catamaran racing news and design

Sail GP: how do supercharged racing yachts go so fast? An engineer explains

Head of Engineering, Warsash School of Maritime Science and Engineering, Solent University

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Jonathan Ridley does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

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Sailing used to be considered as a rather sedate pastime. But in the past few years, the world of yacht racing has been revolutionised by the arrival of hydrofoil-supported catamarans, known as “foilers”. These vessels, more akin to high-performance aircraft than yachts, combine the laws of aerodynamics and hydrodynamics to create vessels capable of speeds of up to 50 knots, which is far faster than the wind propelling them.

An F50 catamaran preparing for the Sail GP series recently even broke this barrier, reaching an incredible speed of 50.22 knots (57.8mph) purely powered by the wind. This was achieved in a wind of just 19.3 knots (22.2mph). F50s are 15-metre-long, 8.8-metre-wide hydrofoil catamarans propelled by rigid sails and capable of such astounding speeds that Sail GP has been called the “ Formula One of sailing ”. How are these yachts able to go so fast? The answer lies in some simple fluid dynamics.

As a vessel’s hull moves through the water, there are two primary physical mechanisms that create drag and slow the vessel down. To build a faster boat you have to find ways to overcome the drag force.

The first mechanism is friction. As the water flows past the hull, a microscopic layer of water is effectively attached to the hull and is pulled along with the yacht. A second layer of water then attaches to the first layer, and the sliding or shearing between them creates friction.

On the outside of this is a third layer, which slides over the inner layers creating more friction, and so on. Together, these layers are known as the boundary layer – and it’s the shearing of the boundary layer’s molecules against each other that creates frictional drag.

A yacht also makes waves as it pushes the water around and under the hull from the bow (front) to the stern (back) of the boat. The waves form two distinctive patterns around the yacht (one at each end), known as Kelvin Wave patterns.

These waves, which move at the same speed as the yacht, are very energetic. This creates drag on the boat known as the wave-making drag, which is responsible for around 90% of the total drag. As the yacht accelerates to faster speeds (close to the “hull speed”, explained later), these waves get higher and longer.

These two effects combine to produce a phenomenon known as “ hull speed ”, which is the fastest the boat can travel – and in conventional single-hull yachts it is very slow. A single-hull yacht of the same size as the F50 has a hull speed of around 12 mph.

However, it’s possible to reduce both the frictional and wave-making drag and overcome this hull-speed limit by building a yacht with hydrofoils . Hydrofoils are small, underwater wings. These act in the same way as an aircraft wing, creating a lift force which acts against gravity, lifting our yacht upwards so that the hull is clear of the water.

While an aircraft’s wings are very large, the high density of water compared to air means that we only need very small hydrofoils to produce a lot of the important lift force. A hydrofoil just the size of three A3 sheets of paper, when moving at just 10 mph, can produce enough lift to pick up a large person.

This significantly reduces the surface area and the volume of the boat that is underwater, which cuts the frictional drag and the wave-making drag, respectively. The combined effect is a reduction in the overall drag to a fraction of its original amount, so that the yacht is capable of sailing much faster than it could without hydrofoils.

The other innovation that helps boost the speed of racing yachts is the use of rigid sails . The power available from traditional sails to drive the boat forward is relatively small, limited by the fact that the sail’s forces have to act in equilibrium with a range of other forces, and that fabric sails do not make an ideal shape for creating power. Rigid sails, which are very similar in design to an aircraft wing, form a much more efficient shape than traditional sails, effectively giving the yacht a larger engine and more power.

As the yacht accelerates from the driving force of these sails, it experiences what is known as “ apparent wind ”. Imagine a completely calm day, with no wind. As you walk, you experience a breeze in your face at the same speed that you are walking. If there was a wind blowing too, you would feel a mixture of the real (or “true” wind) and the breeze you have generated.

The two together form the apparent wind, which can be faster than the true wind. If there is enough true wind combined with this apparent wind, then significant force and power can be generated from the sail to propel the yacht, so it can easily sail faster than the wind speed itself.

The combined effect of reducing the drag and increasing the driving power results in a yacht that is far faster than those of even a few years ago. But all of this would not be possible without one further advance: materials. In order to be able to “fly”, the yacht must have a low mass, and the hydrofoil itself must be very strong. To achieve the required mass, strength and rigidity using traditional boat-building materials such as wood or aluminium would be very difficult.

This is where modern advanced composite materials such as carbon fibre come in. Production techniques optimising weight, rigidity and strength allow the production of structures that are strong and light enough to produce incredible yachts like the F50.

The engineers who design these high-performance boats (known as naval architects ) are always looking to use new materials and science to get an optimum design. In theory, the F50 should be able to go even faster.

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• Aerodynamics

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Performance cruisers: the best new catamarans for racing and fast cruising 2018

• Toby Hodges
• August 20, 2018

This is where the worlds of racing and cruising multis meet, where we see high-tech lightweight craft that use exotic materials and daggerboards to help produce electrifying sailing. Gunboat was arguably the first to identify this market on a luxury level, and has since been joined by HH, McConaghy, Ice Cat, and ITA.

And then there are the performance multis that are more minimalist and lean more towards the offshore racer than cruiser – like Marsaudon, Dragonfly, Banuls, Dazcat, and Rapido… fun factor guaranteed!

