catamaran boat history

• ↑ Catamaran Online Etymology Dictionary. Retrieved June 17, 2008.
• ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 L. Francis Herreshoff, The Spirit of the Times, November 24, 1877 (reprint). Marine Publishing Co., Camden, ME. Retrieved June 17, 2008.
• ↑ The Tridarka Raider Tridarkaraider. Retrieved June 17, 2008.
• ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 A primer on proas Proafile. Retrieved June 17, 2008.
• ↑ The UCI later created this same sort of ban, in 1934, when it invalidated Faure's record of 45 km in one hour, in July 7, 1933, on a Recumbent bicycle, with rule changes specifically designed to exclude the Recumbent bicycle, where Recumbent bicycle technology was similarly repressed.
• ↑ WEERES History Retrieved June 25, 2008.

References ISBN links support NWE through referral fees

• Berman, Phil, and Bradford Scott. 1999. Catamaran Sailing: From Start to Finish . New York, NY: W. W. Norton & Co. ISBN 9780393318807
• Marchaj, C. A. 1980. Aero-Hydrodynamics of Sailing . New York, NY: Dodd, Mead. ISBN 9780396077398
• ———. 2003. Sail Performance: Techniques to Maximize Sail Power . London, UK: Adlard Coles Nautical. ISBN 9780713664072
• ———. 1986. Seaworthiness: The Forgotten Factor . Camden, ME: International Marine Pub. Co. ISBN 9780877422273
• Tarjan, Gregor. 2007. Catamarans . Camden, MI: International Marine. ISBN 0071498850

External links

All links retrieved November 30, 2023.

• Catamaran Sailing at TheBeachcats.com Site devoted to all types of small catamarans known as beachcats.

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The Fascinating Catamaran History: From Ancient Roots to Modern Sailing

by OmSailingCharters | Aug 31, 2024 | Charleston Sailboat Charter

Have you ever marveled at the sight of a catamaran gliding across the water, its twin hulls slicing through the waves with grace and stability? These remarkable vessels, with their distinctive design, have become a popular choice for modern sailing adventures, offering a unique blend of convenience, speed, and spaciousness. 

The Ancient Origins of Catamarans

The evolution of catamaran design, the role of catamarans in luxury and adventure sailing, catamarans and om sailing charters: a perfect match.

Many charter companies recognize the allure of these historic vessels and incorporate them into unforgettable sailing experiences, allowing you to explore the beauty of the open water in style and comfort. OM Sailing Charters, for example, provides Charleston catamaran charters , a unique and luxurious way to enjoy the scenic beauty of Charleston’s harbor and its surrounding waterways.

But what’s the story behind the double-hulled wonder? Let’s explore the fascinating catamaran history, from its humble beginnings to its prominent place in the world of sailing today.

The history of the catamaran started in the distant past, long before the advent of modern sailing. Evidence suggests that the concept of a double-hulled vessel dates back to ancient civilizations, particularly in Polynesia and South India. Early catamarans, often crafted from logs or reeds, were essential for fishing, trade, and even long-distance voyages.

The Polynesian people, in particular, were masters of catamaran construction. Their outrigger canoes, with a main hull and a smaller float connected by spars, were remarkably stable and swift. These vessels allowed them to navigate the vast Pacific, exploring new islands and establishing trade routes that spanned thousands of miles.

In South India, catamarans served a similar purpose. Fishermen relied on these sturdy boats to venture into the ocean, while traders used them to transport goods along the coast. The Tamil people, who inhabited the southeastern coast of India, are credited with giving catamarans their name. The word “catamaran” is derived from the Tamil term “kattumaram,” which means “tied logs.”

As maritime exploration expanded and new technologies emerged, catamaran design began to evolve. The introduction of sails, for instance, revolutionized the way these vessels were propelled, allowing them to travel greater distances and with increased speed.

The use of wood, fiberglass, and even carbon fiber has enabled the creation of lighter, stronger, and more aerodynamic catamarans. These innovations have not only improved performance but also enhanced the safety and comfort of these vessels.

The adoption of catamarans in Western maritime practices fueled their evolution. In 1877, American designer Nathanael Herreshoff built a catamaran named “Amaryllis,” showcasing its superior performance capabilities. However, despite its success, the design was considered too advanced and was banned from regular races for nearly a century.

The breakthrough came in 1947 when Woody Brown , alongside Alfred Kumalae, designed and built Manu Kai, the first modern ocean-going catamaran, in Hawaii. Their ingenious design, featuring improved stability and seaworthiness, opened up new possibilities for leisure sailing and even racing.

Today, catamarans are at the forefront of sailing innovation, offering a perfect blend of comfort and performance. Their versatile design makes them ideal for a wide range of activities, from leisurely sunset cruises to thrilling water adventures .

Imagine yourself on a catamaran, basking in the sun on the expansive deck, feeling the gentle breeze as you glide effortlessly across the waves. The stability of the vessel ensures a comfortable ride, even in choppier conditions, allowing you to fully relax and enjoy the stunning scenery.

The shallow draft of catamarans enables them to navigate pristine coral reefs, anchor in secluded coves, and discover hidden beaches that are inaccessible to larger vessels. The freedom to roam off the beaten path is a major draw for adventure seekers and nature enthusiasts.

OM Sailing Charters takes full advantage of the unique features that make catamarans the perfect vessel for creating memorable sailing experiences. Our sailing catamaran, OM , is designed to provide you with the ultimate blend of luxury and adventure on the water.

OM boasts a bright and airy saloon that’s perfect for relaxing or entertaining. The plush V-shaped settee invites you to unwind after a day of exploring, while the four luxurious double staterooms, each featuring en suite heads and showers, offer the privacy and comfort you deserve.

With years of sailing expertise and intimate knowledge of the local waters, our seasoned captains can guarantee your safety and provide a personalized experience tailored to your interests, whether you’re seeking a peaceful escape, an adventurous exploration, or a combination of both.

Ready to set sail? Book your Charleston catamaran charter with us today here or contact us at 843-973-0761, and let us help you create the perfect sailing experience. Discover why catamarans and OM Sailing Charters are a match made in heaven. 

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A Complete Catamaran Guide

• Post Written By: Boater Jer
• Published: January 26, 2020
• Updated: November 27, 2020

Disclaimer: You might notice that we recommend products in some articles. We may earn a commission for referring you if you click the link and buy a product.

We only recommend products we’ve tried/tested/own (that’s why you won’t find thousands of affiliate links on my site). If you have experience with one of the products we’ve mentioned, please share your experiences in the comments at the end.

There you are, out on the water when a strange craft approaches.  Is it a sailboat? It sure looks like one until it turns to face you.  That’s when you notice this boat doesn’t have just one hull. It has two hulls and it’s called a catamaran.

Catamarans are unique, and highly stable watercraft.  We’ll explore all the ins and outs of sailing the waters in one of these weird, and awesome multi-hulled craft.  Join me as we explore the wild world of sailing catamarans.

A History Of The Catamaran

It is believed that the first people to use a catamaran design were those living in Australasia.

The succession of boat design in this region was actually very interesting.  The beginning of boats in the area was simple, albeit conventional rafts. These were fashioned from logs strewn together with plant fiber lashings such as those formed using bamboo fiber.  

Catamaran Evolution

The conventional raft gave way to a minimal raft.  This design was basically a conventional raft with two cross beams added in the form of logs.  These would be eventually hollowed out to improve buoyancy.

The next step in the evolution of boats in the Australasian region was the double canoe.  This proved to be the first real catamarans.  

After some time, the form evolved further into the asymmetrical double canoe design.  In this design, one canoe was large and the other attached canoe was smaller.

The asymmetrical design quickly evolved into the single-outrigger boat like the one shown in the photo below.

The final stage of the evolution of the catamaran in the region was to gain a second outrigger.  This in effect created the trimaran with the single central hull and dual outriggers.

Eye Witness Accounts Of Catamarans

In 1697, William Dampier wrote of witnessing a type of seafaring vessel off the coast of Coromandel.  He noted how the locals called the type of boat a catamaran. He also noted that it had multiple hulls (logs) and that they were small vessels that the person operating would have to hang partway into the water, straddling the hull (log).

The name catamaran came from the Tamil.  And yet, it was easily applied by the European visitors to the two hulled sailing vessels that sped across the water in the region.

