The Tennessee Aquarium in Chattanooga comissioned Teknicraft to design a vessel for a unique application. Their desire was to run excursions to the "Tennessee Grand Canyon", a 43 kilometre river gorge in a 610 metre deep canyon, home to more than 1500 species of plants, birds, mammals and butterflies, and only accessible via the Tennessee River.
The resulting 'River Gorge Explorer' catamaran design has a very high cruise speed of over 40 knots to reduce travelling time and give visitors maximum opportunity to admire the scenery and wildlife while at the gorge. Large side and overhead windows ensure an unrestricted view and the large upper deck provides for open air sightseeing. The 90 minute tour is guided by an expert naturalist.