The top 10 list of beautiful ferries

[Scott]

Inspired by a few posts on page 1 in the "Why the Sky Is Blue" thread... and it's probably been done before, but we can do it again. What are the 10 most beautiful ferries and 10 ugliest ferries in the BC Ferries fleet?

This was NewFlyer's opinion almost 2 years ago. So we'll see if he's changed his taste in queens as he's aged:)

mainlander101 said:

Good addition by the way.

Random topic: the ugly ferries in the fleet
Ugliest:
1. Queen of Chilliwack
2. Mill Bay
3. Kwuna
4. North Island Princess
5. Tachek
6. Quadra Queen II
7. Bowen Queen
8. Mayne Queen
9. Howe Sound Queen
10. Powell River Queen
11. Queen of Tsawwassen

Somewhere in between
1.Kahloke
2. Klitsa
3. Nimpkish
4. Queen of Alberni
5. Queen of Burnaby
6. Queen of Esquimalt
7. Queen of Nanaimo
8. Queen of New Westminster
9. Queen of Prince Rupert
10. Queen of Saanich
11. Queen of Vancouver
12. Quinitsa
13. Quinsam

Good Looking vessels
1. Queen of Capilano
2. Queen of Coquitlam
3. Queen of Cowichan
4. Queen of Cumberland
5. Queen of the North
6. Queen of Surrey
7. Queen of Oak Bay
8. Skeena Queen
9. Spirit of British Columbia
10. Spirit of Vancouver Island

This should make for some good arguments:) For simplicity's sake, let's just do the 10 prettiest and the 10 ugliest, and if you want to combine two that are almost exactly alike, that's fine.

For a quick reminder of what they look like, here's the BC Ferries fleet page:

www.bcferries.com/about/fleet/

[Nick]

OK, I'll bite. Here's my list.

Ugliest:
1. Queen of Chilliwack
2. K class with the exception of Kuper
3. Powell River Class

Best Looking:
1. Sidney/Tsawwassen
2. Unlifted Vs
3. Tachek/QQII/Nimpkish/Tenaka etc. (yes I know they aren't the same, but they are similar)
4. Spirits
5. Skeena Queen
6. Cowichan/Coquitlam

[Quatchi]

HI

I would say from ugliest to nicest

1) Lifted V
2) Oak Bay / Surrey
3) Open deck vessels Including Alberni pre-lifting
4) The smaller car ferries (Tenaka etc.)
5) Coq/Cow/post lifting Alberni
6) Super C's
7) QPR
8) Unlifted V's
9) Spirits
10) Sydney/Tsawwassen
11) QOtN

I didn't account for the Chilliwack as she is in a different category, "heaps of junk" including the Chilliwack, NorAd and soon the NorEx.

Cheers,

[Mike C]

Here's my list of lovely ladies....

Categorized on a scale from 1 to 10, 1 being "blinding" and 10 being "model."

BOWEN QUEEN... 4
COASTAL RENAISSANCE... 8
HOWE SOUND QUEEN... 2
ISLAND SKY... 9
KAHLOKE... 3
KLITSA... 3
KUPER... 5
KWUNA... 3
MAYNE QUEEN... 4
MILL BAY... 2
NIMPKISH... 6
NORTH ISLAND PRINCESS... 4
NORTHERN ADVENTURE... 5
POWELL RIVER QUEEN... 3
QUADRA QUEEN II... 5
QUEEN OF ALBERNI... 7
QUEEN OF BURNABY... 6
QUEEN OF CAPILANO... 9
QUEEN OF CHILLIWACK... -1
QUEEN OF COQUITLAM... 8
QUEEN OF COWICHAN... 8
QUEEN OF CUMBERLAND... 9
QUEEN OF ESQUIMALT... 5
QUEEN OF NANAIMO... 6
QUEEN OF NEW WESTMINSTER... 5
QUEEN OF OAK BAY... 7
QUEEN OF PRINCE RUPERT.... 5
QUEEN OF RICHMOND... [not known... yet]
QUEEN OF SLURREY... 7
QUEEN OF SAANICH... 5
QUEEN OF THE NORTH... 10
QUEEN OF TSAWWASSEN... 8
QUEEN OF VANCOUVER... 5
QUINITSA... 4
QUINSAM... 4
SKEENA QUEEN... 8
SPIRIT OF BRITISH COLUMBIA... 9
SPIRIT OF VANCOUVER ISLAND... 9
TACHEK... 5
TENAKA... 7

[Nucksrule]

I won't do an ugly list since I don't have dislike for any vessel, but my list for prettiest is:

1.Queen of Nanaimo
2.Spirits
3.Queen of New Westminster
4.Queen of Alberni
5.Tenaka
6.Queen of Surrey/Oak Bay
7.Queen of Burnaby
8.Queen of Saanich/Esquimalt
9.Queen of Tsawassen
10.Queen of Capilano

[Scott]

Prettiest:

1. Queen of Nanaimo
2. Queen of Prince Rupert
3. Queen of Alberni
4. Queen of Burnaby
5. Queen of Coquitlam
6. Queen of Cowichan
7. Queen of Tsawwassen
8. Tenaka
9. Spirit of Vancouver Island/Spirit of British Columbia
10. Queen of New Westminster


Ugliest (not to be misinterpreted that I dislike these ships)

1. Queen of Chilliwack
2. Northern Adventure
3. Mill Bay
4. Kwuna
5. Howe Sound Queen
6. Kuper
7. North Island Princess
8. Quinsam/Quinitsa
9. Powell River Queen
10. Coastal Renaissance

Honourable mentions to the
past: Queen of the North which was the prettiest
future: Island Sky is among the ugliest

[ferrytraveller]

prettiest:
1. Alberni
2. Queen of Chilliwack
3. Queen of New West
4. Queen of Coquitlam
5. Queen of Cowichan
6. Coastal Renaissance
7. Queen of Tsawwassen
8. Kuper
9. Cappie
10. Cumberland

[kylefossett]

nothing beats the spirits. coming across the strait onboard the nanaimo with the sobc off the port side with the sun setting

[Taxman]

1) Queen of Alberni
2) Nimpkish
3) Queen of Tsawwassen
4) Queen of Nanaimo
5) Queen of Burnaby
6) Queen of Vancouver
7) Queen of Saanich
8) Queen of Prince Rupert
9) Bowen Queen
10) Mayne Queen

Expanded (Classes Merged) List
8) the Original "C"s
9) the NIP
10) the "I"s

And now... the 'Ugly' Ones
10) Queen of Chiliwack
9) Klitsa
8) Mill Bay
7) Kuper
6) Kahloke
5) Tenaka
4) Kwuna
3) Norad
2) Quadra Queen II
1) Queen of Richmond (I just can't look at it)

[Nick]

I'm noticing a trend with respect to the Cap/Cumbie and Island sky. People either love them or hate them, there isn't much in between.

Also, people who love the cap/cumbie seem to be more inclined to like the Island Sky (I wonder why...).

[Ferryman]

Alright, I may as well post my list of ugliest vs. prettiest, not that many people would really care. What the heck, here goes.

Favourites:

1. Coastal Inspiration
2. Queen of Oak Bay
3. Queen of Vancouver
4. Queen of Tsawwassen
5. Queen of the North
6. Queen of Prince Rupert
7. Tenaka
8. North Island Princess
9. Queen of Nanaimo
10. Queen of Alberni

Least Favourites:

1. Queen of Chilliwack
2. Northern Adventure
3. Queen of Cowichan
4. Quinsam
5. Island Sky
6. Klitsa
7. Howe Sound Queen
8. Tachek
9. Nimpkish
10. Mill Bay

[kerryssi]

My list is rather short and a bit oddball
1) The original Pender Queen. That wood hull just slid through the water with hardly a ripple. I loved the 6'6" mahagany and brass steering wheel. The steering chain used to come up through the deck and over a big brass wheel. You did not steer by "degrees of helm" but by
"links of chain"
2) The Queen of the Islands. Rather an ugly duckling but when they built it they economized by cutting the stern short, but they left the original engines in it. Tons of power and super responsive. Also somewhat tender.
3) Queens of Sidney/Tsa. They were real ships and could handle any weather. Very easy to handle and in the old days were often the only ships still moving in real bad weather.

[Mike C]

admin said:

Inspired by a few posts on page 1 in the "Why the Sky Is Blue" thread... and it's probably been done before, but we can do it again. What are the 10 most beautiful ferries and 10 ugliest ferries in the BC Ferries fleet?

This was NewFlyer's opinion almost 2 years ago. So we'll see if he's changed his taste in queens as he's aged:)

Whoa, why has it suddenly occured to me that you were making a reference to my post? geez, I need to get with the times. A big "duh" on my part.

Well, I can't say my opinions have changed much, even though I've tried shifting them a couple of times. Over the years I rode more and more ferries, gaining experience... and I dear say that some of these ferries' have, um, "acquired tastes"... not mentioning any ship specifically <coughcoughQUEENOFCHILLIWACKcough>. But hey, if you like the Tachek or the Mill Bay, I'm down... no offence, of course.