Although Dampier may have described the catamaran in the 1690s, the type of boat was actually used as early as the 5th century by the Tamil Chola dynasty.  They used boats to move their troops from one island to another. Using this design of boat allowed them to travel heavy, travel quickly and was partially responsible for the conquering of neighboring Burma, Malaysia, and Indonesia.

Building A Boat – Basics Of Catamaran Construction

A boat is usually thought of as being a single-hulled vessel that travels along the surface of the water.  It can have multiple types, shapes, and designs of the hull. However, it is often only thought of as having a single hull.  But, what if it had two hulls? Would that be like taking two separate boats, and making a raft over both of them? In essence, that is exactly what a catamaran is:  two boats made into one.

Advantages Of Multiple Hulls

• More stability than a monohull
• Wide supporting base allows for larger sails than monohull craft of the same length
• Hull does not require the deep-running keel of a standard monohull sailboat
• Less hull drag in the water than a monohull
• Less power required to drive a catamaran forward than a monohull boat

Disadvantages Of Multiple Hulls 

• Due to multiple hulls, construction is more expensive than a monohull design
• Catamaran speed relies on lightweight materials to make a lightweight craft.  This also drives up the cost of construction.
• Extra engineering requirements for multi-hull craft also increase the cost of construction.

Conclusion?  Well, it looks to me like everything about catamarans points towards superiority over monohulls in nearly every way.  But, you get what you pay for. I think the same thing likely applies to cars too. For instance, I have a performance car that cost me about 10k more than the equivalent non-sports car within the same class. 

Yet to drive the vehicle, it performs so much better than the normal version of the car, it really speaks volumes to the difference between a common vehicle, and a performance one.

Speaking of performance vehicles, let’s take a look now at the different kinds and uses of a catamaran.

Catamaran Types

Commercial catamarans – ferries.

One of the most common uses for a catamaran is the commercial use of the vehicle design when it comes to ferries.  This is likely due to the wide, flat deck possibilities of a catamaran versus a monohulled boat. Not only that, but the catamaran is also a much more stable bodied vessel.  This again makes it a superior design for transporting larger land vessels like trucks and so forth. They can easily drive on the ferry without fear of the ferry tipping over.

Some ferries are designed for taking vehicles, like the one you might find in the city of Toronto.  Where it transports cars from the mainland to Toronto Island. Others are designed specifically with the sole purpose of transporting people. I took a look at one such ferry that operates in Germany.  Take a look at the following case study.

Commercial Use Case Study – The Ferry

The FRS Helgoline is a ferry catamaran operating out of Flensburg, Germany, close to the Danish border.

According to the ferry company’s website, the ferry runs using four main engines which are run to a capacity of 12,182 hp combined.  This blasts this ferry at a speed of 35 knots or 65 km/hour. This is equivalent to 40 miles per hour. That’s pretty good considering the size and weight of the ship body this catamaran can carry.

Speaking of capacity, the ship can carry 680 passengers. At 56.4 meters long (185 feet) by 14 meters wide (45.9 feet), that’s a decent passenger capacity. 

Catamaran Passenger Capacity Versus Monohull Boat Passenger Capacity 

The general rule for calculating passenger capacity for a boat is as follows.

Length x Width / 15 = Passenger Capacity

Therefore, the FRS Helgoline should have a calculated capacity calculated as follows.

185 x 45.9 / 15 = 566  

But it actually has a capacity of 680 which is a 20% increase in capacity over a standard monohull.

For comparison, let’s look at a superyacht.  A 48.5m (159 feet) long by 10.7m (35 feet) beam (width of the boat) Palmer Johnson Supersport 48 (valued at about $28.5 million dollars) should have a capacity calculated as follows.

159 x 35 / 15 = 371

In short, 26 feet of difference in length equates to 309 fewer passengers.  It is almost half of the capacity of the catamaran at 26 feet longer length.

Photo courtesy of https://sysyachtsales.com/

Commercial Catamarans – Service Vehicles

Although Catamarans are typically used as ferries due to their stability and ability to carry wide loads on their flat decks, there are many different service catamarans out there as well.  From a support vessel to a crew transfer or search and rescue, catamarans are a solid and stable platform to build a ship on.

This is the Ardea which is a 20 meter (65.6 feet) catamaran to be used for crew transport and as a support ship.  This ship was built by the Echo Marine Group and delivered to Western Australia in early 2019. This particular vessel is in the service of the Cape Preston Sino Iron Project.  

Catamarans are used all around the world, for a variety of tasks, not just ferries or support craft.

Commercial Catamarans – Cruise Lines

Now these are the catamarans we all want to be aboard, aren’t they?  Due to the wide stance, these ships can feature massive halls and wide-open interior areas.  These ships are stable, and some would say even more stable and safer than monohull design ships.  

There are many cruise ship catamarans in use today around the world.  Some of the more ‘famous’ catamaran cruises are those which investigate the Galapagos Islands.  There are several high-end, small fleet, cruise lines operating to the Galapagos which utilize catamaran design vessels as their primary ship type. 

These ships can be extremely comfortable and stable and often offer some reprieve to those who may otherwise feel seasick. It won’t stop the feeling, but the more stable the hull, the less the boat rocks around.

Military Catamarans

Catamarans make excellent military transport vessels.  They are stable and the potential to have a large, flat and wide deck for transporting land craft, troops or acting as a landing pad for vertical take-off aerial craft.  The stability of the two hulls makes the vessel an excellent candidate for military use, and thus it is used for said purpose.

As you can clearly see in the image of the USNS Spearhead, the rear of the vessel has a moveable ramp that can be used for loading and unloading land vehicles.  The interior bay of the craft is visible in the image as well, a large area for storage of vehicles, supplies and more. The crane arm on the back of the ship also shows how it is a versatile craft, set up to act as an excellent support craft with a helicopter landing pad and ample storage and freight capacity.

Recreational Catamarans

Catamaran Personal WatercraftThe wind is in your hair, the warm spray from the hull cutting over the edge of each wave as you skip over the water.  That is life, let me tell you. Personal watercraft have come a long way over the years and the small one, two, three and four-person catamarans have come a long way as well. 

Depending on the options, you can get a small one or two-person catamaran for as little as $1500 new.  That might be an inflatable though. There are some very nice, rigid hull designed catamarans for 1-4 people that range from $3500 to $15000.  And these are basically open, personal watercraft like that shown in the image below.

Using a small catamaran can be quite challenging to learn at first.  Sailing is not for the faint of heart. It requires skill, technique, knowledge of the wind and sea, and a bit of hard work.  But it can be fun, rewarding and a great way to catch some sun and fresh air out on the water. It’s a relatively GREEN sport as well.   Given the use of sails over gas-powered motors that is.

‘Sailing Cats’ – Sailing Catamarans – Yacht & Luxury Class

Here’s where we get into the dreamy boats of the rich and famous.  I priced out a small 43’ luxury Leopard 40 sailing catamaran. Even before I added any extras at all, the base price was $399,000 USD.  I imagine if I added a few of the multiple extras available, and some tax, freight and that sort of thing, I’m easily in half a million dollars.  And that’s the smallest base model.

There are all kinds of luxury catamaran shipbuilders across the world.  From Asia to Europe and The Americas, it seems any major boating country has at least one company building luxury catamarans.  It’s weird that you don’t see more of them on the water though, don’t you think?

Being sailing vessels, these luxury cats require some training in sailing before you get behind the wheel.  And considering the price point, I would definitely want to be at least a semi-decent sailor with some good few years experience under my belt before I would comfortable at the helm of a half-million-dollar sailing cat.  It’s all relative I suppose. I imagine a billionaire might bat an eye at the prospect of wrecking a half-million-dollar boat. But to me, and most of you reading this, that’s likely a lot of money.

‘Power Cats’ – Powered Catamarans

The powered catamaran is one of my favorite boats.  They have sort of a muscle car appearance with the wide and often tall front end of the boats.  I find it to be reminiscent of a large air intake on the front hood of a rally race car like the Subaru WRX, for instance.  These boats are fast, they are stable and handle very well. Catamarans are often considered the boat of choice for long sea voyages due to their stability.  

A powered catamaran will definitely cost more than a powered monohull boat of the same length.  Why? Well, the powered catamaran has one crucial downside. That is, it needs two engines. One for each of the two hulls.  Otherwise, it’s off balance for propulsion. These two engines or motors have to be in sync with each other or again, the propulsion will be off-balance.  Because they have two motors, they have double the maintenance when it comes to maintaining the propulsion system.