Just launched: McConaghy MC50

Fresh from the Australian composite wizards McConaghy, the MC50 is the smallest series catamaran in a new range that runs up to 90ft. Drawn by Jason Ker, renowned for his IRC winners, the MC50 has performance in her DNA, designed as a fast cruising cat, capable of crossing oceans. The MC line has incorporated input of experienced owners and sailors, and includes some impressive features. For example, the doors between the saloon and the cockpit concertina, while the saloon windows slide open electrically for al-fresco living. A skylight down the middle of the coachroof lets light flood in, and can be specced as a large ‘solar glass’ generator to keep batteries topped up. Then there is the standard cross brace between the bows, which has been eliminated by using a carbon fibre longeron down the boat’s centreline, tensioned with Nitronic rod stays. The first hull launched in time for La Grande Motte boatshow in April and the performance predictions are bold. Polars from McConaghy suggest speeds of over 10 knots in a stiff Force 6, at 30° off the true wind. Bear away onto a broad reach and she is expected to manage 21 knots-plus. Upwind performance is boosted by 3.5m-deep hydraulic daggerboards in each hull, which include a fail-safe in the event of underwater collision. 
“We expect her to track upwind extremely well,” says James Kinloch 
of McConaghy. And yet this is no pared-down raceboat. The saloon has deep seating to starboard and an extending table gives dining space for at least eight, and can convert into lounging room if you drop the table and install the fill-in cushion. The galley and island unit to port are more penthouse than deckhouse, with induction hob and moulded-in sinks. Sensibly, there is a navigation station at the forward end of the saloon, with good visibility ahead and access to all the systems. The styling was undertaken by Design Unlimited. “The concept was to create a penthouse apartment on the living deck,” says Ole John, director of McConaghy Multihulls Europe. 
“The 35-40m2 of space must be the biggest for a 50ft yacht.”

First impressions

The MC50 is a clever boat. A Ker/McConaghy project, it might be expected to be all about the performance. That has yet to be proved, but the first MC50 to launch stole the show at its La Grande Motte debut in April thanks to the sheer amount of open-plan living space it offers. The natural light and ventilation offered by using sliding doors and windows needs to be seen to be believed, and the general feeling is that of a condo/apartment on the main deck. The view from the helms on the aft flybridge is excellent, but I wonder how these relatively high positions will feel in a rolling sea. The most impressive aspect for me, however, is the engineering detail, something Ker is known for. It can be seen in the length to which he and the yard has gone with the mast base and bowsprit longeron supports, and the hydraulic centreboards that swing into the hulls. The latter offer a clever solution to the problem of providing the performance benefits of 3.5m-deep boards without swallowing excessive accommodation space. The boards have fail-safe pins that break in a collision without 
risk of leaking hydraulic fluid; and they take just 12 seconds to raise. This is a boat that we are itching to sail.

At a glance…

LOA: 49ft 10in (15.20m) Beam: 26ft 3in (8.00m) Draught: 3ft 3in – 8ft 10in (1.00m – 2.70m) Displacement: 14.5 tonnes Price: from €1.33m Contact: McConaghy 

Just launched: ICE Cat 61

Italy’s ICE Yachts has been on the scene since the turn of the millennium, but it is only now making a foray into multihulls. And it is starting big, with a 61, and a 67 further down the line. Its calling card has always been style at the service of performance, and the cats will be no different. Enrico Contreas has designed a dashing hull with just a hint of reverse bow and a long, curved quarter. It’s stylish, but also practical. “Avoiding highly reversed bows allows for easy recovery of the mooring lines,” says Marco Malgara, ICE Yachts’ CEO. Likewise, the shallow curve of the coachroof is more than just a flick of the designer’s pen: it is intended to reduce windage and help the catamaran go to windward. This is one reason that she can reportedly manage near 30° true wind angles. Another is the manually-operated carbon foils that reduce her displacement by about 15 per cent, and the way the rig is designed. “The angle going to windward is almost like a monohull,” Malgara says.

The yachts are built using ultra-modern techniques. On the standard version, the hull and superstructure employ a mix of glass and carbon fibre vacuum-infused with epoxy to ensure that just 35-40 per cent of the final weight is resin. Everything on the boat is foam-cored. Customers have so far unanimously opted for the RS version of the 61, which uses all carbon fibre. ICE has tried to mitigate the handling of a large, technical boat with electric winches and a self-tacking jib. The sheets of both sails are on travellers, giving maximum sail trimming options and a tighter sheeting angle for better windward performance. The helms are towards the aft end of the cockpit, behind a pod-like console, giving the skipper more the sense of a monohull. Dispensing with a raised helm station keeps the boom and the centre of gravity low, making for a more comfortable ride and better performance, predicted at 25 knots. The interior is more architectural than your average luxury yacht. Expect more of a kitchen than a galley in the large open space of the saloon. The configuration allows for three, four or five cabins, including a compact crew berth in the starboard bow.

At a  glance…

LOA: 61ft (18.60m) Beam: 28ft 3in (8.60m) Draught: 3ft 3in (1.00m) Displacement:  15 tonnes Price: From €1.35m Contact: Ice Yachts

Coming up: HH50

HH Catamarans has been turning heads since 2012 with a line of sporty, high-tech boats that feature a luxury fit-out. What started off on the drawing board as a fast 48ft cruising cat has grown to 50ft in the building. “One of the biggest reasons was 
the addition of a second helm station aft,” explained marketing manager 
Will Hobbs. “That and, during the design review, we found we were able to increase sail efficiency by 6 per cent if we lengthened the hull.” The lay-up is all carbon, with twin bulkhead helm stations and long-skirted hulls. With a self-tacking jib and push-button controls at the helm station, she should be a breeze to sail short-handed. Her accommodation all looks very elegant – dark teak contrasting with lighter fabrics. The saloon windows are huge, letting light gush in, with a semi-horseshoe galley to starboard, a navstation forward and dining table to port. There are configurations allowing for three or four cabins. Morelli & Melvin’s design generally looks modern and aggressive (even if we question the aesthetics of the hard biminis above the helms).