[Queen of Nanaimo Teen]

This was a pretty hard decision, but these would have to make the top 10:

1. Queen of Nanaimo/Burnaby
2. Queen of Cumberland/Capilano
3. Queen of Prince Rupert
4. Queen of the North
5. Queens of Victoria, Vancouver, Saanich, and Esquimalt before lifting, post stretching.
6. Queen of Oak Bay/Surrey (Before car deck windows were removed)
7. Queen of Coquitlam/Cowichan (Before car deck windows were removed)
8. Queen of Sidney/Queen of Tsawwassen
9. Tenaka
10. Nimpkish, Nicola, Albert J. Savoie.

Ugliest:

1. Queen of Chilliwack
2. Spirit of BC and VI
3. Mill Bay
4. Quinsam/Quinitsa
5. Kuper
6. Tachek/ Quadra Queen II
7. Powell River Queen, Mayne Queen, Bowen Queen
8. Howe Sound Queen
9. North Island Princess
10. Klitsa, Kahloke, and Kwuna (I hate to put them here, but they aren't the most gracefull ships!)

Though most of the "Ugly" ships I like (Excluding the Spirits and Kuper) they are functional and are not meant to look really good.

[Koastal Karl]

Prettiest

Spirit of Vancouver Island
Spirit of British Columbia
Coastal Renaissance
Coastal Inpiration
Coastal Celebration
Queen of the North
Queen of Prince Rupert
Queen of Tsawwassen
Queen of Saanich, Vancouver, Esquimalt
Queen of Nanaimo Burnaby, New West
Queen of Cumberland, Capilano
Tachek
Quadra Queen 2
Tenaka

In between

Queen of Cowichan, Coquitlam, Oak Bay and Surrey
Queen of Chilliwack
Skeena Queen
Bowen and Mayne
Powell River Queen
North Island Princess
Kuper
Quinsam
Quinsta
Island Sky
Northern Adventure


Ugliest

Mill Bay
Kahloke
Klitsta
Kwuna
Howe Sound Queen

[Nickfro]

I like seeing the differing views by members on their picks. Could make for some good debating but that can happen somewhere else. Here are my selections:

Yay:
1. Nimpkish
2. Queen of Prince Rupert
3. Bowen Queen
4. Mayne Queen
5. Coastal Renaissance
6. Queen of Coquitlam
7. North Island Princess
8. Skeena Queen
9. Tenaka
10. Queen of Oak Bay

Nay:
1. Queen of Chilliwack
2. Howe Sound Queen
3. Klitsa
4. Mill Bay
5. Kahloke
6. Queen of Alberni
7. Queen of Esquimalt
8. Northern Adventure
9. Kwuna
10. Powell River Queen

[WettCoast]

Okay, here is my very brief list:

nicest - Queen of the North (no contest, but unfortunately no longer part of the fleet)

ugliest - the NorAd, the ship that they say is the North's replacement.

I will take time later to flesh out my list to at least 5 vessels in each category. Example: the Northern Exphibitionist may soon inherit the mantle of best looking ship in the fleet.

[BreannaF]

Maybe not 10, but:

Good looking:

• Sidney/QotN. The first BC Ferry I ever rode is/was my fave.
  
• The Spirits. For a big ferry, they're not too bad.
  
• Naniamo/Burnaby/Tsawwassen. I like the looks of these. So sue me.
  
• Cap/Cumbie. My first sight of the Cumberland was in the Gulf Islands from the side view, and my first thought is that it was either a floating billboard or a tall-sided barge. But if you see it from any angle, it looks just great.
  
• Quadra Queen II
  
• And of the barges, I think the Kwuna has a bit of class.
  

Middle of the list:
- OK. I just don't get what people think is so bad about the Chilliwack.

Not my cup of tea:

• Oak Bay/Surrey look pretty generic to me. But I think the same thing about WSF's Jumbo Mark II's
  
• Anything that has been raised looks a little "forced" to me, from the artistic standpoint.
  
• NorAd. Just doesn't seem to "go" with the rest of the fleet.
  

Just my .02 cents, plus GST.

[Curtis]

My List Is Like This.

