multihull design

Hi all!
I´m an architecture-student and I have to make my diplom now.
My idea was to design a catamaran or a trimaran, because I´m found of boat-design.
The minimum size of it should be about 100ft.
Now my question for this forum:
Where can I find links, informations,... ?
Thanx,
ROB from Austria

 

Hi Rob,

Just to clarify, this is for a program in architecture (as in buildings) not marine design? So you'll be concentrating mostly on the exterior styling, exterior and interior layout, space planning, and that type of thing, but not so much the actual details of the hull design or engineering? Or am I misunderstanding?

Are you looking for good examples, or other specific information?

 

First of all, thanx for your quick reply, jeff!

Now to explain everything:
Yes, I´m studying architecture and it would be normal for students to design buildings.
But I´m not like everyone, I´m found of sailing, speedsailing!
Right now I´m "preparing" myself for the windsurf-speed-worldcup in march in leucate, south of France. (this is only to explain "the way from buildings to boats").

Some well known architects (buildings) like Renzo Piano, Sir Norman Foster, Jean Novel,... made designs for boats.
At my university (TU Vienna) sometimes we have lectures from "yachting firms" like Timner, Dr.May (he is dentist, but designed the "novara 44", a superb catamaran, maybe you know it) and so I got more and more interested in this kind of design.

What I would like to make is a full design of a minimum 100ft race-cat (or trimaran) with everything necessary!
I´m trying to get Dr. May also as an examiner during my diplom.
In his firm (KKG) I would be able to check the hull-design with a computerprogramm to see the "stress-zones" - means I also will think about the construction of my cat.

You see I will do everything, that it would be possible to build it.
Maybe I will do it when I´m older and richer!

So I need "help in each direction"!

greetz,
ROB

 

Hey ROB,

I know the company and the yachts your are talking about, the basis of your idea sounds interesting, but here in a short way the fact's you should take care about: naval architecture is a very complex and great technical area (my god - most of my vocabulary is gone during the last years without practice in english - I'm sorry guys in the US ;-) ) so doing an architectural design is not equal to design a yacht which is save for human and enviroment (that's the most important).

Maybe I can help (I'm a student too), but I have done some consultancy in yacht building industrie, sometimes surveying for a certification institute (according to the european recreational craft directive) and I've founded a Ltd. in 2001 for project engineering, yacht design and naval architecture. Today I#m in contact with some yards in Germany, Turkey, Poland ans Asia.

I hope to hear more of your ideas (don't write in English - guess were I come from: TIP: the Adreatic is not far away ;-) )

my email


One more very important tip: I think the best for you to get an overview is to spent some bugs on a train ticket and go the 'boot duesseldorf exhib.' (19th-27th of Jan.) - it's the biggest watersport exhib. - must see!! (and maybe we'll meet)

keep movin' _/)_/)_/)_

Udo

 

Hi Rob,

that project would be very interesting, but probably a bit too much for you. There is a lot involved in such a project, that you didn't study at all at uni. Probably, you'd have more exit just making a basic design, and concentrating in a specific area, like some nice FEA.

You should have a visit to http://www.nigelirens.demon.co.uk/ (I mean to their web), and as Udo said, go to Düsseldorf. You can collect a lot of information in there, so that you could make up your mind about what project would be more interesting for you.

By the way, did you do some search at www.boatdesing.net ?

Also, if you register here, and send me your e-mail, I will send you some information about some projects similar to yours.

Good luck.

 

thanx Jeff, Udo and Fernando for your replies!
now I´m registered!

 

Check out:
http://boatdesign.net/forums/showthread.php?threadid=290
http://boatdesign.net/forums/showthread.php?threadid=122
http://boatdesign.net/forums/showthread.php?threadid=33
http://boatdesign.net/forums/showthread.php?threadid=97

 

also
http://www.boatdesign.net/forums/showthread.php?threadid=243
http://www.boatdesign.net/forums/showthread.php?threadid=280
http://www.boatdesign.net/forums/showthread.php?threadid=298

 

Sorry to reply to a question with a question, but when you mentioned Renzo Piano my curiosity was peaked. I'm really impressed with some of the expressive structural details in Renzo Piano's architectural work, but I didn't realize he had designed ship(s). The only one I could turn up through a quick search was the MV Crown Princess cruise ship, and to be honest I was a little disappointed with the couple of views I could find of it. It's a nice ship, but I was expecting something bolder and less typical I guess. Do you know if he designed any others? I’d be curious to see some more views which might better show the design, or other ships designed by noted architects like Renzo. I would like to think that Architects might bring a freshness or a stronger conceptual design since they're approaching the yacht/ship design process from a different and outside perspective, but I don’t see it in that example.

 

Renzo

"While boats have an inherent feeling of tension about them, tey are also flexible and elegantly beautiful, and for me, they are a fitting and vital experimental material with which to learn about architecture and structure." - Renzo Piano

Hi Jeff, here something about Piano´s naval architecture:
He himself built four yachts between 1962 and 1984. Maybe normal, because he is born in Genua, the town of Christoph Columbus!
I don´t speak about ships, only sailing-boats, ok their designs look like normal sailing-boats, but if you want to have something different, you have to wait for my cat!
The first he built in his garage using plywood. The second was built of thin ply, the third using ferrocement, and the last one, named "Aguaviva", about which I´m speaking, using a wooden rod material with an adhesive.
Each time he has experimented with a different material and construction method. And, the fact is, that this experiments and the experience which he has gained have, interestingly enough, surfaced in such projects as the ferrocement leaf for the "Menil Collection Museum", and the bonding technology and skills gained in the construction of the fourth vessel proved their worth for the "IBM pavillion" and the "mobile theatre Prometeo".
His architecture is influenced by boatbuilding methods - sometimes.
From the "Aguaviva" I have only some black and white copies, the designs of the other architects I have to look for.
Greetz,
ROB

 

Novara

... and here the design of former dentist Dr. May, the "Novara".

 

The bows look a little like teeth!

Also check out former boatdesign.net design award winners:
http://www.blubay.com/ (click on "creativity" as well as "yachts")
http://www.runningtideyachts.com/
http://www.mvpvlp.com/

 

and in case that's not enough...

http://www.multihulldesigns.com/
www.trihulls.com