LOA: 49ft 10in (15.20m) Beam: 24ft 4in (7.44m) Draught: 4ft 11in-10ft 6in (1.50m-3.20m) Displacement: 15 tonnes Price: Tbc Contact: HH Catamarans

Just launched: Marsaudon TS5

Even if you haven’t heard of Marsaudon, you’re likely to be familiar with its work. The Brittany-based boatbuilder is responsible for some of the world’s biggest and fastest multihulls, including the trimaran IDEC 2, in which Francis Joyon demolished the round-the-world record in 2008. Operating out of an old U-boat pen in Lorient, France, this composite expert has only been crafting its own brand of cruising catamarans for a few years, but it has already become its mainstay. It began with the TS42, which has reached 10 units, then the well-regarded TS50. The new TS5 is a remodelled version of this, with all-new tooling and a length overall of 55ft. Even before the first one hit the water, half a dozen boats had been pre-sold, such is the reputation of this builder.

LOA: 49ft 10in (15.20m) Beam: 28ft 3in (8.60m) Draught: 3ft 11in-9ft 10in (1.20m-3.00m) Displacement: 8.6 tonnes Price: from €620,000 Contact: Marsdon Composites

Coming up: ITA 14.99

ITA Catamarans is a new brand, but the team behind this 14.99 are no strangers to the trade and have experience from many of the major Italian shipyards. The naval architecture is by Francois Perus, whose Yacht Design Collective has worked with brands such as Catana and North Wind on their multihulls. The result is a sleek-looking craft with stylish dreadnought bows and refreshingly low-profile coachroof. This sets the tone for the boat, due to launch this summer, which is all about stellar performance within the envelope of a fast cruiser. Take the twin helm stations, for instance – they are perched on the aft coaming. This frees up the cockpit for socialising, without compromising the boat’s stability by putting the weight 
of the helm on the coachroof. The result looks as if it could feel exposed in bad weather, although there is a wraparound seat, and the Jefa pedestal can swing inboard if necessary. The outer position gives you optimal views ahead and to windward. The dreadnought bows are designed to give extra waterline length for speed, while the long, fine underwater profile of the hulls is optimised for comfort through the waves. The flatter sections aft mean that she should plane at speed, and the winch-trimmed daggerboards improve performance to windward. High-tech foam sandwich lay-up and the use of carbon fibre in key areas keeps the hulls light and stiff.

There should be plenty of power from her fathead main and self-tacking jib. “Since most cruisers consists of one couple for sailing, the deck and running rigging had to be of a design so that one person can easily manage all sailing manoeuvres from the safety of the cockpit,” says Sonia Segato, head of marketing at ITA Catamarans. The mainsheet runs back to blocks on the aft crossbeam, where Harken 50 winches are within easy reach of the helm. It is a set-up that has worked well for monohull sailors, and this boat’s low profile coachroof makes it possible here too. The designer’s ambition is clearly bluewater, because the boat’s equipment and latest technology includes a Schenker watermaker and Oceanvolt electric propulsion, backed up with twin regenerating props that allow you to recharge the lithium-ion batteries as you sail. There’s scope for owners to choose their own interior design. “Nothing is set in stone”, says ITA. The heart of the boat is its comfy saloon, which has wraparound toughened glass windows, and the starboard hull is turned over to the owner’s suite. There are several configurations to choose from, including one with an office and another with bunks. Weight management is taken very seriously. The complete hulls weigh 2,250kg, and the whole boat is infused in one shot to come in under five tonnes. The first 14.99 will be shown 
at Cannes, before the owner takes it 
on a circumnavigation.

LOA: 49ft 2in (14.99m) Beam: 25ft 7in (7.80m) Draught: 1ft 10in-7ft 8in (0.57m-2.35m) Displacement: 14.5 tonnes Price: €890,000 Contact: Itacatamarans

Coming up: Gunboat 68

Gunboat is back to what it does best with a show-stopping design for a 68ft oceanic catamaran. An all-carbon build again, the new 68 has heavily reversed wave-piercing bows and super low-profile coachroof, giving it an elegant but muscular look. There’s something of Gotham City about this yacht. Gunboat, which is now under French ownership, has brought in VPLP design for the naval architecture. They are veterans of some of the world’s biggest, fastest racing multihulls. The design team has broadened the beam of the boat and moved the mast further aft to make her more stable and easier to handle. That said, she’ll be no slouch, particularly if you select some of the turbo options, including longer rig for bigger sails, lighter weight and longer daggerboards. Speeds in excess of 25 knots in a blow, and up to 16 knots in a Force 4 are predicted. Benoit Lebizay, Gunboat’s managing partner, says: “500 miles per day is an achievable target”.

LOA: 68ft (20.75m) Beam: 29ft 11in (9.1m) Draught: 3ft 11in-13ft 6in (1.20m-4.10m) Displacement: 23.8 tonnes Price: from €4.75m Contact: Gunboat

Best of the rest:

Unlimited yacht c53.

