Plans for a new ferry hit a snag Thursday morning. A $9 million snag.

Washington State Ferries officials opened a single bid for the first new vessel planned for the Port Townsend-to-Keystone route. Todd Pacific Shipyards of Seattle submitted a $25.99-million offer for the project, which is $9 million more than the ferry system’s $16.8 million estimate. The ferry is supposed to be modeled after the design of the Steilacoom II, which the ferry system leased from Pierce County to serve the route.

David Moseley, assistant secretary for the ferry system, said staff is going to examine the bid in the next week. He didn’t know yet why the bid came in higher than predicted. He did say that having one company bid on the project didn’t help the situation.

Moseley was also surprised that Freeland-based Nichols Brothers Boat Builders didn’t bid on the project. The boat builder constructed the Steilacoom II for Pierce County. Company officials even advocated building a Steilacoom II-type vessel as a quick way to get a vehicle ferry back on the Keystone route.

Moseley added that the speed the boat could be built was a reason for moving forward the Steilacoom II design.

A phone call to Nichols Brothers wasn’t returned.

Plans show that the Steilacoom II-based vessel could be ready for service by Mother’s Day of 2009. It holds 50 cars and 300 passengers, which is significantly smaller than the two Island Home-styled ferries the state is also building for the routes. Those larger boats will hold 60 cars and 1,200 passengers.

The Ferries Division has a timeline to find a permanent replacement for the Keystone/Port Townsend route. It has leased the Steilacoom II for 18 months and there isn’t a replacement vehicle ferry available for the route.

Residents opposed to construction of the smaller vessel attended a ferry partnership meeting Thursday afternoon.

“It’s killing me to hear this,” said Ian Jeffards of Penn Cove Shellfish upon hearing the news of the bid. “This boat is inadequate for the run.”

Jeffards said he would rather see the ferry system either fix the 80-year-old Steel Electric boats, which operated on the route for years, or lease a larger ferry from somewhere else, such as British Columbia.

Coupeville resident Ann Wilson is afraid of riding on the Steilacoom II.

“I am scared to death of this new ferry. I think they are a disaster waiting to happen,” Wilson said during the meeting.

Port Townsend Mayor Michelle Sandoval said trucks from the paper mill can’t use the Steilacoom II because they’re too heavy for the boat.

“I haven’t heard one person say this is the right boat,” Sandoval said of the Steilacoom II.

Ron Wohlfrom, vessel project engineer for the ferry system, said it would cost millions of dollars to repair the Steel Electrics and it would take approximately six months to complete. He said officials decided to spend the money elsewhere.

With the bid for the Steilacoom II-based vessel coming in so high, Mosely said that other options may have to be examined.

As for leasing a vessel from British Columbia, he said it would take an act of Congress. The ferry system has to comply with the Jones Act, which says that only U.S. flagged and built vessels can operate between U.S. ports.

Wohlfrom said that the Island Home is a similar size to the Steel Electrics, only a bit narrower. With a bigger boat, the route could experience fewer weather-related cancellations.

The ferry system sent staff familiar with the Keystone run to Massachusetts to examine the Island Home. The Legislature provided direction to the ferry division to build one Steilacoom II-based vessel and two Island Home-based vessels.