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OUTSTANDING PASSEN AMERICA Dinner Boat Marine Builders This past year, Marine Builders, Inc., of Utica, Ind., delivered the 150-foot dinner/excursion boat M/V America to River City USA, Inc., a Kansas City, Ks., vessel operator. A sleek, modern-style vessel de- signed by Marine Builders in con- junction with the marine architec- tural firm of Coe M. Best Jr. & Asso- ciates, the America is a striking con- trast to River City USA, Inc.'s Mis- souri River Queen, a traditional 1800s style riverboat also built by Marine Builders. The America seats 450 passengers for dinner cruises and is certified to carry up to 800 passengers overall. Propulsion is provided by two Cummins NTA- 855-M marine diesel engines rated at 350 hp each at 1,800 rpm, through Tonanco model KC-TM-828 marine gears to Bird Johnson 48- by 32- inch four-blade propellers. Normal engine vibration and noise is re- duced by the use of a Lo-Rez vibra- tion isolation system that Marine Builders incorporates in their ves- sels to provide optimum passenger comfort. The enclosed, climate-controlled main and second decks are fitted with tinted and insulated glass in all cabin windows (designed by Marine Builders) that reduce condensation in all weather conditions and add to passenger sightseeing enjoyment. Three complete bars, a gift shop, a food preparation facility and a cano- pied open-air 3rd deck are also incorporated on the America. Captain Dick Lynn and Ms. Award winners, from top of page: SWATH excursion boat Navatek I, built by Navatek Ships Ltd.; Baltic cruise ferry Silja Serenade, from MASA Yards; catamaran passenger boat Audu- bon Express, built by Gladding-Hearn Shipbuilding; cruise ship Delfin Caravelle, from Rauma Yards; and (above) canal boat Edelweiss II and her sister Edelweiss I, built by Skipperliner Shipyards. Despite recent concern about overcapacity in the cruise industry, new and refurbished luxury liners and cruise ferries continue to enter the market with more and more berths in an effort to attract first- time and repeat cruisers. However, according to Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), an organization which rep- resents about 95 percent of the oceangoing capacity serving North America, these berths will be needed since predictions call for cruise passengers to increase from 3.7 million to 10 million annually. The fortune of the U.S. shallow- draft passenger vessel market also appears to be entering an uncertain period. A number of second tier yards have reported a slowdown in orders for dinner/excursion boats, ferries, tour boats and commuter vessels. However, this slowdown is set against a backdrop of an indus- try that has been in a phenomenal growth spurt over the last few years. On the other hand, several yards have benefited from the impending legalization of riverboat gambling, with a number of new vessels on order and several others under de- sign. The following section celebrates the most outstanding new entrants into the highly competitive passen- ger shipping market as selected by the editors of MARITIME RE- PORTER. The "Outstanding Pas- senger Vessels of 1990" range from megaton 2,000-passenger giants such as the Fincantieri-built Crown Princess to the elegant 350-passen- ger dinner boat Anita Dee II, built by Trinity Marine. 30 Maritime Reporter/Engineering News