More components also means a greater chance of things breaking down.  In essence, it doubles the chances of the ship having a motor break down. The saving grace is that should one motor break, they have a backup, even if it does mean very unbalanced propulsion.  In contrast, a monohull vessel of the same length may only have half the chance of motor failure due to only having one motor, but if that one motor breaks, then what? Call for help, that’s what.  A cat would have a struggling chance to get itself back to port. A monohull would be dead in the water unless it was carrying spare parts or another motor onboard somewhere.

Catamaran Frequently Asked Questions

What is a catamaran cruise.

A catamaran cruise is simply a cruise on a dual hull design boat.  Often used for river cruises, the catamaran which is used as cruise ships are often considerably smaller than their giant monohulled counterparts.

What is the purpose of a catamaran?

A catamaran is a design for a boat that utilizes two hulls.  Due to the flat, platform-like-potential for the deck of the boat, the catamaran is often purposed with transporting materials, vehicles, and people.  For instance, catamarans are quite often used as ferries.

Is catamaran safe?

Catamaran are very safe water craft.   The design of riding on two hulls separated by a gap in between, in essence is like giving a car a double-wide wheel base.  The wider the stance, the more stable the craft, from side to side anyway. And if the length of the boat is proportional to the width, then it becomes an extremely stable craft.  That is why catamarans are often considered the best to be used for long voyages. Yes, catamaran are safe.

What is the difference between a catamaran and a sailboat?

A traditional sailboat is a deep, monohull vessel that has at least one mast extending high into the air above the deck to hold sails.  A catamaran refers to the design of a dual-hull boat and really has nothing to do with sails. Although, catamaran do make excellent sailing boats as well, they are quite capable of acting as power boats and do not require sails if they have the correct amount of powered motors to propel them.  Sailboats, although also able to be powered if a motor is provided, are traditionally monohull and wind-powered exclusively.

Do catamarans have small interiors?

The size of an interior cabin on a boat is typically proportional to the size of the boat itself.  If a catamaran has above-deck cabins, they will likely be able to be of a larger design than those you would find on deck of a monohull boat.  This is because a catamaran has a much wider footprint than a monohull boat of the same length. This extra width would allow for larger on deck cabins.  

How much does a catamaran cost?

A personal watercraft (1-2 person) inflatable catamaran will run you anywhere from $1500-$12000 USD, depending on the quality and features.  The rigid hull catamarans of the same size start at about $4500 USD.

A small cabin cruiser type of catamaran will typically start at about $60000 for a small base model and the price just goes up and up depending on size and features.

For Instance, a 40’, 3 cabin with 1 washroom cat will cost you about $500,000 USD for the base model.  They are considerably more expensive that a monohull of the same length. However, the trade-off is greater stability and a smoother, more comfortable ride.

Is a catamaran more work to maintain?

Technically yes.  Due to having two hulls and if powered, two motors and likely also water jets, this means you have double the oil changes of a boat that would have a single motor.  Once you get past the basic engine and hull maintenance, a catamaran is not that much more work than a monohull ship of the same length.  

The trouble with catamarans in terms of maintenance, is that once they reach a certain length, the width becomes more than a standard lane on the road.  That being said, if you ever need to transport the boat via land, it can be quite the challenge. Especially if you need to pay to have a police escort for an extra-wide trailer.  And special licensing might be involved as well.

What is the difference between a catamaran and a trimaran?

A catamaran is a dual hull boat.  In other words, it has two hulls. A trimaran has three hulls.  

Is a catamaran considered a yacht?

According to Oxford dictionary, a yacht is a medium-sized sailboat equipped for cruising or racing.  A catamaran, on the other hand, is a boat with two hulls. Therefore, a catamaran can most certainly also be a yacht.  And likewise, if a yacht has two hulls, then it is a catamaran as well.

Can you get seasick on a catamaran?

Seasickness occurs when a person feels nauseous from the swaying motion of a rocking ship.  These feelings may be lessened on a catamaran, due to their extra stability. However, a catamaran may be slightly more stable than a monohull of the same length, but it is still a boat.  And it will still make someone who experiences seasickness continue to feel the ill effects.

Are catamarans more stable in rough seas?

Catamarans are known to be more stable than monohull ships of the same length.  This is why catamarans are often the ship type of choice for long sea voyages due to their stability.

Why do catamarans capsize?

Catamarans are not known for capsizing.  The larger vessels that is anyway. But, it does happen from time to time.  Catamarans are known for their stability, so typically if a capsize event should occur, it is typical for them to be extreme circumstances.  

Personal watercraft catamarans are a different story though.  These are in fact known for tipping over. Not because they are less stable than their monohull counterparts of the same length.  But instead, because they are able to go considerably faster than monohull personal watercraft of the same length (not including powered craft though).  This is due to the sailing cats being able to have a larger sail than a small monohull sailboat of the same length.

Due to the extra sail, they are able to travel faster than monohull sailboats of the same length.  This allows them to whip around on the water and at higher speeds, whipping your cat about quick can easily send it over sideways. Extra speed means fast turns carry momentum in the direction of travel and that extra speed equates to tipping over if turned too fast.  To sum up, they capsize due to user error or extreme events.

Which is safer, a catamaran or a monohull?

Due to the extra stability of having a wider footprint than a monohull, a catamaran of the same length is the safer vessel.

Are catamarans safer than sailboats?

The same rule applies to stability versus the length of the hull.  A cat will always be the more stable length for length. However, due to their ability to go much faster than a monohull sailboat, this kind of cancels out some of the added safety due to stability.  With that in mind, they may just be about the same but there is one generalization we can make when comparing the safety of catamarans vs sailboats: At the same speed, and of equal length, sailing or power catamaran will be safer than a monohull sailboat.

How fast can catamarans go?

The speed a catamaran can go is entirely dependent upon the hull design, weight of the vessel, the strength of propulsion (be it wind or powered) and so on.  The general rule is that in terms of sailing cats vs monohull sailboats, a cat of equal length can typically go faster than a sailboat.  

In terms of powered cats vs powerboats, a powered catamaran will typically require less energy to move forward than a monohull of the same sort of hull design (but monohull of course) and thus a cat should, in theory, be able to go faster than a monohull when both are using propulsion that is equal in power.

Bibliography

• Wikipedia – Catamarans
• Mahdi, Waruno (1999). “The Dispersal of Austronesian boat forms in the Indian Ocean”. In Blench, Roger; Spriggs, Matthew (eds.). Archaeology and Language III: Artefacts languages, and texts . One World Archaeology. 34 . Routledge. pp. 144–179. ISBN 0415100542 .
• Wikipedia – Spearhead -class expeditionary fast transport
• https://www.tiki-toki.com/timeline/entry/169516/Origin-of-the-catamaran/#vars!panel=1620923!
• https://www.austal.com/ships/passenger-express-56
• https://www.adventure-life.com/galapagos/galapagos-catamaran-cruises

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When Was the Catamaran Invented?

Look at how multi-hulled vessels have evolved over the millennia to find out when was the catamaran invented.

Stefan Kristensen

The first modern catamaran was designed and built by Nathanael Herreshoff in 1876 and patented a year later. However, the concept and construction of catamarans and vessels that operate on the same principles date all the way back to the second millennium BCE among the Austronesian people.

In the rest of the article, we are going to learn what makes a catamaran different from a traditional boat and explore the long history of the vessel’s gradual development to fully answer the question of when was the catamaran invented.

What Is So Special About a Catamaran?

Although they are often perceived as a trend or a fad, catamarans actually do have significant structural differences compared to traditional boats. Catamarans have two hulls instead of only one. The two hulls of a catamaran are joined by the bridge deck to form a single vessel.

One of the most noticeable practical differences between the catamaran and monohull boats is that catamarans are a lot more stable. This is because the beam is significantly wider than a traditional boat’s, giving the catamaran a greater initial stability, albeit with a poorer secondary stability. This makes the boat less likely to capsize, but more difficult to recover once a capsize has begun.

Catamarans also have shallower drafts and displace significantly less water than comparable traditional boats, which means they experience less resistance from the water when moving forward. This, in turn, means that catamarans, whether they are powered by sail or motors, need less energy to move the same mass at the same speed compared to a similarly sized traditional monohull boat.

What Is the History of the Catamaran’s Development?

When most people think of catamarans, the type of vessel they picture traces its history to Amaryllis , a boat designed and built by American mechanical engineer and naval architect, Nathanael Herreshoff. While only in his 20s, Herreshoff created the modern catamaran design, raced his first one in 1876, and patented it the next year.

