Optimization of a 17m Catamaran Based on the Resistance Performance

Based on Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) method and the wave theory, the analysis of hydrodynamic characteristics is made for a wave-piercing catamaran (WPC) in this paper. The resistances of the WPC with different demi-hull spacing are calculated by use of FLOW-3D, and the relationship of the wave resistance with the demi-hull spacing is also discussed. The comparison of results show that the computational resistance matches the test date well in the design speed. This computational method can predict the coefficient of WPC accurately and can be used as a guidance of WPC initional design and optimization on the demi-hull spacing.