Vittorio Malingri, Italy’s first Vendée Globe sailor, is the nautical brain behind a new fast cruising catamaran, christened the Unlimited C53. With no website, his is a stealthy operation, but the first hull is sold and already in-build on the Adriatic coast between Ancona and San Marino. The boat has been designed with an experienced navigator’s eye, so the beams connecting the two hulls are an unprecedented 1.3m above the waterline, to minimise slamming in heavy seas. Tankage and heavy equipment are all positioned low and in the centre of the hulls for balance. And there is a heavy longeron, which makes for a stiffer forestay and therefore better windward performance. The twin helms are on swinging pedestals, and the boat uses foils and T-shaped rudders to provide lift to windward. There are three broad specification levels, depending on budget, with the top spec including full carbon lay-up.

Dazcat D1295

Launched at the end of last season, the D1295 is a potent new addition to the cruiser-racer cat market. It is the smaller sister to the very impressive D1495 we tested two years ago and 
leans on more than three decades of successful 
offshore racing builds from this Cornish yard. These cats can outrun weather or look after 
crew if caught out. Weight is kept low and central, including the engines, to create a fast smooth ride. It is also minimised wherever possible, with carbon used for the rudders, spinnaker pole V-striker, davits and bimini sections. “She points really high and is the fastest tacking Dazcat so far,” says Dazcat designer Darren Newton. “We did a two-second tack where she lost no momentum at all, which for a cruising cat is phenomenal!”

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Cruising Cat Racing Franco Style

• By Herb McCormick
• August 20, 2024

The French are different from us. After years of covering offshore sailing, particularly the shorthanded scene, that’s always been my take. What event could possibly be more French than the Vendée Globe, the quadrennial nonstop solo race around the planet on foiling IMOCA 60 rockets that’s front-page news in France for months on end, mainly because impending catastrophes and daring Southern Ocean rescues are seemingly daily occurrences? From ports along the Brittany coast and elsewhere, this nation produces the best ocean-racing specialists, and in my opinion, the greatest among them is ironman Francis Joyon, who holds or has held almost every major voyaging record, including winning the Jules Verne Trophy in 2017 for circling the globe in just over 40 days.

Surprisingly, given their prowess across multiple racing venues, the French have always mounted horrible America’s Cup campaigns, but even there, they’ve put their personal stamp on it. When ballpoint-pen magnate Baron Bich was consistently getting smoked in his four challenges during the 12-Metre days, the old joke was we could always tell that the French were about to tack when the crew flicked their ­cigarettes over the side.

All that said, other than ­occasional boat reviews with French sailboat manufacturers, I’d never really gone ­sailing with an all-French squad. That changed early this past February, when I score a ride with legendary competitor Marc Guillemot and his team for a day of racing off St. Maarten in the annual Caribbean Multihull Challenge Race and Rally. I’m eager to discover if the French boys are really playing the game differently. 

Guillemot has enjoyed a long and productive career, the ­highlight of which was his third-place win in the 2008 Vendée aboard his IMOCA 60, Safran. Now in this mid-60s, his latest boat is a Christophe Barreau-designed 53-foot MG5 catamaran called Dazelad , roughly translated as “alternative” in English, as a nod to its innovative carbon construction and upcycled components.  

“He’s won a lot of stuff and wanted his own personal boat, his home; it’s not about sponsors,” says French yachting journalist Emmanuel van Deth, who’d hooked me up with Guillemot. “It’s a compromise, so he can cruise with friends or race with friends.”

As a compromised “retirement” vessel that Guillemot plans to charter occasionally to offset expenses, it’s still pretty quick: He nabbed an impressive third place on its maiden voyage in the 2022 Route du Rhum.

Like jockeys and movie stars, it’s always a little jarring to meet French solo sailors in person; Joyon is a certified beast, but most of them are of rather diminutive stature, as is Guillemot. His English is spotty (but way better than my French), but he has an easy, elfin smile, and an extremely laid-back demeanor. I like him immediately. His extremely cool boat, in spirit and execution, is a crazy work of nautical art, the sum of many disparate parts.

Guillemot conducts a quick tour, which is fascinating. Much of the gear is stuff he scavenged from Safran. But that is just the start of it. It is in many ways a history of and tribute to the French singlehanded racing scene, with contributions from Guillemot’s many IMOCA pals. The rudder is from one of Jérémie Beyou’s old boats; Damien Seguin supplied the daggerboards; the running rigging is off Loick Peyron’s Gitana ; Jean Le Cam donated an old spar. If Frankenstein’s monster were a boat, it would be Dazelad.

The crew of close friends, including Guillemot’s brother, Regis, who dinghies over from his big cruising cat, is also notable. Longtime pro sailor and sailing writer Nicolas Raynaud is a jolly, Falstaffian character with a ready laugh and a twinkle in his eye who definitely seems like a kindred soul.

His polar opposite is ­tactician Bruno Jourdren, quiet and studious, who’d suffered a serious accident in his youth that had permanently damaged his right arm; he sails with his hand always in his pocket. A three-time Paralympic sailor, he has also cleaned up in dedicated one-design classes such as the Melges 24, where he is a former national champion.

Before the day’s first race, Guillemot and Jourdren, huddled prerace over an iPad with the sailing instructions, are clearly very tight. Van Deth speaks of the latter in almost reverential terms: “They call Michel Desjoyeaux ‘the ­professor’ because of his navigational approach, but when it comes to tactics, Bruno is also considered an academic. If he says, ‘Go left,’ you go left. You do not question him.”