This kickstarted the modern industry and application of catamarans, but the principles that Herreshoff made use of to design Amaryllis were not all completely new. Similar designs had been trialed by Europeans since the 17th century and used by Austronesians in the Indian and Pacific Oceans going back thousands of years. So then when was the catamaran invented?

Early Austronesian Origins

The history of catamarans among the early Austronesian people is tied to that of outrigger canoes, which are boats that are stabilized through the use of a separate floating device which sits alongside the main hull. There is controversy among academics over whether outrigger canoes developed as scaled down versions of catamarans or catamarans as expanded versions of outrigger canoes.

There is history of both types of vessel going back to the second millennium BCE, though the earliest record that Europeans have of them is from 1521, when they were observed by sailors on Ferdinand Magellan’s expedition to circumnavigate the world.

Petty, Crisp, and the English Prototypes

The first European prototype of a vessel with two hulls was designed in 1662 by famed English economist, William Petty. Although as with any catamaran, this boat was designed to use less energy, move faster, and navigate shallower waters, the concept was just too experimental for Petty’s contemporaries, and it never took off.

A few decades later, toward the end of the 17th century, English navigator and pirate, William Dampier, was on the Indian subcontinent, where he learned of vessels with multiple hulls from the native Tamil speakers. He was the first English speaker to record the word “catamaran” for these, adapting it from the Tamil word “kattumaram.”

The first catamaran built by Europeans to see use was designed and built by English captain Mayflower F. Crisp in Burma in the early 19th century. His vessel was called Original , and Crisp documented its exploits and the rationale behind his design himself in his 1849 book, A Treatise on Marine Architecture, Elucidating the Theory of the Resistance of Water .

Original remained in service for a number of years, during which it largely navigated the Gulf of Martaban, enabling trade between Southeast Asian ports situated on the gulf. In spite of Original’s success, the work of Captain Crisp did not change sailboat designs among his contemporaries.

Herreshoff and the American Catamaran

The final big development in catamaran design came in 1876, when American engineer and naval architect, Nathanael Greene Herreshoff, designed and built his first catamaran, Amaryllis . Herreshoff patented this design in 1877, the year following Amaryllis’ maiden voyage.

Whether due to changes in design or the fact that he was the first to formally patent his design, many consider Amaryllis to be the first modern catamaran and therefore Nathanael Herreshoff to be the inventor of the catamaran, as we know it, in 1876.

Interestingly, Herreshoff never referred to his design as a catamaran in the patent . The patent itself is simply titled “Improvement in Construction of Sailing-Vessels,” and Herreshoff makes references to “the vessel” and “my invention” but never uses the Tamil word that the English had previously adopted for the design.

Catamarans saw a lull in popularity once again after Herreshoff’s design won and was subsequently excluded from a lot of yacht clubs for what was perceived to be unfair competition.

The catamaran design saw its final and longest lasting resurgence in the mid-20th century, when its construction and use started getting picked up across the globe. Perhaps the most popular adoption was by American surfing legend, Hobie Alter.

Alter’s company, Hobie Cat, manufactured and sold small catamarans bearing the same name. The Hobie Cats have become a world standard, with one vessel, the Hobie 16, having sold more than 100,000 units since manufacturing began.

Most people offer Nathanael Herreshoff’s Amaryllis in 1876 as the answer when asked when was the catamaran invented. While it is considered the first modern catamaran, we have learned today about the thousands of years of gradual development across cultures and continents that have shaped the vessel, from early Austronesian rafts to the Hobie Cats of yesteryear.

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What Is A Catamaran Sailboat? (And What It Looks Like)

Catamarans are increasingly popular for sailing and commercial use, but what sets them apart from monohulls and other multihulls?

A catamaran is a twin-hull boat with two equally-sized hulls placed side by side. They’re powered by engines, sails, or both—and they’re known for efficiency and speed. Catamarans are the most common kind of multihull boat.

In this article, we’ll go over the characteristics of catamarans and how to differentiate them from other types of boats. Additionally, we’ll cover the advantages and disadvantages of catamarans and compare them to trimarans and monohulls. We’ll also go over the most common types of catamarans and their uses.

We sourced the information in this article from marine design guides, boat identification resources, and the online boating community.

Table of contents

‍ How to Spot a Catamaran

Spotting a catamaran is easy. Simply look at the hulls and count them. Catamarans have two hulls side by side and a relatively large gap between them where you can see light on the other end. Catamarans are distinct from trimarans, which have an additional hull between the two outer hulls.

How do Catamarans Work?

The principle behind the catamaran is simple. You can think of catamarans like cars and monohulls like motorcycles. Catamarans distribute their weight between hulls on either side, whereas monohulls utilize only one hull.

Evidently, cars are much more difficult to tip over and can hold much more weight. Additionally, cars are wider, as they have much more contact with the road. Catamarans work in a similar way, as they have a wide stance and contact with the surface on both sides.

Obviously, that isn’t the most precise comparison. But the basic principle is the same, and catamarans have a few notable benefits over monohulls.

Catamaran Vs Monohull

Catamarans are easy to distinguish from monohulls. A monohull is just a regular old boat with a single hull. The vast majority of boats and ships are monohulls. Catamarans have two hulls, which are usually sleek and narrow.

Here are some comparisons of catamarans and monohulls, along with the advantages twin-hull designs have over most single hull types.

Benefits of Catamarans

Catamarans have numerous benefits. The first is speed. Catamarans produce less drag than monohulls and thus can achieve excessive speeds both under sail and power. They don’t need to plane like monohulls to achieve these high speeds, and they use less fuel.

Catamarans are also much more stable than monohulls. They have a wide stance and shallow draft, and many waves and swells can travel between the hulls instead of below them. This effectively reduces an entire axis of movement and prevents catamarans from rolling excessively.

Drawbacks of Catamarans

Catamarans aren’t advantageous in every way, or else we wouldn’t bother building monohulls. The disadvantages of catamarans limit their use to niche commercial applications and high-end yachts. But what are the drawbacks of a twin-hull design?

Sailing catamarans don’t follow many of the traditional boat handling rules and characteristics that sailors pass down for generations. Some, such as hull speed limitations, are good to do away with—while others, such as responsiveness, are not.

Catamarans aren’t as quick to the helm or responsive as monohulls. There are some exceptions to this rule, but for the most part, you’ll get a lot more feedback from a single-hull vessel. Additionally, the large section of deck between the hulls of a catamaran is prone to pounding in rough seas, which is loud and uncomfortable.

Catamarans can sometimes be twice the width of an equivalent monohull sailboat, which can increase mooring fees and limit docking options.

The final major drawback of catamarans is a consequence of their stability. Traditional full-keel monohull sailboats have a very low center of gravity, which makes them roll in heavy seas but ensures a recovery.

Catamarans have a higher center of gravity, and they can’t right themselves after a knockdown. And though catamarans are less likely to roll, a severe list on a multihull is a much more serious concern than on a ballasted monohull.

Catamaran Vs Trimaran

Catamarans and trimarans are often lumped together, but they have very different design and performance specifications. Trimarans have three hulls, whereas catamarans have two.

Trimarans look a lot like catamarans from the side, but a quick glance at the bow or stern can set them apart. Trimarans are faster than catamarans, as they distribute their weight across three hulls instead of two. This helps them stay centered and reduces interference from pitching and rolling.

Catamarans are fast, but they lose out to trimarans when going head to head. However, catamarans are much less expensive to build and maintain and often have roomier cabins due to their larger hulls.

Types of Catamarans

There are numerous types of catamarans, and their uses vary widely. The catamaran is one of the oldest and most useful hull types, and some variants have been used for thousands of years. Here are the most common kinds of catamaran boats and their uses.

Sailing Catamaran

Sailing catamarans are probably what you think of when you hear the name. Sailing catamarans are sailboats with two identical hulls connected by a center deck. The largest sailing catamarans are spacious and stable vessels that are capable of serious offshore sailing.

Sailing catamarans have a number of notable advantages over monohulls. Monohulls, which are traditional sailboats with a single hull, are limited by a simple concept called hull speed. As the bow and stern wave of a monohull intersect, they cause drag which limits the top speed of the boat.

Catamarans are not bound by hull speed limitations, as they have two hulls. Catamarans can go twice or even three times as fast as similar monohulls and achieve excellent travel times.

Catamarans are also more stable than monohulls, as their wide stance and shallow draft reduce the effect of rough water. They don’t heel, as the force of the wind is counteracted by the double hulls. Additionally, modern sailing catamarans can ‘wave pierce’ by cutting through swells instead of riding over them.

