration of the sloop of war USS Constellation in Baltimore, MD. USS Constellation Framing Elevation and Gundeck Plan -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Advanced Engineering Analysis: Ship design: from initial conceptual design to contract drawings Detail drafting (ACAD) including advanced solid modeling Marine software development Ship statics (Intact and damaged stability analysis) Ship dynamics (VPP, ship motions, maneuverability) Structural analysis (finite elements) Machine design Plan Review Contract writing and shipyard negotiation Project management -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Emergency Response Salvage modeling Emergency response team training and drills Damage stability model using HECSALV -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Other Design Services Preliminary and detail design Intact loading, damage stability and motion analysis Lines development and fairing Global and local ship structure analysis Stress, vibration, fatigue and fracture analysis Propulsion shafting alignment, stress, and vibration analysis Boat Interior in 3D AutoCAD rendered using Accurender -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Owners Representative Assistance with regulatory bodies Plan review, contract writing and shipyard negotiation Hull, machinery and cargo surveys Tri-Coastal Marine builds new wooden vessels at the site where they will eventually homeport. The building sites are open to the public. Here's one we just finished: Sailing Ferry Replica Weatherwax high resolution high resolution Here are some more photos of the launching and sea trials: Launching Launching crew Marc at the helm Steering oar Weatherwax is a near replica of a double-ended sailing ferry, a type that was common on Lake Champlain in the19th and early 20th centuries. Weatherwax was launched on August 19th in Crown Point, NY. Tri-Coastal Marine, ably led by Project Manager Douglas Brooks, designed and built the vessel to resemble historic Lake Champlain sailing ferries, which carried passengers and vehicles across the lake until the early 20th century. Historically, the vessels were built locally with no plans. They were flat bottom scows that were symmetrical fore and aft, with the mast, sail and leeboards always to leeward. The ferries were symmetrical and could sail in either direction, with the mast and the single gaff sail always to leeward. The off center mast allowed horses and wagons (and later automobiles) to load on board. These vessels are steered with an oar that can be shifted to either end. Some changes from the historic configuration were required by law to license it to carry passengers. The original ferries were open boats, while this vessel has collision bulkheads, a watertight deck, an auxiliary motor, and all the safety equipment. Weatherwax is named for Captain Thomas Weatherwax who operated the last ferry between Crown Point and Chimney Point until the Champlain Bridge opened in 1929. The vessel's owner (the Lake Placid / Essex County Visitor's Bureau of New York State) intends to carry pedestrians and bicycles across the lake at the old Crown Point ferry site. Photos of historic sail ferries: Ladies in hats Cable ferry at Benson Landing Crown Point Ferry Horse and buggy Unfortunately, no original plans of these vessels exist. Project manager, Douglas Brooks, did exhaustive and original research of records and archival photos to create our design. The vessel has an auxiliary motor and will be licensed to carry passengers on Lake Champlain. Here's a picture of the hull being turned over in February: More construction photos: Bottom framing Caulking bottom planking Inside the building shed Building the railing Interested in building a wooden ship? Established in 1983 for the restoration and preservation of historic ships, TCM is now a modern engineering consulting firm. Tri-Coastal Marine Inc.