The AAM Build Report – October Edition: Turning Seakeeping into Operational Advantage

All American Marine recently launched M/V North Star, the second high-speed, long-range eco-tour vessel built for Phillips Cruises & Tours. Like her sistership, Chugach Express, North Star will operate from Whittier, Alaska, carrying passengers through the tidewater glaciers and wildlife-filled waters of Prince William Sound.

The 84.5-foot, hydrofoil-assisted aluminum catamaran features a Teknicraft Design semi-displacement hull and is certified to USCG Subchapter T standards for up to 150 passengers. Her propulsion package mirrors that of Chugach Express: four MJP 350X waterjets driven by quad 800 mhp Scania DI16 082M engines, paired with Teknicraft’s dynamic hydrofoil system and wave-piercing bow.

A repeat order is performance data in its clearest form. After operating Chugach Express through three demanding Alaska seasons, with full passenger loads, long days, and changing conditions. Phillips knew this platform could deliver.

One of the most notable changes is fuel capacity with Chugach Express carrying 1,200 gallons, while North Star carries 1,600. The increase did not require a redesign; it was made possible by proven performance. Chugach Express demonstrated that the hull could carry additional weight without sacrificing speed, efficiency, or ride quality. The second vessel uses that margin to add 400 gallons and extend its operating range.

But range is only part of the story. The Teknicraft hull and dynamic hydrofoil system are designed to reduce vessel accelerations underway, while the hull form and foil provide added motion damping at rest. For passengers, that means a more comfortable ride. For operators, it means a broader usable weather window, supporting more operating days, greater schedule reliability, and stronger revenue potential. That capability matters in Prince William Sound. Maintaining comfortable speeds in changing sea conditions can preserve more time at the destination while keeping the return schedule within reach. It can also mean the difference between completing a tour and remaining at the dock.

Last month, we examined how little fuel consumption changes between light and fully loaded conditions on a Teknicraft hull. North Star shows what an operator can do with that margin. Greater fuel capacity, strong seakeeping, and efficient performance combine to create something more valuable than any single specification: greater operating capacity.

Top speed tells only part of the story. Passenger vessel operators need to know how a vessel rides at full load in real conditions, how guests feel after five or six hours aboard, and how much of the schedule can be maintained when the weather turns.

Those are seakeeping questions, and on a tour vessel, they show up in two places.

The first is underway. During transit, the Teknicraft hull form and hydrofoil lift work together to reduce vertical accelerations, the pounding and slamming that wear on passengers and crew over a long day.

The second is on scene. At a glacier’s face or alongside a pod of humpbacks, low-speed motion is often when passengers begin to feel unwell. Here, the hull form and foil help dampen that motion. Guests stay on deck, crews remain ready to work, and fewer people become what one of our operators calls “mal de mer zombies.”

One additional advantage comes in the adjustable hydrofoil. By de-tuning it, captains can make the vessel ride “heavier” at wildlife-viewing speeds, settling the hull and creating a steadier viewing platform. The vessel remains light and fuel-efficient during transit, then becomes more planted once on scene.