Sailing catamarans come in many shapes and sizes. Small sailing catamarans, such as those used in races and regattas, are known for their speed and relative stability compared to light racing monohulls. Sometimes, they feature a smaller second hull for stability—these are called outriggers.

Sailing catamarans have spacious interiors thanks to the large cockpit between the hulls. This cockpit usually contains cooking and eating spaces, a place to sit, and a hallway between the hulls. The hulls usually contain living quarters and often mirror each other.

Power Catamarans

Power catamarans have an even greater variety than sailing catamarans. These vessels are used for everything from party platforms to ferries and patrol boats.

Power catamarans are a recent development, as engineers and marine architects now realize they have numerous hydrodynamic advantages over other hull types.

Catamarans are much more efficient than other hull types, as they have less drag relative to their size. Additionally, you can build a much larger catamaran with less material. This makes them popular for car and rail ferries, as builders can construct a very wide vessel with two small hulls rather than a narrower vessel with a large single hull.

Military and Commercial Catamarans

Even the military has found a use for the catamaran hull shape. The Spearhead class EPF is an expeditionary fast transport vessel designed for carrying capacity and speed. It has two sharp hulls and a huge cargo capacity.

The Spearhead class EPF is 337 feet long, which is about the same length as a WW2 escort destroyer. Yet despite having a similar length and displacement, these catamarans can travel more than twice as fast—43 knots, or nearly 50 miles per hour. Their great speed is a direct consequence of their catamaran hull type.

Power catamarans are also used as patrol and utility boats on a much smaller scale, with either outboard or inboard motors. The State of Texas uses catamarans to patrol shallow rivers and lakes. Texas Game Wardens utilize state-of-the-art aluminum catamaran patrol boats, which are fast enough to outrun most fishing boats.

There’s another form of power catamaran that you may not have considered. Pontoon boats are technically catamarans, and they’re enormously popular on lakes and rivers throughout the country. Pontoon boats aren’t known for speed, but they’re a great platform for a fun and comfortable outing.

Catamaran Houseboats

The final common type of power catamaran is the two-hulled houseboat. Houseboats don’t always use the catamaran hull type, but it’s common enough that most major manufacturers offer it as an option.

Catamaran houseboats have a few notable advantages over monohull designs. For one, they’re easier to build—especially when pontoons are chosen. Additionally, they’re better suited for navigating shallow water. These vessels can support more weight across their two hulls, offer increased stability, and they’re also efficient.

Why Aren’t Catamarans More Common?

With all the advantages listed in this article to consider, it may seem strange that the use of catamarans is still somewhat limited. At the end of the day, it comes down to economics—as monohull boats and ships are simply cheaper to build.

Additionally, catamarans have some distinct limitations. Monohulls have lots of storage space in their hulls and can carry thousands of tons of cargo safely in all weather conditions. Catamarans lack this space and low center of gravity, so they’re not ideal for transporting cargo past a certain point.

Additionally, monohulls work, and many people are reluctant to experiment with new designs when old designs work just fine. This rule applies to both large and small boats.

A large monohull sailboat can be constructed at low cost from stock plans and reliably sail almost anywhere. Very little complex structural engineering is involved, and looser tolerances reduce cost and maintenance requirements.

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Daniel Wade

I've personally had thousands of questions about sailing and sailboats over the years. As I learn and experience sailing, and the community, I share the answers that work and make sense to me, here on Life of Sailing.

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From 1964 - the masterpiece that is the Unicorn. Have a read below to see how it started, and how the legend lives on...

Where it started

John mazzotti came up with the unique tortured ply construction technique in 1964 that allowed the perfect high strength, light weight hull construction for catamarans.   he began his experiments in 1964 on the b class manta and when the iyru laid down the specification for the a class in 1966, mazzotti came up with the mythical beast - the unicorn.   she won the rya trials convincingly in 1967 and came close to being selected as the boat of choice by the iyru for the international a class..

The design took the catamaran world by storm. By the end of 1967 the boat had won every major A class event and had proved to be the fastest A class in the UK and the most stable throughout the world in all weathers.

By the summer of 1968, there were over 150 boats registered - 70 in the UK, 50 in Canada, 15 in the US, with smaller numbers in Belgium, Sweden, Australia, Germany and South Africa.

Trowbridge and Sons became the official builders at the outset, building boats in wood and fibreglass as well as providing kits for home construction. The kit in 1968 was £198-8-0!!! Later, South Midland Marine, South Midlands Laminates and Condor Catamarans Ltd joined those providing ready built boats and kits.

Rarely has a boat been designed so perfectly straight out the box. Over the last forty years the changes have proved to be relatively minor - this design is just outstandingly good for high performance sailing in all weather conditions. In the 80’s, Roger Dewen, an A class specialist, designed a modified hull that was within the class templates. This hull design has more buoyancy in the bow and more rocker. These features allow the boat to be pushed even harder before submarining and allow more efficient tacking. He also experimented very successfully with a ‘knuckle’ on the keel line that allowed the boat to skim over the surface, almost a planing effect. This design (built in hull 1011) won the 1981 A class European Championships and the design has been adopted by Gary Piper in his fine boats. The majority of boats over the years have been home built to varying quality. Unfortunately, this gave a reputation of the boat being fragile. This is so far from the truth for a boat built professionally or to the proper standard. These boats will take the huge rig pressures of a high performance cat and absorb the rough and tumble of capsize, cartwheel and nose diving in their stride.

Living on....

Gary Piper, son of a master craftsman woodworker, became fascinated by the wooden boats in the 1980’s. As well as sailing, he began building them to a very high standard. He now builds a new boat most years and will build to order, using the Dewen hull design.

If you need to be convinced about the performance of the Unicorn, check out the Rounde om Texel. Dan Jarman, on his first visit to the great event, finished 1st single hander on the water, 2nd on corrected time, 37th overall out of over 700 boats.

Where did the Unicorn get its name? 

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Where You Do Your Boating

Our history, true to our name, you’ll find our boats on virtually every ocean and lake in the world..

Over 80,000 customers across the globe can be found enjoying our catamarans. They’ve chosen our boats because World Cat delivers a smoother, more stable, more enjoyable experience from entertaining at the dock to navigating the deepest waters.

The origin of World Cat can be traced back over a quarter of a century to the beginning of our Glacier Bay Edition boats in America’s Pacific Northwest. Today, World Cat is the largest maker of power catamarans in the world. Located in Tarboro, North Carolina, our boats are precision crafted in a state-of-the-art 140,000 square foot facility.

While we build an array of boats in different sizes and configurations, each is a reflection of our mission to deliver the smoothest ride on water – making boating more enjoyable and giving boaters the comfort and confidence to cruise, fish, dive, and explore the water world around them.

From the South Pacific to Siberia, World Cats have safely carried thousands of boaters over tens of thousands of miles. Shouldn’t you share in that experience?

The first World Cat is built in Greenville, NC with a new mold and new hull. By fall of 1998, the World Cat brand is launched with three models: the 246 Sport Fisherman (SF), 266 Sport Cuddy (SC), and 266 Sport Fisherman (SF).

The 246DC Dual Console launches.

A World Cat wins the Bermuda Challenge – a run from Norfolk, VA to Bermuda.

The acquisition and renovation of a new facility is the start of transitioning production to Tarboro, NC.

Chris Peters sets the World Record Maco Shark in a 246SF.

World Cat launches the 33’ TE Center Console, an innovative performance boat. At the time, it was the largest outboard boat in production and the first outboard boat to feature the new Suzuki 300HP 4-stroke engines, an absolute game changer.

World Cat introduces a truly complex and innovative design with the 320EC, featuring World Cat’s first hull with a cabin and separate head.

World Cat secures its staying power by acquiring Glacier Bay and Livingston Catamaran Boats, while reinforcing its commitment to A Better Way To Boat™.

World Cat launches its first family fish friendly hull and deck design with the new 320CC Center Console.

World Cat officially enters the inshore audience with the launch of the 230CC and 230DC.

For the first time, World Cat launches a boat that does not focus on fishing first with the 230SD, featuring a refined family and cruising boating experience.

World Cat launches the largest dual console outboard boat on the market with the 320DC.

The 280CC-X and 280DC-X is launched, featuring a new hull style line, designed to deliver a refined look at top speeds.

