Gulf County Shipbuilding's first project was a substantial undertaking. The 80 foot by 40 foot SWATH (Small Waterplane Area Twin Hull) / Catamaran hybird also know as a Swacat. The Nekton Rorqual was designed from the ground up specifically as a SCUBA diving Liveaboard for Nekton Diving Cruises by SWACAT Technologies. The Nekton Rorqual was completely build at Gulf County Shipbuilding and was delivered into service for Nekton in mid-September of 2001.

During peak construction, Gulf County employed nearly 50 skilled tradesmen and laborers from the local Gulf County area on the Nekton Rorqual project.