What Makes a Glacier Bay Different?
Ride
Glacier Bay's high-speed, displacement hull is able to run at very high rates of speed in severe sea conditions. The sensation at the helm is very soft, and stable. However, the hull must absorb all the energy and imact of each wave, mile after mile, year after year. The integrated structure required to absorb these loads must be exceptionally strong. The grid structure in each GB includes from 7 to 10 full width athwartship bulkheads ranging in height from 7-24 inches. In addition, a multitude of ribs and stringers are combined with these bulkheads to even further enhance the strength. These components are fully encapsulated in polyester resins and bonded in with woven roving and knitted fiberglass. Sixty percent are also fiberglassed to the deck to create a fully integrated composite structure.
Accelerometer testing shows Glacier Bay Cats achieve a 60 percent reduction in peak impact loads when crossing a three-foot, boat wake at 27 knots (31 mph). Glacier Bay owners experience about two-thirds less impact than on a monohull. The jarring and slamming common to v-hulls is eliminated!
The test compared two 26 foot boats: a Glacier Bay 2660 Canyon Runner Center Console and an identically weighted, high-quality, 24 degree, deep-V , center console. In simultaneous tests with the catamaran and monohull, the Glacier Bay achieved a 60 percent reduction in impact loads. The readings were taken while the two boats crossed head-on into the 36-inch wake of a 40-foot motor yacht at 27 knots. Reading were taken with a three-axis accelerometer, sampling a rate of 50,000 times per minute. the graphs are an electronic summation of the tree measurement axis X-Y-Z (vertical, side-to-side and front-to-back). they show what the human body actually feels with each impact.
Using the same test equipment as above, the boats were tested for roll acceleration and roll angle while drifting beam-to the same 40-foot motor yacht wake.
On a monohull the wave accelerates the hull and shoots it back the other way. The sensation is similar to a pendulum motion that continues and intensifies with each wave. In contrast, the Glacier Bay hulls follow the contour of the wave smoothly with out overshooting.
This front and rear view of a patented Glacier Bay hull speaks volumes about why it runs well in rough seas.
Design
Make boating more fun! Remove problems and events that spoil, delay or frustrate our owners. Listen to owners' needs and goals while designing and giving them more that they expect in the final product...more innovation, more style and more function make access to all the boat's systems natural, easy and built-in from the factory.
Get all the details right, from the trailer fitting, to the helm controls and electronics with easy accessibility to all features. Make cleaning simple, install comfortable seats and build lots of storage.
Construction
Build the boat right from the start with the best, most practical, long-life components available. Build the boat so both owner and builder are proud of the boat 2... 4...10 years after delivery.
Glacier Bays were originally engineered to meet the needs of two diverse, but demanding markets. Alaskan/ NW sportsmen, alone and subject to severe conditions amongst enormous wilderness waterways, were looking for a tough boat. While in the South Pacific, inter-island-hopping and fishing Hawaiians also sought a rugged craft. These self-reliant individuals demanded a hull with extreme capabilities and reserves of strength. as it turned out, a wide range of customers across the country have similar requirements.
These original owners' major requirement was a stem (bow) that could withstand extreme impact with logs, debris and unexpected, submerged objects. Our solution is to reinforce ALL Glacier Bay stems with Kevlar and 6-to-10 layers of premium E-glass 24 ounce, woven roving. the Kevlar runs the full length of the stem and wraps around to the keel of impact reduction.
The next requirement was a failsafe foam-filled, double bottom. This begins with a large foam locker in the bow of the boat that, typically, runs six-feet aft. It is foam-filled above the waterline. This compartment creates an almost impenetrable. watertight compartment right behind the key impact zone.
Aft of the foam-filled, collision bulkhead, compartment, the hull has continuous foam compartments running aft toward the stern. The net effect is amazing security while at sea from impacts with foreign objects. In most areas the hull is laminated with 5/8 to 7/8 of solid fiberglass. It is backed up with 5 to 8 inches of cross-linked, Coast Guard approved urethane foam and, additionally, reinforced with the hull's inner liner.
GB's integrated structural system has more than 1,700 satisfied customers.
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