Development of a New-Type Hydrofoil Catamaran

1 st Report : Configuration Design and Resistance Properties

Abstract

A new-type hydrofoil catamaran is designed and its resistance properties are elucidated by experiments. The new hydrofoil catamaran consists of two sharp hulls like knives and two rectangular hydrofoils with high aspect ratio. About 80 to 90 percent of the weight is supported by the hydrofoils at the design speed (40 kt for 200 ton) and the total resistance coefficient at this speed is much smaller than conventional high-speed crafts or other proposals. The transition from the mostly hull-borne condition to the mostly foil-borne condition is very smoothly made owing to the sharp hulls of which buoyancy works as stabilizer for ship motions.