Since 1964, Gilbert Associates has built a reputation for excellence in marine engineering and naval architecture services by consistently providing our clients with the highest quality results at an outstanding value.
Whether you need design, engineering, or consulting solutions, our dedicated team of naval architects and marine engineers is here to serve you. We put our decades of experience to work to ensure the success of your project at every step of the process – from preliminary design through regulatory review, trials, and final delivery.
At Gilbert Associates, we focus on finding the best, most efficient, and most cost-effective solutions to your naval architecture and marine engineering challenges.
The 300’ passenger and vehicle ferry M/V P.T. Barnum was commissioned by the Bridgeport & Port Jefferson Steamboat Company in 1998. Shortly after, her owners ordered a sister ship, the M/V Grand Republic, launched in 2002. Twenty years later, in 2022, the company contracted yet another sistership, the M/V Long Island.
To satisfy modern demands, the M/V Long Island features an EPA Tier IV-compliant power plant that can push the vessel up to 20 kn. Today, all three Gilbert-designed 300’ Passenger Vehicle Ferries work together to bridge the Long Island Sound for passengers and commerce.
The F/V Ranger and F/V Resolution are Gilbert-designed 95’ scalloper sister vessels, delivered in September and November of 2003, respectively. Both fishing vessels operate out of New Bedford, MA, and have a fish hold capacity of 5400 cubic feet. After the delivery of these two sister vessels, Gilbert was commissioned to shorten and modify the design for seven additional vessels.
The Gilbert-designed 93’ scalloper was produced seven times from 2004 to 2013. Many of these vessels operate out of New Bedford, MA. The design for these seven sisters is based on a previous Gilbert Associates design for the two 95’ scallopers, the F/V Ranger and F/V Resolution. The F/V Neskone was the first of these scallop fishing vessels built at 93’, and she was followed by six sisters: the F/V Polaris, F/V Wisdom, F/V Horizon, F/V Arcturus, F/V Rost, and F/V Pyxis.
The Capt. Richard G. Spear is a 154’ passenger/vehicle ferry designed for MaineDOT. Today, she carries up to 250 passengers and 23 vehicles between Rockland, ME, and the island community of Vinalhaven. The Spear was proudly built in East Boothbay, Maine, by Washburn & Doughty Shipyard.
MaineDOT also recently commissioned a sister ship to the Spear: the Capt. Almer Dinsmore.
When she enters service in Penobscot Bay in 2025, the Capt. Almer Dinsmore will be both MaineDOT’s first hybrid diesel/electric ferry and the first hybrid/diesel-electric ferry to be designed and constructed in New England.
Read more about the Capt. Richard G. Spear and Capt. Almer Dinsmore in these publications:
Professional Mariner, News Center Maine, Providence Now, WorkBoat
The M/V Capt. Steve is a 96’ inland river towboat designed for Shaver Transportation for use on the Columbia River. With over 4,000 hp (installed), she produces more than 100,000 lbs of bollard pull. With each trip, M/V Capt. Steve moves thousands of tons of agricultural products from Idaho, Washington, and Oregon to ports on the Pacific.
The John H. started life as the hull of an unfinished offshore supply vessel. Sensing an opportunity, Cross Sound Ferry asked Gilbert Associates to engineer a way to convert the unfinished vessel into a passenger/vehicle ferry. Gilbert obliged, and thirty-six years later the M/V John H. still runs daily service between New London, CT, and Orient Point, NY. Gilbert Associates has also supported the John H. with refits and renovations over the course of her successful career.
The 104’ passenger and vehicle ferry Charles Norman Shay was commissioned by the Maine State Ferry Service in Rockland, ME on September 12, 2024. The vessel services a route between Rockland, ME and Matinicus Island, and has a capacity of 149 passengers and 7 cars. The vessel is powered by two CAT C-18 diesel engines and operates at a service speed of 13 knots.
The ferry was named after Charles Norman Shay, a member of the Penobscot Nation who served as a combat medic in WWII. Shay saved many lives on Omaha Beach as a medic during the D-Day invasion.
Read more about the Charles Norman Shay in these publications:
Our naval architecture services are designed to meet the needs of vessel owners and operators. Whether you need plans for a new vessel or an expert perspective in tackling any number of marine engineering or modification challenges, we have you covered.
Every design we produce is fully custom, informed by our years of experience, and tailored to the specific operating needs and circumstances of the vessel.
If you’re looking to modify an existing vessel, need compliance assistance, or have any other issue that may benefit from a professional consultation, we are here to help.
From innovative design to expert consultation and meticulous documentation, we have solutions for every vessel. If you’re looking for a proven naval architecture and marine engineering firm that will listen to your needs and respond with reliable, time-tested, and cost-effective results, reach out to Gilbert Associates today.