The most I can get out of Jourdren is a raised eyebrow, which is pretty much in keeping with all the previous professors in my life.

It is a strange day, weather-­wise, for the Caribbean; the generally pumping, reliable easterly trade winds are on hiatus, replaced by an unusual northwest breeze of 10 knots. With a downwind start, there is a short debate about the merits of an asymmetric kite versus a code zero headsail, with the latter getting the call. I am relegated to the foredeck with Regis and Van Deth to furl and then unfurl the code zero through tacks and jibes. Foolishly, I’ve brought only flip-flops, thinking I’d sail barefoot, as I often do in the islands. But the trampolines on Dazelad are like razor wire, and footwear is a must. Rookie mistake.

Thanks to the headsail discussion, we are slightly late for the start, but once the code zero is sheeted home and Dazelad begins manufacturing its own apparent wind, we take off, easily notching 12-plus knots, and Desjoyeaux carves through the pack and picks off the competition (though there was no catching the HH66 and Gunboat 66 at the front of the fleet). The French are cooking.

There is a refreshing squall on the last tack to the finish line in a race with a little bit of everything, including a couple of lulls in the breeze. Guillemot seems pleased and philosophical with the midfleet result. “Under 12 knots [of wind], not so good,” he says. “Twelve or more, that’s when we go.”

The sun pops out and the breeze pipes up for Race 2, and Dazelad is in jailbreak mode off the starting line, ripping around the racecourse with average speeds in the midteens. The cat spins through tacks and jibes like a Hobie, and noticeably accelerates in every puff. The results aren’t any different from the first race, but the ­sailing itself is fantastic.

And then comes lunch. In this aspect of actual French cooking, there is no question that they will raise the bar. Raynaud has effortlessly whipped together a fresh pasta dish brimming with cucumbers, melons, avocado and cheese that is nothing less than magnificent. An obligatory break for a cigarette caps off the meal. Très bien, mon ami.

It is apparently an inspiring repast as Guillemot crushes the start for the third and final contest of the day. At this stage, spinning around the same triangle course off the southern coast of St. Maarten, the entire exercise is beginning to feel a little like Groundhog Day. By this time, however, we’ve become a pretty well-honed team, and our maneuvers are fairly flawless, if I do say so myself. For this race, the only cats ahead of us at the end are the pair of 66-footers. In surfing, it’s often been said that the best surfer is the one who’s having the most fun. If that’s also the case in sailboat racing, Dazelad is the day’s clear-cut winner. Raynaud, who is rapidly becoming my idol, passes out cold beers all around.

And then, at the literal end of the day, Guillemot and his mates hastily put away the boat. They have another important appointment. The French rugby team is about to play an international match with Ireland, and they are eager to get to a bar in Marigot on the island’s French side to watch the action. Yes, they are on their merry way to guzzle brews and basically watch football. Hmm. That’s when it hits me: Maybe these French dudes aren’t so ­different from us after all.

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Catamaran Hull Design

• Post author By Rick
• Post date June 29, 2010
• 2 Comments on Catamaran Hull Design

Part 1: Notes from Richard Woods

Since the America’s Cup experimented with going multihull, there’s been a lot of interest in catamaran performance and the catamaran hull designs that define performance. Many guys are investigating whether to buy a catamaran or design and build their dream boat. Let it be said here that building a large catamaran is not for the faint of heart. People begin building 100s of boats a year, yet few are ever completed, as life always seems to have a way of interfering with a good boat build. 

Never the less, since the rest of this website is about selecting and buying a boat , it only seems fair to have at least one webpage that covers catamaran design. This page contains notes on boat hull design goals and an accompanying page from Terho Halme has mathematical formulas used in actual catamaran hull design. It has become a popular research stop and an important reference to the catamaran design community.

The content of this page was reproduced from the maestro of Catamaran designs, renown British naval architect, Richard Woods, who not only designs catamarans, he sails them across oceans…. repeatedly. He has a lot to say on the subject of catamaran hull design.

“…When it’ all said and done, the performance of a sailing catamaran is dependent on three primary specs: length, sail area and weight. If the boat is longer it generally means it’ a faster boat. If she has more sail area, it means she’ a faster boat and if she’ light it means she’ a faster boat.  Of course, there are limits: Too much sail area capsizes the boat in brisk winds. If the boat is designed too light, she will not take any kind of punishment. Too slim a hull design and the boat becomes a large Hobie Cat capable of only carrying your lunch. Of course, too long and large and you’d have to be Bill Gates to afford one. Then there are lot of additional and very important factors like underwater hull shape, aspect ratios of boards and sails, wet deck clearance, rotating or fixed rigging and so on….” Richard Woods

All Catamarans are not equal, but all sailboats have two things in common: They travel on water and they’re wind powered, so the Catamaran design equations in the 2nd part should apply to every catamaran from a heavy cruising Cat to a true ocean racer.

Richard Wood’s comments on catamaran design:

We all know that multihulls can be made faster by making them longer or lighter or by adding more sail. Those factors are the most important and why they are used as the basis of most rating rules. However using just those figures is a bit like determining a cars performance just by its hp and curbside weight. It would also imply that a Tornado would sail as fast forwards as backwards (OK, I know I just wrote that a Catalac went faster backwards than forwards)

So what next?? Weight and length can be combined into the Slenderness Ratio (SLR). But since most multihulls have similar Depth/WL beam ratios you can pretty much say the SLR equates to the LWL/BWL ratio. Typically this will be 8-10:1 for a slow cruising catamaran (or the main hull of most trimarans), 12-14:1 for a performance cruiser and 20:1 for an extreme racer.