The new flagship 40’ hull emerges with the launch of the 400DC-X, becoming the largest dual console catamaran to ever hit the market. Quickly following was the 400CC-X Center Console featuring the innovative Cat-Track™ seating.

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A catamaran ( / ˌ k æ t ə m ə ˈ r æ n / ) (informally, a "cat") is a watercraft with two parallel hulls of equal size. The distance between a catamaran's hulls imparts resistance to rolling and overturning. Catamarans typically have less hull volume, smaller displacement , and shallower draft (draught) than monohulls of comparable length. The two hulls combined also often have a smaller hydrodynamic resistance than comparable monohulls, requiring less propulsive power from either sails or motors. The catamaran's wider stance on the water can reduce both heeling and wave-induced motion, as compared with a monohull, and can give reduced wakes.

Development in Austronesia

Traditional catamarans, western development of sailing catamarans, performance, swath and wave-piercing designs, applications, passenger transport, further reading.

Catamarans were invented by the Austronesian peoples , and enabled their expansion to the islands of the Indian and Pacific Oceans . [1]

Catamarans range in size from small sailing or rowing vessels to large naval ships and roll-on/roll-off car ferries. The structure connecting a catamaran's two hulls ranges from a simple frame strung with webbing to support the crew to a bridging superstructure incorporating extensive cabin and/or cargo space.

Catamarans from Oceania and Maritime Southeast Asia became the inspiration for modern catamarans. Until the 20th century catamaran development focused primarily on sail-driven concepts.

The word "catamaran" is derived from the Tamil word, kattumaram (கட்டுமரம்), which means "logs bound together" and is a type of single-hulled raft made of three to seven tree trunks lashed together. The term has evolved in English usage to refer to unrelated twin-hulled vessels. [2] [3] [4]

Catamaran-type vessels were an early technology of the Austronesian peoples . Early researchers like Heine-Geldern (1932) and Hornell (1943) once believed that catamarans evolved from outrigger canoes , but modern authors specializing in Austronesian cultures like Doran (1981) and Mahdi (1988) now believe it to be the opposite. [5] [6] [1]

Two canoes bound together developed directly from minimal raft technologies of two logs tied together. Over time, the twin-hulled canoe form developed into the asymmetric double canoe, where one hull is smaller than the other. Eventually the smaller hull became the prototype outrigger , giving way to the single outrigger canoe, then to the reversible single outrigger canoe. Finally, the single outrigger types developed into the double outrigger canoe (or trimarans ). [5] [6] [1]

This would also explain why older Austronesian populations in Island Southeast Asia tend to favor double outrigger canoes, as it keeps the boats stable when tacking . But they still have small regions where catamarans and single-outrigger canoes are still used. In contrast, more distant outlying descendant populations in Oceania , Madagascar , and the Comoros , retained the twin-hull and the single outrigger canoe types, but the technology for double outriggers never reached them (although it exists in western Melanesia ). To deal with the problem of the instability of the boat when the outrigger faces leeward when tacking, they instead developed the shunting technique in sailing, in conjunction with reversible single-outriggers. [5] [6] [1] [7] [8]

Despite their being the more "primitive form" of outrigger canoes, they were nonetheless effective, allowing seafaring Polynesians to voyage to distant Pacific islands . [9]

The following is a list of traditional Austronesian catamarans:

• Island Melanesia :
• Fiji : Drua (or waqa tabu )
• Papua New Guinea : Lakatoi
• Tonga : Hamatafua , kalia , tongiaki
• Cook Islands : Vaka katea
• Hawaii : Waʻa kaulua
• Marquesas : Vaka touʻua
• New Zealand : Waka hourua
• Samoa : ʻAlia , amatasi , va'a-tele
• Society Islands : Pahi , tipairua

The first documented example of twin-hulled sailing craft in Europe was designed by William Petty in 1662 to sail faster, in shallower waters, in lighter wind, and with fewer crew than other vessels of the time. However, the unusual design met with skepticism and was not a commercial success. [10] [11]

The design remained relatively unused in the West for almost 160 years until the early 19th-century, when the Englishman Mayflower F. Crisp built a two-hulled merchant ship in Rangoon, Burma . The ship was christened Original . Crisp described it as "a fast sailing fine sea boat; she traded during the monsoon between Rangoon and the Tenasserim Provinces for several years". [12] [13]

Later that century, the American Nathanael Herreshoff constructed a twin-hulled sailing boat of his own design (US Pat. No. 189,459). [14] The craft, Amaryllis , raced at her maiden regatta on June 22, 1876, and performed exceedingly well. Her debut demonstrated the distinct performance advantages afforded to catamarans over the standard monohulls. It was as a result of this event, the Centennial Regatta of the New York Yacht Club, that catamarans were barred from regular sailing classes, and this remained the case until the 1970s. [15] On June 6, 1882, three catamarans from the Southern Yacht Club of New Orleans raced a 15   nm course on Lake Pontchartrain and the winning boat in the catamaran class, Nip and Tuck , beat the fastest sloop's time by over five minutes. [16] [17]

In 1916, Leonardo Torres Quevedo patented a multihull steel vessel named Binave (Twin Ship), a new type of catamaran which was constructed and tested in Bilbao ( Spain ) in 1918. The innovative design included two 30 HP Hispano-Suiza marine engines and could modify its configuration when sailing , positioning two rudders at the stern of each float, with the propellers also placed aft . [18] [19] [20] In 1936, Eric de Bisschop built a Polynesian "double canoe" in Hawaii and sailed it home to a hero's welcome in France. In 1939, he published his experiences in a book, Kaimiloa , which was translated into English in 1940. [21]

Roland and Francis Prout experimented with catamarans in 1949 and converted their 1935 boat factory in Canvey Island , Essex (England), to catamaran production in 1954. Their Shearwater catamarans easily won races against monohulls. Yellow Bird, a 1956-built Shearwater III , raced successfully by Francis Prout in the 1960s, is in the collection of the National Maritime Museum Cornwall . [22] Prout Catamarans , Ltd. designed a mast aft rig with the mast aft of midships to support an enlarged jib—more than twice the size of the design's reduced mainsail; it was produced as the Snowgoose model. [23] The claimed advantage of this sail plan was to diminish any tendency for the bows of the vessel to dig in. [24] [25]

In the mid-twentieth century, beachcats became a widespread category of sailing catamarans, owing to their ease of launching and mass production. In California, a maker of surfboards , Hobie Alter , produced the 250-pound (110   kg) Hobie 14 in 1967, and two years later the larger and even more successful Hobie 16 . As of 2016, the Hobie 16 was still being produced with more than 100,000 having been manufactured. [26]

Catamarans were introduced to Olympic sailing in 1976. The two-handed Tornado catamaran was selected for the multihull discipline in the Olympic Games from 1976 through 2008. It was redesigned in 2000. [27] The foiling Nacra 17 was used in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, which were held in 2021; [28] [29] after the 2015 adoption of the Nacra 15 as a Youth World Championships class and as a new class for the Youth Olympic Games. [30] [31]

Catamarans have two distinct primary performance characteristics that distinguish them from displacement monohull vessels: lower resistance to passage through the water and greater stability (initial resistance to capsize). Choosing between a monohull and catamaran configuration includes considerations of carrying capacity, speed, and efficiency.

At low to moderate speeds, a lightweight catamaran hull experiences resistance to passage through water that is approximately proportional to its speed. A displacement monohull has the same relationship at low speed since resistance is almost entirely due to surface friction. When boat speed increases and waves are generated the resistance is dependant on several design factors, particularly hull displacment to length and hull separation to length ratio, it is a non trivial resistance curve with many small peaks as wave trains at various speeds combine and cancel [32] . [33] For powered catamarans, this implies smaller power plants (although two are typically required). For sailing catamarans, low forward resistance [34] allows the sails to derive power from attached flow , [35] their most efficient mode—analogous to a wing—leading to the use of wingsails in racing craft. [36]

Catamarans rely primarily on form stability to resist heeling and capsize. [33] Comparison of heeling stability of a rectangular-cross section monohull of beam, B , compared with two catamaran hulls of width B /2, separated by a distance, 2× B , determines that the catamaran has an initial resistance to heeling that is seven times that of the monohull. [37] Compared with a monohull, a cruising catamaran sailboat has a high initial resistance to heeling and capsize—a fifty-footer requires four times the force to initiate a capsize than an equivalent monohull. [38]

One measure of the trade-off between speed and carrying capacity is the displacement Froude number (Fn V ) , [39] compared with calm water transportation efficiency . [40] Fn V applies when the waterline length is too speed-dependent to be meaningful—as with a planing hull. [41] It uses a reference length, the cubic root of the volumetric displacement of the hull, V , where u is the relative flow velocity between the sea and ship, and g is acceleration due to gravity :

Calm water transportation efficiency of a vessel is proportional to the full-load displacement and the maximum calm-water speed, divided by the corresponding power required. [42]

Large merchant vessels have a Fn V between one and zero, whereas higher-performance powered catamarans may approach 2.5, denoting a higher speed per unit volume for catamarans. Each type of vessel has a corresponding calm water transportation efficiency, with large transport ships being in the range of 100–1,000, compared with 11-18 for transport catamarans, denoting a higher efficiency per unit of payload for monohulls. [40]

Two advances over the traditional catamaran are the small-waterplane-area twin hull (SWATH) and the wave-piercing configuration—the latter having become a widely favored design.

