quadmarans and pentamarans

[captiankeyboard]

why do multihulls stop at three hulls?

[mj_lover]

I believe it has something to do with tracking straight, and cost. I'm sure someone here can give you a more in depth answer.

[Leo Lazauskas]

Originally Posted by captiankeyboard

why do multihulls stop at three hulls?

They don't.

An example of an extant tetramaran is the SLICE. (My "diamond tetrahull" has never been built as far as I know). Nigel Gee has designed a pentamaran cargo ship.

The main drawback of a large multiplicity of hulls is the increased skin friction which outweighs any benefits from reduced wave drag or increased stability.

I'm still trying to work out which is the most consistent naming convention, e.g. dihull, trihull, tetrahull, pentahull all have Greek prefixes.

All the best,
Leo.

[kach22i]

Have you read this thread and pdf?

Pentamaran
BMT ro-pax
http://boatdesign.net/forums/showthr...ght=pentamaran

[Trevlyns]

I believe you must strike a balance (pardon the pun) between stability and drag created by wetted surfaces in the water. Two hulls in the water (even a tri when flying one) make a pretty stable craft. Adding more seems pointless. My opinion anyway – click “post reply” to shoot me down!