Hull Design
The Most Important Buying Decision You Can Make In a New Boat!
by CAM
(reprinted with permission; originally published in Coastal Angler Magazine, May 2010 Edition)

Whether you use your boat in open water or protected areas, there is nothing else that will make as much difference in your boating pleasure as the design of your hull.

Much has been written about the different designs of V-hulls and certainly there is a vast difference in the performance and ride of these hulls, but almost without exception, a catamaran design hull will ride superior to any V-hull.  It's simple, catamarans ride better because they have two hulls.  Think about this for a moment.  The sharper and deeper you make a v-hull, the better it cust through the water.  The problem is, when you stop, the single V-hull boat rocks constantly because you are sitting on a point.  Catamarans have much sharper and deeper hulls than V-hulls and they have two, which add to their stability, when either going slow or stopped.

But, all catamarans are not the same and that is where the differences get more complicated.  Some power catamarans claim they are planing and some claim they are a displacement hull.  The fact is that all catamarans lift sufficiently to be considered planing and no catamaran under 40 foot runs at displacement speeds.  Displacement speed is the same for an aircraft carrier or a small boat.  1.43 X the square root of the waterline is the theoretical maximum speed of a displacement vessel or on a 26-foot boat less than 5 knots.

So what is happening on a catamaran and why are they such great riding hulls?  To answer these questions, we went to one of the leading power catamarans designers, Roger Dunshee, of Twin Vee Catamarans, Inc.  He currently has eleven hull lengths in production and sells more power catamarans than any other manufacturer in the United States.  Roger tells us his catamarans use a combination of both displacement and planing factors.  The entry is very sharp and cuts through the water, while the remaining hulls lift to allow the boat the use of smaller engines, for exceptional performance with great fuel economy!

There is also a unique thing happening in the tunnel area that is exclusive to many of Roger's hull designs, called kinetic fluid induction.  The water from each hull inside the tunnel is rolled inward to create a sea of air bubbles.  These bubbles are compressed to lift the hull and soften the ride.  These hull designs are widely regarded as the softest and best riding catamarans on the market today.

Roger Dunshee also claims that weight is the enemy of catamarans and his construction methods make his boats some of the strongest and lightest weight, power catamarans on the water.  Each hull is filled with flotation foam to make them stiffer and unsinkable!  Roger backs up his claim of quality by offering a Limited Lifetime Hull Warranty on every one of his boats.