SWATH reduces wave-generating resistance by moving displacement volume below the waterline, using a pair of tubular, submarine-like hulls, connected by pylons to the bridge deck with a narrow waterline cross-section. The submerged hulls are minimally affected by waves. [43] The SWATH form was invented by Canadian Frederick G. Creed , who presented his idea in 1938 and was later awarded a British patent for it in 1946. It was first used in the 1960s and 1970s as an evolution of catamaran design for use as oceanographic research vessels or submarine rescue ships. [44] In 1990, the US Navy commissioned the construction of a SWATH ship to test the configuration. [45]

SWATH vessels compare with conventional powered catamarans of equivalent size, as follows: [43]

• Larger wetted surface, which causes higher skin friction drag
• Significant reduction in wave-induced drag, with the configuration of struts and submerged hull structures
• Lower water plane area significantly reduces pitching and heaving in a seaway
• No possibility of planing
• Higher sensitivity to loading, which may bring the bridge structure closer to the water

Wave-piercing catamarans (strictly speaking they are trimarans , with a central hull and two outriggers) employ a low-buoyancy bow on each hull that is pointed at the water line and rises aft, up to a level, to allow each hull to pierce waves, rather than ride over them. This allows higher speeds through waves than for a conventional catamaran. They are distinguished from SWATH catamarans, in that the buoyant part of the hull is not tubular. The spanning bridge deck may be configured with some of the characteristics of a normal V-hull, which allows it to penetrate the crests of waves. [46]

Wave-piercing catamaran designs have been employed for yachts, [47] passenger ferries, [48] and military vessels. [49]

A catamaran configuration fills a niche where speed and sea-kindliness is favored over bulk capacity. In larger vessels, this niche favors car ferries and military vessels for patrol or operation in the littoral zone.

Recreational and sport catamarans typically are designed to have a crew of two and be launched and landed from a beach. Most have a trampoline on the bridging structure, a rotating mast and full-length battens on the mainsail. Performance versions often have trapezes to allow the crew to hike out and counterbalance capsize forces during strong winds on certain points of sail. [50]

For the 33rd America's Cup , both the defender and the challenger built 90-foot (27   m) long multihulls. Société Nautique de Genève , defending with team Alinghi , sailed a catamaran. The challenger, BMW Oracle Racing, used a trimaran, replacing its soft sail rig with a towering wing sail —the largest sailing wing ever built. In the waters off Valencia , Spain in February 2010, the BMW Oracle Racing trimaran with its powerful wing sail proved to be superior. This represented a break from the traditional monohulls that had always been sailed in previous America's Cup series. [51]

On San Francisco Bay, the 2013 America's Cup was sailed in 72-foot (22   m) long AC72 catamarans (craft set by the rules for the 2013 America's Cup). Each yacht employed hydrofoils and a wing sail. The regatta was won 9–8 by Oracle Team USA against the challenger, Emirates Team New Zealand , in fifteen matches because Oracle Team USA had started the regatta with a two-point penalty. [52] [53]

Yachting has seen the development of multihulls over 100 feet (30   m) in length. " The Race " helped precipitate this trend; it was a circumnavigation challenge which departed from Barcelona, Spain, on New Year's Eve, 2000. Because of the prize money and prestige associated with this event, four new catamarans (and two highly modified ones) over 100 feet (30   m) in length were built to compete. The largest, PlayStation , owned by Steve Fossett , was 125 feet (38   m) long and had a mast which was 147 feet (45   m) above the water. Virtually all of the new mega-cats were built of pre-preg carbon fiber for strength and the lowest possible weight. The top speeds of these boats can approach 50 knots (58   mph; 93   km/h) . The Race was won by the 33.50   m (109.9   ft) -long catamaran Club Med skippered by Grant Dalton . It went round the globe in 62 days at an average speed of 18 knots (21   mph; 33   km/h) . [54]

Whitewater catamaran—sometimes called "cata-rafts"—for whitewater sports are widely spread in post-Soviet countries . They consists of two inflatable hulls connected with a lattice scaffold. The frame of the tourist catamaran can be made of both aluminum (duralumin) pipes and from felled tree trunks. The inflatable part has two layers—an airtight balloon with inflation holes and a shell made of dense tissue, protecting the balloon from mechanical damage. Advantages of such catamarans are light weight, compactness and convenience in transportation (the whole product is packed in one pack-backpack, suitable for air traffic standards) and the speed of assembly (10–15 minutes for the inflation). [55] All-inflatable models are available in North America. [56] A cata-raft design has been used on the Colorado River to handle heavy whitewater, yet maintain a good speed through the water. [57]

Cruising sailors must make trade-offs among volume, useful load, speed, and cost in choosing a boat. Choosing a catamaran offers increased speed at the expense of reduced load per unit of cost. Howard and Doane describe the following tradeoffs between cruising monohulls and catamarans: [38] A long-distance, offshore cruising monohull may be as short as 30 feet (9.1   m) for a given crew complement and supporting supplies, whereas a cruising catamaran would need to be 40 feet (12   m) to achieve the same capacity. In addition to greater speed, catamarans draw less water than do monohulls— as little as 3 feet (0.91   m) —and are easier to beach. Catamarans are harder to tack and take up more space in a marina. Cruising catamarans entail added expense for having two engines and two rudders. Tarjan adds that cruising catamarans boats can maintain a comfortable 300 nautical miles (350   mi; 560   km) per day passage, with the racing versions recording well over 400 nautical miles (460   mi; 740   km) per day. In addition, they do not heel more than 10-12 degrees, even at full speed on a reach. [58]

Powered cruising catamarans share many of the amenities found in a sail cruising catamaran. The saloon typically spans two hulls wherein are found the staterooms and engine compartments. As with sailing catamarans, this configuration minimizes boat motion in a seaway. [59]

The Swiss-registered wave-piercing catamaran, Tûranor PlanetSolar , which was launched in March 2010, is the world's largest solar powered boat. It completed a circumnavigation of the globe in 2012. [60]

The 1970s saw the introduction of catamarans as high-speed ferries , as pioneered by Westermoen Hydrofoil in Mandal , Norway, which launched the Westamaran design in 1973. [61] The Stena Voyager was an example of a large, fast ferry, typically traveling at a speed of 46 miles per hour (74   km/h) , although it was capable of over 70 miles per hour (110   km/h) . [62]

The Australian island Tasmania became the site of builders of large transport catamarans— Incat in 1977 [63] and Austal in 1988 [64] —each building civilian ferries and naval vessels. Incat built HSC Francisco , a High-Speed trimaran that, at 58 knots, is (as of 2014) the fastest passenger ship in service. [65]

The first warship to be propelled by a steam engine, named Demologos or Fulton and built in the United States during the War of 1812 , was a catamaran with a paddle wheel between her hulls.

In the early 20th Century several catamarans were built as submarine salvage ships: SMS Vulkan and SMS Cyclop of Germany , Kommuna of Russia , and Kanguro of Spain , all designed to lift stricken submarines by means of huge cranes above a moon pool between the hulls. Two Cold War-era submarine rescue ships , USS Pigeon and USS Ortolan of the US Navy , were also catamarans, but did not have the moon pool feature.

The use of catamarans as high-speed naval transport was pioneered by HMAS Jervis Bay , which was in service with the Royal Australian Navy between 1999 and 2001. The US Military Sealift Command now operates several Expeditionary Fast Transport catamarans owned by the US Navy; [66] they are used for high speed transport of military cargo, and to get into shallow ports.

