TAI 168′ 36 Cars and 168 Passenger Ferry for Lake Erie
Key Features
- Length, Overall: 168ft
- Beam: 45ft
- Depth: 9.3ft
- Draft: 6 ft
- Holds 149 passengers and 36 trucks and automobiles
- Four Caterpillar C18 Engines 470 BHP
- Two Onan 40 kW marine gensets
Overview
Designed by TAI Engineers, LLC and built in Houma, La. by Thoma-Sea Marine Constructors, LLC (TMC), the new ferry Carmen Lee is the largest of five vessels in the Kelleys Island Ferry Boat Line. The double-ended ferry is designed to operate on lakes, bays, and sounds. The vessel has a steel hull and deckhouse design and is compliant with USCG 46 CFR Subchapter T regulations. This quad azimuthing drive ferry is equipped with four Caterpillar C18 propulsion engines 470 BHP at 1,800 RM, each driving Schottel SRP 150FP Z-drives using Twin Disc HPTO hydraulic clutches. This allows precision maneuvering in challenging Lake Erie approaches during harsh weather and provides propulsion redundancy.