cool ideas, guys, very interesting considerations. Here's something I'd
love to get your input on. (tsmwebb: no way this swath is slow!)
Remember the crossbow/sling design thing, water speed record... years
ago. Bill, submergence gives stability. Sailnut is right, if dimensions
work. Thanks, Q

It's pretty clear that swath design parameters focus mainly on
submergence, buoyancy, drag and obviously wave amplitude
considerations. What are best design considerations for max. wave
amplitude? Somebody must have figured that one out. Certainly in all
the literature available, there should be design parameters which
define how high the main hull rides above the lowest possible draft.
This, then should offer guidelines for ideal beam to draft to length
parameters, right?

So, what if we turn this design-configuring swath definition around?
What is the ideal beam to draft to length oa, for an ocean-going, sail
powered swath cat? Oh, if only Hobie could be here!

Then I'd like to use this to scale relationship to size a new hull
design to the max. allowable strength parameters of the construction
materials proposed. Submerged, aluminum, or steel construction
(ballast) with a composite carbon fiber and stressed-skin membrane hull
design above water, for weight/mass reduction. Stressed membrane maximum
shear strength should provide an ideal maximum dimensional size of such
a vessel. Now a bunch of you are scratching your heads going: wow....

Got any suggestions? Here's mine:

LOA: 145-160 ft
Beam: 48 ft (yeowsa...)
Draft: 16 ft DW, 6 ft- littoral
clear-to-hull air plane: 6ft-16ft
Mast (s) Hgt. 180-220 ft. (depends upon geom. config.)
usable deck/main hull: Loa: 110 ft., beam: 36 ft, height 16 ft

obvious secondary propulsion systems are diesel/electric, in pontoons.
With the large surface area of such a design, eco-PV solar panels and
rigid wing composite sails for a quad, cross-braced mast system is
proposed

In the luxury, gigayacht designs I have yet to see anyone suggest this.
I understand the probs with cats, structural torsion, cantilever, huge
moment arm loads, and obviously beam width in harbors, (who'd want to
come in?) but it seems that for ideal ocean going stability, platform
area and largest sail/mast design configurations, this kind of swath
cat design has huge advantages.

There are two other parameters in the initial design configuration
layout I'd like to propose for this kind of radical design:

1. Adjustable draft depth, swing/hinged, or hydraulic/telescopic
pontoons, or
2. air-inflated, water ballast rigid structure pontoons.

i.e. when shallow draft required, submerged pontoons are air buoyed,
raising entire structure higher off water plane. With conditions of
deep water sailing, pontoons are partially ballasted with water, the
inherent structural mass increase of pontoons adding stability and
inertia-resisting wave modulation under high yield wind conditions.

As in any sailboat, less mass is better for increased performance. With
the moment arm of a large beam, huge mast lengths and max sail areas can
be achieved. What are the limiting factors for such a design?
Manoeuverability? Turn radii, ouch?

I assume the optimum hydro-dynamic submerged pontoon shapes, scaled,
will be the Ohio class boomer sub hull shapes. Put enough money into
those shapes, no?

So, where are my major probs? I need a big job to get this started.
LOL!


--
Qhiron
Message Origin: TRAVEL.com