Catamaran hull design

Hull design / analysis for a large catamaran using multiphase computational fluid dynamics (CFD).

An interesting (and important) aspect of cat design is the wave system between the hulls (highlighted in the image below). Significant wave peaks and troughs develop through the interaction of each demihull’s wake structure.

This is why the total resistance of a typical catamaran is greater than the sum of each hull’s resistance!

(Yes, there are experimental hulls where this isn’t the case, but that’s a discussion for another day!).

Hope you’re having a good week,

Nick