'Spirit of the Wild' Incat Crowther Design
The challenges
Pyrotek has successfully completed its first project with world-renowned passenger vessel designers, Incat Crowther. Designing over 500 vessels and operating in over 20 countries worldwide, Incat Crowther are at the forefront of aluminium passenger vessel design and build. Winning multiple awards per year for their vessels, Pyrotek were pleased to lend their expertise. Pyrotek Marine division were rewarded with an opportunity to work on a design after the customer, Gordon River Cruises out of Tasmania, contracted Incat Crowther to design a vessel with some of the lowest noise levels ever achieved on a passenger vessel, 50 dB on the upper deck and 55dB on the lower deck while under power.
The solutions
After progress meetings with Pyrotek’s (Bradley Scott and Tom Metzner) and Incat Crowther’s design team, Quadzero NL 8 kg was specified into the design to be used around the engine room and air trunks to limit the outbreak of noise from the engine space into the passenger areas directly above.
The tender was awarded to Tasmanian shipyard RDM (Richardson Devin Marine), who build many Incat Crowther designed vessels for the international market. Knowing Pyrotek, RDM made contact and continued to build the vessel to the specification. Pyrotek worked with RDM ensuring all product was installed correctly. The vessel was recently launched and christened “Spirit of the Wild” to operate in the world heritage listed UNESCO Tasmanian wilderness. On its tours, the vessel will be seen meandering the river systems of wild Tasmania at 5 knots before powering back to its homeport at 25knots.
Comfort levels on-board were set to allow passengers to be immersed in the pure tranquillity of the untouched Tasmanian wilderness.
The results
• 95 decibels in the engine room noise
• 53 decibels main deck noise (compliant to requirement 55 dB)
• 46 decibels upper deck noise (compliant to requirement 50 dB)
• Virtually no vibration running on the electric motor only
Pyrotek continues to work closely with Incat Crowther specifying soundproofing and noise control products into future applications. This success has also meant global opportunities to work with Pyrotek more broadly.
Images used with permission by Incat Crowther and RDM 2018.
