This is a PDF of the original article published in the Aug/Sep 2021 edition of Professional Boatbuilder Magazine
CFD analysis of hull aerodynamics holds the potential to answer many performance questions, including the cause of an infamous side-by-side blow-over of identical high-performance catamarans during competition in Key West in 2019.
In Part 1 of our series “Accommodating Higher Power” (Professional BoatBuilder No. 191) we explored a case study of hull refinement and the practical application of recent advances in computer modeling to the art and science of hydrodynamics. Looking back at the traditions of modern boat manufacturing, we delved into bottom design, old-school versus new-school tooling methods, and learned how builders can update trusted hulls with improved running surfaces.