Designing of catamaran with hydrofoils

Discussion in 'Boat Design' started by malith, Jun 7, 2014.

  1. malith
    Joined: Apr 2014
    Posts: 32
    Likes: 0, Points: 0, Legacy Rep: 10
    Location: Sri Lanka

    malith Junior Member

    Hi!!

    I'm a mechanical engineering undergraduate who is little new for boat design and hydrofoils. I have a project on design and construction of a catamaran with hydrofoils. I have no idea about how to begin this. So it will be very helpful if i can get some advises and reading recommends about boat designing and oat building.

    Thank you!!
     
  2. messabout
    Joined: Jan 2006
    Posts: 3,407
    Likes: 550, Points: 113, Legacy Rep: 1279
    Location: Lakeland Fl USA

    messabout Senior Member

    Malith that is an ambitious project. To design a foiling cat is to approach the limits of current technology. Such a vessel will be very expensive also.

    It will be much more realistic for you to design a simple small boat such as a dinghy. Even that will require some knowledge about what works well and what does not work well. It would take a very long period of study to design the foiling cat successfully.
     
  3. akrish
    Joined: Jun 2014
    Posts: 7
    Likes: 0, Points: 0, Legacy Rep: 10
    Location: pune, india

    akrish naval architect

    Hi malith
    Actually ship designin or boat designin completly diffrnt.
    You will need a help of a naval architect so that it will be easy for you understnd.
    I can help u in some places.
    First u need to do a parent ship analysis, in which u ll decide principal dimensions and other requirements for your boat.
    From that you will be able to get offset table by using some emperical formulas and specific method.
    As its a catamaran, because of it twin hul the offset table and lines plan will be diffrent from others.
    If you have any doubt drop mail at ananthakrishnanbena@gmail.com

    Thanks and regards
    Anantha krishnan
     
  4. Mr Efficiency
    Joined: Oct 2010
    Posts: 10,386
    Likes: 1,048, Points: 113, Legacy Rep: 702
    Location: Australia

    Mr Efficiency Senior Member

    A "catamaran with hyrofoils" could be a sailboat or a motorboat ?
     
  5. SleepyOldDog
    Joined: Apr 2012
    Posts: 9
    Likes: 1, Points: 0, Legacy Rep: 19
    Location: Virginia

    SleepyOldDog Junior Member

    Narrow the scope of your project -

    Malith,

    Congratulations on pursuing your Mechanical Engineering degree! We need more engineers/Naval architects.

    I agree with Akrish "First u need to do a parent ship analysis, in which u ll decide principal dimensions and other requirements for your boat."

    Also, look at the recent post "What should be in a Ship Builder's library?" for some books relevant to your project and boat design. Pay particular attention to this forum and posts by Senior Members - lots of great information is here by some highly qualified experts.

    For basic Catamaran design, look for information/books by Kurt Hughes and Chris White. They have both advanced the state of the art in catamaran design.
    If you are interested in the basic hydrodynamics go to your library and check out Fluid Dynamic Lift and Drag (two books) by S.F. Hoerner. (Good book for how engineering was accomplished prior to computers...)
    If interested in Sailing and the aero-hydrodynamics design of sails, see the books by C.A. Marchaj.

    I would recommend that you decide what part/detail of a hydrofoil catamaran interests you most (I thought the America's Cup hydrofoil cats were amazing! Maybe you could send a letter/email to Larry Ellison/Team Oracle?? It can't hurt to ask?). You could make an excellent senior project of parts of the design like:
    - Strength of Materials and composite/fiber layup for the hydrofoil
    - Hydrodynamic considerations for the hydrofoil design
    - Mechanisms for deployment and retraction of the hydrofoil
    - Or you could look at the "systems engineering"/overall design for the catamaran with hydrofoils and compare performance differences with standard catamarans and monohulls.

    So talk with your advisor. Narrow the project scope to your interests. Get the OK of your advisor and have fun!

    Best of luck with your project.

    Mickey O'Connor
    Mechanical Engineer/Ship Design Manager (retired)
     
  6. Stumble
    Joined: Oct 2008
    Posts: 1,913
    Likes: 73, Points: 48, Legacy Rep: 739
    Location: New Orleans

    Stumble Senior Member

    What size catamaran?

    A small daysailor is a very different beast than a foil assisted cruiser.

    For a small day cat, frankly my design would be a tubular carbon frame to hold the foils apart and the rig in place, and everything else removed. Make the boat a full time foiling boat and everything else is wasted weight. Then all your design time should be spent on the foils themselves.
     
