The winged passenger ferry gliding over the surface of Narragansett Bay off the coast of North Kingston, Rhode Island, could be a new method of coastal transportation or a new kind of warship.

Its maker, Regent Craft, is betting on both.

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Twelve quietly buzzing propellers line the 65-foot wingspan of Paladin, a sleek ship with an airplane's nose. It looks nothing like the sailboats and fishing trawlers it speeds past through New England's largest estuary.

“We had this vision five years ago for a seaglider — something that is as fast as an aircraft and as easy to drive as a boat,” said CEO Billy Thalheimer, jubilant after an hours-long test run of the new vessel.

On a cloudy August morning, Thalheimer sat in the

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