So by and large faster boats have finer hulls. But the wetted surface area (WSA) increases proportionately as fineness increases (for a given displacement the half orange shape gives the least WSA) so fine hulls tend to be slower in low wind speeds.

The most important catamaran design hull shape factor, is the Prismatic Coefficient (Cp). This is a measure of the fullness of the ends of the hull. Instinctively you might think that fine ends would be faster as they would “cut through the water better”. But in fact you want a high Cp for high speeds. However everything is interrelated. If you have fine hulls you can use a lower Cp. Most monohulls have a Cp of 0.55- 0.57. And that is about right for displacement speeds.

However the key to Catamaran design is you need a higher Cp if you want to sail fast. So a multihull should be at least 0.61 and a heavy displacement multihull a bit higher still. It is difficult to get much over 0.67 without a very distorted hull shape or one with excessive WSA. So all multihulls should have a Cp between 0.61 and 0.65. None of this is very special or new. It has been well known by naval architects for at least 50 years.

There are various ways of achieving a high Cp. You could fit bulb bows (as Lock Crowther did). Note this bow is a bit different from those seen on ships (which work at very specific hull speeds – which are very low for their LOA). But one problem with them is that these tend to slam in a seaway. 

Another way is to have a very wide planing aft section. But that can increase WSA and leads to other problems I’ll mention in a minute. Finally you can flatten out the hull rocker (the keel shape seen from the side) and add a bustle aft. That is the approach I use, in part because that adds displacement aft, just where it is most needed.

I agree that a high Cp increases drag at low speeds. But at speeds over hull speed drag decreases dramatically on a high Cp boat relative to one with a low Cp. With the correct Cp drag can be reduced by over 10%. In other words you will go 10% faster (and that is a lot!) in the same wind and with the same sails as a boat with a unfavorable Cp. In light winds it is easy to overcome the extra drag because you have lots of stability and so can fly extra light weather sails.

The time you really need a high Cp boat is when beating to windward in a big sea. Then you don’t have the stability and really want to get to your destination fast. At least I do, I don’t mind slowly drifting along in a calm. But I hate “windward bashing”

But when you sail to windward the boat pitches. The sea isn’t like a test tank or a computer program. And here I agree with Evan. Immersed transoms will slow you down (that is why I use a narrower transom than most designers).

I also agree with Evan (and why not, he knows more about Volvo 60 design than nearly anyone else on the planet) in that I don’t think you should compare a catamaran hull to a monohull, even a racing one. Why chose a Volvo 60/Vendee boat with an immersed transom? Why not chose a 60ft Americas Cup boat with a narrow out of the water transom?? 

To be honest I haven’t use Michelet so cannot really comment. But I have tested model catamarans in a big test tank and I know how inaccurate tank test results can be. I cannot believe that a computer program will be better.

It would be easy to prove one way or the other though. A catamaran hull is much like a frigate hull (similar SLR, L/B ratios and Froude numbers) and there is plenty of data available for those. There is also a lot of data for the round bilge narrow non planing motorboats popular in the 1930’-50’s which again are similar to a single multihull hull.

One of the key findings I discovered with my tank test work was just how great the drag was due to wave interference between the hulls. Even a catamaran with a modern wide hull spacing had a drag increase of up to 20 % when compared to hulls at infinite spacing. One reason why just flying a hull is fast (the Cp increases when you do as well, which also helps). So you cannot just double the drag of a single hull and expect to get accurate results. And any speed prediction formula must include a windage factor if it is to give meaningful results.About 25 years ago we sailed two identical 24ft Striders next to each other. They were the same speed. Then we moved the crew of one boat to the bow. That boat IMMEDIATELY went ½ knot faster. That is why I now arrange the deck layout of my racing boats so that the crew can stay in front of the mast at all times, even when tacking or using the spinnaker.

I once raced against a bridge deck cabin catamaran whose skipper kept the 5 crew on the forward netting beam the whole race. He won.

Richard Woods of Woods Designs www.sailingcatamarans.com

• Tags Buying Advice , Catamaran Designers

Owner of a Catalac 8M and Catamaransite webmaster.

2 replies on “Catamaran Hull Design”

I totally agree with what you say. But Uli only talk sailing catamarans.

If only solar power. You need the very best. As limited watts. Hp.

The closer to 1-20 the better.

Closing the hulls to fit in cheaper marina berth. ?

You say not too close. But is that for sailing only.

Any comment is greatly appreciated

Kind regards Jeppe

Superb article

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Modern Catamaran Trends: Gimmicks or Valid Design Ideas?

The celebrity of the catamaran is not only swelling in racing, but also for cruising catamarans. At their conception, the atypical design enabled cats to sail faster and in shallower waters with less wind and crew than other sailing vessels. But for years the unorthodox design met with skepticism, leaving the catamaran with little commercial success. Additional challenges to adoption of early versions of cruising cats were the small, very cramped interiors by modern day standards, was heavy and lumbering handling abilities. Many sailors used to say they “were built like tanks and sailed like bricks”.

However, sailors soon realized that nothing could beat the comfort, speed, and safety of a well-designed modern catamaran as a cruising yacht. These vessels can achieve the highest speed for the smoothest ride and boast the most interior space and greatest safety of most ocean-going vessels. Sailors of all types are quickly overcoming earlier prejudices against the multihull design as contemporary design trends continue to produce catamarans that are faster, more exciting, more visually interesting, and safer than ever before.

