Ever since the Polynesians crude version of a catamaran, the catamaran boat design has been revolutionizing the boating industry with its unique, efficient design, compared to the single-hulls, smaller degree of efficiency. The ancient catamaran boat once aided the survival of many civilizations in the past but suffered a loss of interest in the middle ages, although it’s once again appearing in current societies due to it’s rediscovered near impeccable performance...

The catamaran boat design features two hulls with a deck or cross members in between to hold together the structure (Catamaran - MSN Encarta). Whereas on the other hand, a single-hulled boat or mono-hull has only one hull. Both hull designs are utilized in the construction of sail and engine-driven vessels and are now both widely accepted among boating enthusiasts.

In contrast, catamarans and monohulls differ greatly, in a number of ways, including: efficiency, safety, and even comfort. In those three categories and many others, the catamaran has proven itself worthy.

To better understand why catamarans are more efficient energy-wise than mono-hulls, a brief knowledge of how boats plane or rise on top of the water, to move faster and overall with greater efficiency, should be known. Simplified, the reason for which boats plane is due to Newton’s third law of motion, which states: For every action there is always an opposite equal reaction to oppose (Karpelenia). It can be applied to the reason of how boats plane because in the beginning of trying to get on plane, boats are just displacing water downwards. Although when more force is applied to a boat to move forwards, the water’s force begins to, essentially “push back” upwards, causing the boat to rise above the water and enter a state of productivity that increases speed and smoothens ride until the amount of force being applied on the boat eventually decreases to a point in which the boat “falls off” plane and just displaces water once more.

Now with that information, catamarans also plane due to that same reason but are quite more effective in doing so, because of several advantages in their design. Although mostly, it is because unlike the bulky, V-shaped monohulls, catamarans feature two longer, thinner hulls that are separated by a platform or cross member in between (Lloyd). Allowing the catamarans hulls to have much less hydrodynamic drag because they have a smaller amount of their hulls actually in the water, compared to a monohull’s thick, V-shaped hull portion submerged underwater (“Webbe Marine…”). Hydrodynamic drag is a form of resistance that greatly reduces an objects speed in water. This lacking of hydrodynamic drag, in catamarans, is the cause for why catamaran hulls are more efficient energy-wise than their single-hulled counterparts. The fractionally less amount of submerged area in a catamaran’s hull, hits two birds with one stone. First, less hydrodynamic drag, then less draft or amount of water needed to float.

In addition to using energy more efficiently, catamarans feature a comfortable ride in high seas compared to a similar-sized mono-hull would. The reason for the better ride can be compared to how parachutes work ("Catamaran over Monohull”). When speeding over a wave, air in compressed into the air pocket between the two hulls causing air resistance and friction that slows down and cushions the boat’s impact when it lands ("Catamaran over Monohull”).

Another advantage of catamarans is safety. A concern for safety is the primary reason why more catamarans cross the ocean than mono-hulls each year ("Bay Yacht Agency…”). Private tank testing has even revealed that a power-driven catamaran withstood a 52-foot wave that a monohull of equivalent size failed to survive ("Bay Yacht Agency…”). Catamarans are so seaworthy because they are wide and flat allowing them to just ride out waves, whereas monohulls tend to pivot and rock wildly on waves because their v-shaped hulls act as a fulcrum ("Catamaran over Monohull.") Another form of insurance for catamarans is that they have two hulls equipped with an adequate amount of flotation, so that if one breaks at sea, they have another hull to keep the boat afloat and wait for assistance (Tarjan).

Although having many advantages, the catamaran also has quite a few disadvantages. Particularly due to its size, compared to mono-hull boats, catamarans have a much greater beam or width, making it difficult for sailing vessels to make 360-degree turns to get back into the wind. The huge beam also makes them a nuisance to dock into a marina, sometimes even impossible because the average marina does not have wide enough slips to support them. Lastly, catamarans tend to cost more than monohulls because of the greater expense in building costs.

In summation, the catamaran boat design has by far surpassed the level of efficiency reached by mono-hulled boats. Catamarans remain impalpable in fields like: efficiency, safety and comfort. Thus proving that the reincarnation of the catamaran hull design from a previous era is another perfect example of how history repeats itself. In the beginning, the catamaran was just a popular kind of canoe with an outrigger attached but now in present times they come in many styles and types, such as: power, sail, or even both, although they all lead up to one common feature; two hulls.

References

"Bay Yacht Agency Page Bay Yacht Agency Group." Bay Yacht Agency Page Bay Yacht Agency Group. 18 May 2009. <http://www.bayacht.com/why.htm>."Catamaran - MSN Encarta." MSN Encarta : Online Encyclopedia, Dictionary, Atlas, and Homework. 18 May 2009    <http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761 555461_7615_761555461/Catamaran.html>.

"Catamaran over Monohull." - Home. 18 May 2009 <http://www.haasmarine.com/Catamaran _over_Monohull.html>.

Karpelenia, Jenny. Newton's Laws of Motion (Reading Essentials in Science). Belmont: Perfection Learning, 2007.

Lloyd, Barbara. "ON YOUR OWN; Speedy, Steady Catamarans Gain Converts and Respect - The New York Times." The New York Times - Breaking News, World News & Multimedia. 14 Aug. 1989. 18 May 2009 <http://www.nytimes.com/1989/08/14/sports/on-your-own-speedy-steady-catamarans-gain-converts-and-respect.html?scp=1&sq=buy%20catamaran%20boat&st=cse>.

Tarjan, Gregor. "Sailing the Northeast - Multihull Advantages - Catamaran vs. Monohull." Sailing the Northeast - WindCheckMagazine.com. 17 May 2009 <http://www.windchecklis.com/index.php?view=article&catid=95:new-products-showcase&id=235:gregor-tarjan&tmpl=component&print=1&page=&option=com_content&Itemid=431>.

"Webbe Marine - Why Buy a Catamaran." Webbe Marine | Welcome. 18 May 2009 <http://www.webbemarine.com.au/catamaran.htm>.