32 of the Most Beautiful and Ugliest BC Ferries Vessels or Vessel Classes In Service from 1990-2010

Top 16
1. Queen of the North (No Stena Line or BC Ferries Vessel Past or Present Compares to Her Elegant Beauty)
2. Cumberland Class (Very Sleek Design)
3. Queen of Oak Bay/Surrey (Best Large Double Enders)
4. Sidney Class (The Original Good Looking ROROs)
5. "V"/"B" Class (The Seven Sisters Look Good No Matter What)
6. Tachek (Good Looking Small Vessel)
7. Nimpkish (See Tachek)
8. Coastal Class (Like a "V" Class and "C" Class Combined)
9. Queen of Cowichan/Coquitlam (The "Pickle Forks" Pushed them back a Bit)
10. Spirit of British Columbia/Vancouver Island (What Sets them Back is that they're a bit too bulky)
11. Bowen/Mayne Queen Can't Complain Much About Their Look)
12. Powell River Queen (A Little Bit Behind, Mainly Due to the Extra Over-Hight Space)
13. Island Sky (Bonus Points For Combination of The PRQ, Cumberland, and Skeena Combined into One)
14. Northern Expedition (Can't Really Say Much Over a Concept Design, But She's No Queen of the North)
15. North Island Princess (Good and Bad)
16. Queen of Alberni (In Both Pre and Post Lifting She Never Looked Stunning)

The Bottom 16

17. Tenaka (Despite Being the First on the Bottom 16, She had a Good Look)
18. Queen of the Islands (Same Reasons as the Tenaka)
19. Quadra Queen II (The Slight Differences from the Tachek Set Her Back Quite a Bit)
20. Kahloke/Klitsa (The Barge-Like Vessels Don't Really Score Well with Me)
21. Quinitsa (See Kahloke/Klitsa)
22. Skeena Queen (See Kahloke/Klitsa)
23. Pacificat Explorer/Discovery/Voyager (No Comment)
24. Kwuna (Ramps+See Kahloke/Klitsa)
25. Queen of Prince Rupert (Not the Best Design)
26. Kuper (Could have Been Better, Mainly that Wheelhouse)
27. Quinsam (See Kahloke/Klitsa)
28. Mill Bay (Half a Superstructure)
29. Vesuvius/Saltspring Queen (Passenger Deck Exterior)
30. Northern Adventure (Design and the Pair-Of-Dice Effect)
31. Queen of Chilliwack (Good and Awful at the Same Time)
32. Howe Sound Queen (Box In More than One Way. Didn't it Originally Look Like The Mill Bay With Half a Superstructure?)

[edit]Either Way It Goes, Each BC Ferry Is "Awesome" in it's Own Way...Besides, the Ugly Ferries Are Much More Intresting.[/edit]

[Mill Bay]

Hey, who's calling the Mill Bay ugly!

(I resent that, )

Now, for anyone who wants the official list.

Aesthetically Pleasing:
1. Langdale Queen
2. Queen of the North
3 Sidney & Tsawwassen
4. Original, un-stretched/un-lifted B/V Class
5. Susy Q
6. Tenaka
7. Pender Queen
8. Garibaldi II and family
9. Saltspring and Vesuvius Queen
10. Mill Bay

Neutral:
1. Coastal Class
2. Spirits
3. V/B Class Stretched

4. Queen of Cowichan/Coquitlam (and similar WSF designs)
5. Queen of Prince Rupert (in dogwood colors)
6. Sechelt Queen
7. North Island Princess
8. Queen of Alberni
9. Bowen/Mayne Queen
10. Howe Sound Queen
11. Queen of Cumberland / Capilano

Not pleasing to the eye

1. Northern Adventure
2. Queen of Surrey / Oak Bay
3. Quinsam / QUINITSA
4. Kuper
5. Skeena Queen
6. Tachek / QQ2
7. Island Sky
8. Kahloke / Klitsa
9. Powell River Queen

[Northern Exploration]

My top ferries are easy.

Queen of the North has always been my favourite and will always be a favourite both because of its beautiful lines and the association with my all time favourite ferry trip. I would have said the same before the sinking. I suspect when the NorEx arrives it won't unseat the QoftN in my mind but will come pretty close - for me the unknown is the outside deck spaces. The 8th deck on the QoftN was my favourite part of the ferry in all weather.

I know that the Spirits are big and bulky but I love them.

I will await confirmation until I see them in person and ride on them but the Coastals are great too.

I loved the Tswassen and Sidney - like the Coho - chunky little workhorses you had to admire.

The prelifted remaining sisters and the Nanny and Burnaby now had long and sleep lines. I didn't so much like the lines once they were lifted.

I like the Surrey/Oakbay the best out of the C's.

I am more ambivalent towards the smaller ferries although I have always liked the Cappy/Cumberland even if they are a bit top heavy. My least favourite is the NorAd, or The Big Fat Greek Ferry. But again I haven't sailed on her yet so the interior could help improve her standing for me.