The New Trends

Fun and interesting new trends in catamarans make sailing even more exciting than ever before. However, innovations are only useful if they contribute to good design, construction, and safety principles and it should fit your sailing purposes. Let’s take a look at some trends in modern cats:

1. Larger Catamarans for Fewer Crew

The new generation of catamaran, using modern composite construction and engineering can be built lighter, larger, and more spacious with very good power-to-weight characteristics. Currently, the trend leans increasingly towards larger catamarans. The average catamaran for a cruising couple now tends to be more in the 45ft to 50ft range. With composite engineering and installation of technologically advanced equipment, e.g., electric winches, furling systems, and reliable auto pilot, it is now possible for shorthanded crews to confidently sail larger boats with larger rigs. Technology has enabled modern catamarans’ bigger volume with more stiff and torsion resistant construction, without compromising stability and safety.  

2. Inside Out: Convertible Main Living Areas

The design improvements of convertible living areas not only increases usable space and opens up the living areas, but also reduces interior maintenance and cleaning issues of traditional varnished wood surfaces. An open and convertible main living area with simple, hard-wearing composite materials reduces costs and time required to clean and maintain the boat. Big windows and opening vents allow light in and increase visibility. Gone are the submarine-like claustrophobic cabins typical of most traditional yachts. Owners’ cabins are luxurious, airy, and spacious serving as a very comfortable living space, rather than just a place to sleep. 

3. Wave-Piercing or Reverse Bows

4. Bulkhead Helm Stations or Twin Stern Steering?

However, Gunboat moved the cockpit back under cover in its latest designs, just as Leopard introduced a forward cockpit with opening doors into the leisure-focused salon in their Leopard 44 and 48 models. The team at Catamaran Guru questions the suitability of this design feature for blue water catamarans that will encounter large seas, but nonetheless, it is a popular trend especially for the yacht charter market. 

Ultimately for a cruising catamaran, our preference is a safe, protected helm station with good visibility and all the control lines leading back to the helm to create a static control station. Push-button controlled winches and windlass as well as the instruments and autopilot should be prominently located and protected within the cockpit.  

5. The Flybridge Trend

Getting from the cockpit up to the flybridge and back down in bad weather can prove unsafe. To accommodate the flybridge, the goose neck and boom must be very high making stowing the main problematic. The higher gooseneck position also means that the center of effort is higher which impacts the vessel’s righting moment and is not as good as catamaran with a lower boom position and bulkhead steering. Just where the flybridge design will go is anybody’s guess but right now it has huge appeal for a lot of people. 

6. Hydrofoils and Daggerboards

Because of design innovations like curved daggerboards and the hydrofoils, performance on cruising catamarans has improved tremendously but catamaran speed is relative. The most important benefit of speed of a multihull is the ability to outrun bad weather. Being able to average 2-3 knots faster on a catamaran than on a monohull, can help avoid bad weather. Many cruisers often tell us at Catamaran Guru, “I don’t care about performance,” but its not long before they understand that the heavy cruising cat is not quite as comfortable at sea – AND very slow. It makes no sense to buy a catamaran that will not sail at least 200nm per day when making passage. 

7. Galley Up or Down

In modern catamarans, the most popular trend currently is galley up, making it a focal point of the main living and entertainment areas. When at sea, every meal comes from the galley, so live-aboards spend a lot of time in the galley and many cruising couples and families find that the separation of galley down in a hull is not ideal. When at sea, hauling hot food up and down the stairs is a safety hazard. Having the galley on the same level as the serving area and cockpit is less tiring and safer. Also, ventilation is better on the bridgedeck than down in the hulls, which makes cooking more comfortable, especially if you are prone to seasickness. The disadvantage of the galley up design is less privacy for the cook’s messes and it can significantly impact the size of the saloon seating area, especially on smaller cats.

Some manufacturers like the St Francis 50 and Antares 44 still trust in the galley down design. Galley down is often preferred for charter boats because it provides a private, self-contained cooking area with dedicated prep areas and utilizes space in the hull that might otherwise be less efficiently used. However, the most popular trend is galley up and it makes sense to most sailors, especially cruising couples and families.

More on our take for galleys up or down .

Is Speed and Interior Comfort Trumping Good Design?

• Catamaran stability is a function of beam and buoyancy, so light-weight strong construction, which translates into buoyancy, is a good thing. Typically cruising catamarans have a beam-to-length ratio of roughly 50%, meaning a 45′ long cat will be about 22′ wide. This will not only result in great interior space but also in a very stiff and efficient boat.
• The boat needs to have a robust COG (center of gravity) through good buoyancy fore and aft or waterline length to avoid “hobby horsing”, making for a smoother ride and better performance. Performance is a safety issue; it is always better to have the pace to get out of the way of bad weather. So some speed in reserve is great.
• Good bridgedeck clearance is important for seaworthiness and crew comfort at sea, by reducing slamming and better performance in rough conditions. However, a very high bridge deck clearance, together with, say 6.5ft of headroom in the saloon, the boat will be very high with a lot of windage. So there has to be a balance struck between bridge deck clearance and the height in the salon. A good rule of thumb for bridge deck clearance is to have good clearance is about 5% of overall length of the hull but 6% is excellent. A clearance of 4% is acceptable but on the low side.

