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Ghostworks in Holland Launches Carbon Fiber Vessel for Commercial, Military Use

Posted By: DBUSINESS on September 25, 2024.  For more information, please click here to read the source article.

Ghostworks in Holland, southwest of Grand Rapids, has launched its first M-Ship Co. legacy platform — the M40 — designed for commercial and military applications.

The first M40 went from design to completed sea trials in six months, according to Ghostworks. The vessel currently is embarking on an East Coast tour to demonstrate its capabilities with stops in Annapolis, Md., Virginia Beach, Va., Charleston, S.C., and in Florida at Port Canaveral, Fort Lauderdale, and the keys.

The M40 utilizes M-Hull technology invented by former U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Charles “Chuck” Robinson and previously owned by his company, M-Ship Co. The M-Hull platform was implemented in the M80 Stiletto, a prototype vessel launched almost two decades ago that is still in use by the U.S. Navy.

Ghostworks connected with Robinson’s daughter, Heather Robinson, in 2022. With a shared goal of revitalizing and making use of her father’s innovations, Ghostworks acquired an exclusive global license for the entirety of the M-Ship Co. intellectual property portfolio, including the M80 Stiletto. The M40 is the first of a new generation of Ghostworks M-Hull vessels.

“I am thrilled to have what I hope will be the new normal in naval design and DOD shipbuilding in my backyard,” says Rep. Bill Huizenga of Michigan, in whose U.S. Congressional district Ghostworks is headquartered. “Having a chance to drive the boat it’s easy to see how our military will benefit greatly from this incredible design.

“I am confident that Ghostworks’ unique expertise in advanced materials and engineering from years in the yacht racing industry will provide incredible value to the DOD and U.S. taxpayers.”

Ghostworks boasts a “world-class” team of boatbuilders, naval architects, designers, ocean engineers, and subject matter experts. Rather than focusing on one type of vessel, the team, led by CEO Patricia “Brooke” Kerschbaumer, is said to employ creative problem solving, “disruptive innovation, and ingenuity” to design “elegant boats with exceptional utility.”

Use of advanced composite materials and technical expertise allow Ghostworks to produce what it calls “the best-performing vessels available today with unparalleled performance and speed of delivery.”

“Being a veteran in the marine industry both personally and professionally, I had never experienced the performance found on the M40 in my 25 years on the sea.,” says Matt Osler, a vice president at Maine-headquartered Ultra Maritime, who attended a demonstration of the M40 on Lake Michigan.

“The stability and maneuverability was incomparable to other vessels I had driven before, and the engine was powered enough to reach top speeds rapidly and could turn at speed with minimal to no vessel heel.”

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