  7. Doug Lord
    Joined: May 2009
    Posts: 16,679
    Likes: 351, Points: 93, Legacy Rep: 1362
    Location: Cocoa, Florida

    Doug Lord Flight Ready

    foiler

    =================
    If you're considering a sailing foiler you might check out this thread: http://www.boatdesign.net/forums/hy...ler-design-foil-assist-full-flying-40894.html
    Don't just skim the words-read the articles that are linked as well.
    Good Luck-power or sail!
     
  8. malith
    Joined: Apr 2014
    Posts: 32
    Likes: 0, Points: 0, Legacy Rep: 10
    Location: Sri Lanka

    malith Junior Member

    woooow thanks for all the help!!!

    i didn't knew that this forum is so much active. nice to see this much of help for a new member and i appreciate all of the help.

    thank you!!
     
  9. malith
    Joined: Apr 2014
    Posts: 32
    Likes: 0, Points: 0, Legacy Rep: 10
    Location: Sri Lanka

    malith Junior Member

    Being descriptive my project is to design and build a small motor powered one man boat with catamaran hull and hydrofoils(a foil cat). i did some internet and literature survey about this and found that this is a little new concept of boat design. so i decided to go step by step. first design a catamaran hull and then add a suitable hydrofoil to increase performances. i hope this will be the best method since i'm little new to this field. so where should i begin???
     
  10. Stumble
    Joined: Oct 2008
    Posts: 1,913
    Likes: 73, Points: 48, Legacy Rep: 739
    Location: New Orleans

    Stumble Senior Member

    Malith,

    Since you get to use an engine the power output can be assumed to be in a steady state. Or at least above some threshold. If you design the foils such that the hulls are out of the water at this output power, then the hulls become nothing but weight and aerodynamic drag.

    Think of it this way. Start with where you hope to end. So you have two forward foils in the water from each hull, and one or two foils in the water from the rudder/drive unit. Everything that isn't necessary to keep that system together is just excess. Even traditional hulls are excess weight and windage.

    Take a look at some A class catamarans with J foils, and Mirabaud LX. Combine the 'hulls' of Mirabaud and the catamaran shape of the A cats.
     
  11. Bullshipper
    Joined: May 2008
    Posts: 159
    Likes: 7, Points: 18, Legacy Rep: 21
    Location: Mexico

    Bullshipper Bullshipper

    a little history might help.
    Alexander Bell Grahme and started on Cape Briton in Nova Scotia. Theseis a mueseum there dedicated to foils and kites.

    Then you might also google Hysucat Catamaran and its inventor who did pull tank tests for years to come up with a "stable" design.

    In my view, these are helpfull on hulls like large ferries, but very difficult to design for small power craft.

    Current cat designs have found greater efficiency than foils utilizing lither thinner material , incresed planning area and steps to relieve the longer planning hulls.
     
  12. BMcF
    Joined: Mar 2007
    Posts: 1,206
    Likes: 197, Points: 63, Legacy Rep: 361
    Location: Maryland

    BMcF Senior Member

    The International Hydrofoil Society web site has a lot of information that would be useful for your project. Building smaller - even one-man -hydrofoils, as you have generally described, is certainly possible and has been done before. Good luck with yours!

    http://www.foils.org/
     
  13. malith
    Joined: Apr 2014
    Posts: 32
    Likes: 0, Points: 0, Legacy Rep: 10
    Location: Sri Lanka

    malith Junior Member

    Hi all!!! thanks again for your kind help

    i did some internet research about catamaran design and construction. i found pretty interesting book called "Ship Design and Performance for Masters and Mates". it's very straight forward and in to the point. but it's mostly about designing large displacement hulls. so is there any similar kind book about designing of small boats and catamarans

    Thank You
     
  14. BMcF
    Joined: Mar 2007
    Posts: 1,206
    Likes: 197, Points: 63, Legacy Rep: 361
    Location: Maryland

    BMcF Senior Member


  15. Doug Lord
    Joined: May 2009
    Posts: 16,679
    Likes: 351, Points: 93, Legacy Rep: 1362
    Location: Cocoa, Florida

    Doug Lord Flight Ready

    ============================
    Get the book: "Hydrofoils Design Build Fly" by Ray Vellinga. It is a great book on small hydrofoils-mostly power though there is a bit on the Moth.
     
Loading...
Forum posts represent the experience, opinion, and view of individual users. Boat Design Net does not necessarily endorse nor share the view of each individual post.
When making potentially dangerous or financial decisions, always employ and consult appropriate professionals. Your circumstances or experience may be different.