Experimental investigations into the resistance components of symmetrical catamarans with variations in hull clearances and staggers

The effect of resistance interference on catamarans was investigated experimentally. The model hull forms comprise a symmetrical catamaran along with laterally separated and longitudinally staggered demihull configurations. To this aim, a series of tests on the models were conducted at the Towing Tank of the Indonesia Hydrodynamic Laboratory (IHL) over a speed range corresponding to Froude numbers of up to 0.65. In this paper, experimental results are presented in tabular and graphical form and the resistance characteristics and interference effects are discussed and compared with other published data. The test results show that favourable interference has been observed around Fr> 0.5 for the hull clearance and around Fr = 0.4 - 0.55 for the staggered catamarans. These results may prove useful for designers at the conceptual or preliminary design stages.