There aren't any I truly hate but the Chili is also one of my least favourite.

[D'Elete BC in NJ]

pnwtraveler said:

There aren't any I truly hate but the Chili is also one of my least favourite.

Bbuttt, wwhhatt'ss wwronggg wwithh theeee 'wwacckkk? Aatttt llleasstt sssheee uusssuualllyy kkeeeppssss hherrrr schhhedullle unnllikkke tthhhe Tttsawwassennnn! ;D

[Northern Exploration]

If they ever prove vibrations do help reduce weight they can market her for that. Jenny Craig, Weight Watchers, and Zone meals in the cafeteria. And Tai Beau? on the upper deck. Was going to say Richard Simmons but thought someone may be eating when they read this.

[lmtengs]

I think I'll reopen this thread with my opinions, as of about three seconds ago.

1/2/3: ewww.... 4/5/6: okay... 7/8: nice 9/10: Awesome ;D

Coastal Class: 8 They look nice, but a bit too square.
Bowen/Mayne Queen: 8 Great examples of marine architecture
Howe Sound Queen: 4.5 What's with her odd windows?
Island Sky: 6-7 Not the most amazing in the fleet, but she's an original
Kahloke/Klitsa/Klatawa/Kulleet: 7 I grew up with these girls
Kuper: 6 I think she's too small for her design
Kwuna: 6 The bow ramps take away from her appearance a little bit
Mill Bay: 6 Her superstructure has always confused me a bit...
Nimpkish/Nicola: 7.5 cute little things, but a bit flat looking.
North Island Princess: 5-6 Too square. I don't like sailing in Refrigerator boxes.
Northern Adventure: 5 Go home.
Northern Expedition: 8.5-9 Great ship! I like her design, a lot.
Powell River Queen: 7.5 A nice change from her sisters
Quadra Queen/Tachek: 5-6 I don't like how her ceilings look.
Qo Alberni: 7.5 An original ship; I like her lines
Qo Burnaby/Nanaimo: 8.5 some of the prettiest ships in the fleet. I think their funnels are a bit huge though...
QoCapilano/Cumberland: 6 Way too square, and I dislike their bridges muchly.
Qo Chilliwack: 3-4 I think she's a cool ship, but her looks scare me.
Qo Cowichan/Coquitlam: 7-8 Much better looking then her slightly larger sisters.
Qo New Westminster: 6-7 The second car deck killed her classic V/B class looks.
Qo Oak Bay/Surrey: 5-6 I dislike how the fronts are so flat. Once again, a floating fridge-box
Quinsam/Quinitsa: 5 They're to flat looking.
Skeena Queen: 6 A bit taller than the Q-class, and that adds to her.
Spirit Class: 6-7 Too big looking. They're a bit wide, and too square.
Stormaway III: 6 Kinda small, doncha think?

Retired/missing in action:
Queen of the North: 9 Possibly the prettiest ship ever to fly the dogwood.
Qo Tsawwassen/Sidney: 9 BCF's best-looking rte. 1 ships in history.
Sunshine Coast Queen: 8.5 Another beauty
Queen of Prince Rupert: 7.5 She's more utilitarian than she is photo-friendly.
Qo the Islands: 8.5 A cute thing, shame she was so useless. I dislike her new black colour-scheme greatly.
The V's: See QoNW
The unlifted V's: see B-class
Langdale Queen: 8 She was a pretty ship.
Sechelt Queen: 8 Very close the Langdale Queen in looks.

Washington State ships:
Chelan: 7 Similar to the Queen of Cowichan.
Rhododendron: 7 kind of flat-looking.

AMHS:
I'll give a general rating of 7 for the AMHS ships.

Quebec-Levis ferries: 7 I like their lines. They slightly resemble the Queen of the Islands.

Queen of Richmond: 10 Obviously the best ship in the dogwood fleet



Well, there y'all go. That's my ship rating. Hope y'all'r surprised

[Kahloke]

May 19, 2010 19:11:56 GMT -8 @lmtengs said:

Washington State ships:
Chelan: 7 Similar to the Queen of Cowichan.
Rhododendron: 7 kind of flat-looking.

If you really want to pick a WSF ship that remembles Queen of Cowichan, go with the original Jumbos, Spokane and Walla Walla, the design from which the C-Class originated. IMO, Walla Walla and Spokane are still the best looking ferries in the WSF fleet.

You think Rhody's kind of flat looking? I wholeheartedly disagree with you on this one. Rhododendron is a great looking little ship with loads of character and even some interesting design features. Sure, she's old, but I would call Rhododendron "charming".