In
1997, Pacific Marine acquired
intellectual property rights to the Westamarin hydrofoil technology together with the program’s prototype demonstration craft, the 95-foot, 45-knot,140-passenger, low-flying hydrofoil/catamaran Foilcat.
Navatek subsequently invested $3 million in modifications
and improvements to the prototype before leasing the vessel to the State of Hawaii for a commuter ferry demonstration on Oahu, Hawaii (1999-2000). It is currently being used as an R&D platform supporting the company’s ongoing research into high-speed hybrid hull forms and associated advanced ride control systems. Navatek continues to conduct research on both high-flying and low-flying hydrofoil concepts.