Even in the age of computer modeling, yacht design remains a series of compromises and the use of a boat will dictate its visual design and performance characteristics to a large degree. A well-designed catamaran is ergonomic and pleasing to the eye. It should be sensible and safe, with performance that can get to a safe harbor when necessary. It all comes down to safety and comfort, especially in rough conditions.

Looking to buy a yacht? Contact us if you have any questions regarding catamarans for sale , Fractional Yacht Ownership or our Charter Management Programs .

Estelle Cockcroft

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2 thoughts on “Modern Catamaran Trends: Gimmicks or Valid Design Ideas?”

Good reading, informative and to the point. There is no reference to building standards and codes of practice. The Catamaran industry needs to “mature “ as more models and brands enter the market with the consumer paying for the downward spiral. Look forward to your next article.

Hi Gregor, you are right. There is no one uniform set of standards. Most countries have published guidelines, codes or laws that a boatbuilder must follow in order to sell a boat in that country. Some of the better known ones are USCG, ABYC, CE, AS/NZS and ABS. There is a lot of similarity between the different international regulatory bodies but just as many differences. Enforcement of these standards are sketchy. Labels are applied to boats i.e. “in compliance,” “certified” or “classified.” and it all means little if not enforced. In the US, it’s mostly up to the builder to voluntarily comply with the published guidance ( the all do since it’s in their interest). In the European Union, by law a boat has to be inspected, documented and certified. Australia and New Zealand publish their own set of rules. So it’s a miss mash of laws and rules and it’s hard for the consumer to pin down!

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Main types of the sailing equipment of a yacht

Dear friends, we shall continue our series of articles on the topic “Yachting for beginners”. In this selection, we share the information that will help you gain your desired aim of becoming a true yachtsman. Even if you do not have such ambitious plans, it will be interesting to learn some more facts about sail catamarans and their design.

Today we will talk about the sailing equipment of a yacht. It consists of sails, a mast, a boom, shrouds, a mainsail, a spinnaker, a gennaker, a stay, a jib and a sheet.

• A sail is made of a special cloth or a plate. It is attached to the hull in order to transform the airflow energy into the energy of motion. The sail has a sophisticated structure consisting of many different elements. You can see them on the picture below.
• A mast is a stand-up structure that provides the form, the stability and the flexibility of the sail.
• A boom is a facility serving for the stretching of the lower part of the gaff-sail. It is fixed horizontally on the mast, and it can be movable or not.
• Shrouds are galvanized or steel cables of the dead ropes of a sail catamaran. They fix the mast in a vertical position.
• A mainsail is the back part of a sail playing the key role in its structure. Its settings influence the running if the sail catamaran in different weather conditions.
• A spinnaker is an extra “racing” sail helping the mainsail on the high speed. It is made of light cloth and acts like a parachute.
• A gennaker is an alternative to the spinnaker, but it is smaller. It can be used not only in regattas, but also in cruises with a few people on board.
• A stay is a rigid steel cable keeping the mast from falling back.
• A jib is a triangular sail fixed on a stay in order to support the mast.
• A sheet is a rope that is fixed at the lower part of a goosewing or at the lower back corner of a gaff sail.

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March 2014 was a very busy month for the respected Polish superyacht builder Sunreef Yachts , full of exhibitions as well as promotional events, held all over the world.

Sunreef Trimaran 210 superyacht project

The shipyard started its international operations in the Gulf region where during the four exclusive events held in: Riyadh (KSA), Doha (Qatar), Abu Dhabi (UAE) and Dubai (UAE) presented was the futuristic Sunreef Yachts trimaran concept 210 Power Trimaran yacht . Guests were impressed that this project had been prepared upon the request of a potential client who was looking for an extraordinary multihull and appreciates Sunreef’s strong position as a world leader in custom catamaran-yachts and superyachts design and construction.

The Guest of Honour at all of these exclusive presentations was Mr. Lech Walesa – the legendary leader of the Polish Solidarity movement, the first democratically elected President of Poland and the winner of the Nobel Peace Prize. His presence was particularly fitting as Sunreef Yachts is based in the shipyards of the Polish port city of Gdansk, where the Solidarity movement took place.

The company decided to stay longer in Dubai and participate in the Dubai International Boat Show 2014 which was held between 4 – 8 of March 2014. The attention of the visitor’s was exceptionally focused on Sunreef Yachts motor catamarans, including superyacht projects 90 Sunreef Power yacht and 210 Power Trimaran.

90 Sunreef Power Yacht

Why is the company strongly exploring the Middle East market in the recent time? After launching offices in Fort Lauderdale , U.S. and Shanghai, China, the shipyard has opened a new sales office in Dubai in Autumn 2013. The 3-month presence of the 70 Sunreef Power charter yacht DAMRAK II in the Middle East during summer and a high interest of the local buyers in this concept was certainly a trigger for the opening of the new local office.

Two Sunreef`s Yachts at the Hainan FIFTH EDITION OF SUPERYACHTS-BUSINESS JETS-LUXURY LIFESTYLE EXHIBITION Sunreef Yachts was also present at the luxury SUPERYACHTS-BUSINESS JETS-LUXURY LIFESTYLE EXHIBITION held in Sanya – Hainan in China . This year the shipyard was displaying two superb catamarans: Sunreef 70 Sailing yacht FENG and 70 Sunreef Power charter yacht DAMRAK II. The event came to its end on March 30th 2014.

Please contact CharterWorld - the luxury yacht charter specialist - for more on superyacht news item "Sunreef Yachts' international promotion and development".

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