The Makar -class is a class of two large catamaran-hull survey ships built for the Indian Navy . As of 2012, one vessel, INS Makar (J31) , was in service and the second was under construction. [67]

First launched in 2004 at Shanghai, the Houbei class missile boat of the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) has a catamaran design to accommodate the vessel's stealth features. [68]

The Tuo Chiang-class corvette is a class of Taiwanese -designed fast and stealthy multi-mission wave-piercing catamaran corvettes [69] first launched in 2014 for the Republic of China (Taiwan) Navy .

• List of multihulls

Related Research Articles

A multihull is a boat or ship with more than one hull, whereas a vessel with a single hull is a monohull. The most common multihulls are catamarans, and trimarans. There are other types, with four or more hulls, but such examples are very rare and tend to be specialised for particular functions.

A yacht is a sail- or motor-propelled watercraft made for pleasure, cruising, or racing. There is no standard definition, though the term generally applies to vessels with a cabin intended for overnight use. To be termed a yacht , as opposed to a boat , such a pleasure vessel is likely to be at least 33 feet (10 m) in length and may have been judged to have good aesthetic qualities.

A sailboat or sailing boat is a boat propelled partly or entirely by sails and is smaller than a sailing ship. Distinctions in what constitutes a sailing boat and ship vary by region and maritime culture.

A trimaran is a multihull boat that comprises a main hull and two smaller outrigger hulls which are attached to the main hull with lateral beams. Most modern trimarans are sailing yachts designed for recreation or racing; others are ferries or warships. They originated from the traditional double-outrigger hulls of the Austronesian cultures of Maritime Southeast Asia; particularly in the Philippines and Eastern Indonesia, where it remains the dominant hull design of traditional fishing boats. Double-outriggers are derived from the older catamaran and single-outrigger boat designs.

An outrigger is a projecting structure on a boat, with specific meaning depending on types of vessel. Outriggers may also refer to legs on a wheeled vehicle that are folded out when it needs stabilization, for example on a crane that lifts heavy loads.

A monohull is a type of boat having only one hull, unlike multihulled boats which can have two or more individual hulls connected to one another.

Outrigger boats are various watercraft featuring one or more lateral support floats known as outriggers, which are fastened to one or both sides of the main hull. They can range from small dugout canoes to large plank-built vessels. Outrigger boats can also vary in their configuration, from the ancestral double-hull configuration (catamarans), to single-outrigger vessels prevalent in the Pacific Islands and Madagascar, to the double-outrigger vessels (trimarans) prevalent in Island Southeast Asia. They are traditionally fitted with Austronesian sails, like the crab claw sails and tanja sails, but in modern times are often fitted with petrol engines.

Proas are various types of multi-hull outrigger sailboats of the Austronesian peoples. The terms were used for native Austronesian ships in European records during the Colonial era indiscriminately, and thus can confusingly refer to the double-ended single-outrigger boats of Oceania, the double-outrigger boats of Island Southeast Asia, and sometimes ships with no outriggers or sails at all.

A small waterplane area twin hull , better known by the acronym SWATH , is a catamaran design that minimizes hull cross section area at the sea's surface. Minimizing the ship's volume near the surface area of the sea, where wave energy is located, minimizes a vessel's response to sea state, even in high seas and at high speeds. The bulk of the displacement necessary to keep the ship afloat is located beneath the waves, where it is less affected by wave action. Wave excitation drops exponentially as depth increases, so wave action normally does not affect a submerged submarine at all. Placing the majority of a ship's displacement under the waves is similar in concept to creating a ship that rides atop twin submarines.

Hobie Cat is a company that manufactures watercraft and other products as the Hobie Cat Company. "Hobie Cat" can also refer to specific products of the company, notably its sailing catamarans. Its fiberglass catamaran models range in nominal length between 14 feet (4.3 m) and 18 feet (5.5 m). Rotomolded catamaran models range in length between 12 feet (3.7 m) and 17 feet (5.2 m). Other sailing vessels in the Hobie Cat lineup include, monocats, dinghies, and trimarans, ranging in length between 9 feet (2.7 m) and 20 feet (6.1 m). Its largest product was the Hobie 33, 33 feet (10 m) in length. The company's non-sailing product line includes surfboards, kayaks, stand-up paddle boards, pedalboards, eyeware, and e-bikes. It was founded in 1961 by Hobart (Hobie) Alter, who originally manufactured surfboards.

The term beachcat is an informal name for one of the most common types of small recreational sailboats, minimalist 14 to 20 foot catamarans, almost always with a cloth "trampoline" stretched between the two hulls, typically made of fiberglass or more recently rotomolded plastic. The name comes from the fact that they are designed to be sailed directly off a sand beach, unlike most other small boats which are launched from a ramp. The average 8 foot width of the beachcat means it can also sit upright on the sand and is quite stable in this position, unlike a monohull of the same size. The Hobie 14 and Hobie 16 are two of the earliest boats of this type that achieved widespread popularity, and popularized the term as well as created the template for this type of boat.

A wave-piercing boat hull has a very fine bow, with reduced buoyancy in the forward portions. When a wave is encountered, the lack of buoyancy means the hull pierces through the water rather than riding over the top, resulting in a smoother ride than traditional designs, and in diminished mechanical stress on the vessel. It also reduces a boat's wave-making resistance.

A sailing hydrofoil , hydrofoil sailboat , or hydrosail is a sailboat with wing-like foils mounted under the hull. As the craft increases its speed the hydrofoils lift the hull up and out of the water, greatly reducing wetted area, resulting in decreased drag and increased speed. A sailing hydrofoil can achieve speeds exceeding double and in some cases triple the wind speed.

A sailing yacht , is a leisure craft that uses sails as its primary means of propulsion. A yacht may be a sail or power vessel used for pleasure, cruising, or racing. There is no standard definition, so the term applies here to sailing vessels that have a cabin with amenities that accommodate overnight use. To be termed a "yacht", as opposed to a "boat", such a vessel is likely to be at least 33 feet (10 m) in length and have been judged to have good aesthetic qualities. Sailboats that do not accommodate overnight use or are smaller than 30 feet (9.1 m) are not universally called yachts. Sailing yachts in excess of 130 feet (40 m) are generally considered to be superyachts.

VPLP design is a French-based naval architectural firm founded by Marc Van Peteghem and Vincent Lauriot-Prévost, responsible for designing some of the world's most innovative racing boats. Their designs presently hold many of the World Speed Sailing records.

James Wharram was a British multihull pioneer and designer of catamarans.

The Ocean Bird is a class of trimaran sailboat designed by John Westell and produced by Honnor Marine Ltd. at Totnes, Teignmouth in the 1970s, featuring fold-in lateral floats on a webless steel-beam frame chosen to provide stability against heeling, yet allow a compact footprint in harbour.

Kaep is a traditional type of double-ended Proa sailboat native to Palau. Some of the essential design elements have also been adopted as a modern smaller multihull prototype variant.

Polynesian multihull terminology , such as "ama", "aka" and "vaka" are multihull terms that have been widely adopted beyond the South Pacific where these terms originated. This Polynesian terminology is in common use in the Americas and the Pacific but is almost unknown in Europe, where the English terms "hull" and "outrigger" form normal parlance. Outriggers, catamarans, and outrigger boats are a common heritage of all Austronesian peoples and predate the Micronesian and Polynesian expansion into the Pacific. They are also the dominant forms of traditional ships in Island Southeast Asian and Malagasy Austronesian cultures, where local terms are used.

Austronesian vessels are the traditional seafaring vessels of the Austronesian peoples of Taiwan, Maritime Southeast Asia, Micronesia, coastal New Guinea, Island Melanesia, Polynesia, and Madagascar. They also include indigenous ethnic minorities in Vietnam, Cambodia, Myanmar, Thailand, Hainan, the Comoros, and the Torres Strait Islands.

• ↑ "Origin and meaning of catamaran" . Online Etymology Dictionary . Retrieved March 1, 2019 .
• ↑ Lück, Michael (2008). The Encyclopedia of Tourism and Recreation in Marine Environments . Wallingford, UK: CABI. p.   86. ISBN   978-1-84593-350-0 .
• ↑ "Catamaran" . Dictionary.com Unabridged . Random House, inc. 2016.
• 1 2 3 Mahdi, Waruno (1999). "The Dispersal of Austronesian boat forms in the Indian Ocean". In Blench, Roger; Spriggs, Matthew (eds.). Archaeology and Language III: Artefacts languages, and texts . One World Archaeology. Vol.   34. Routledge. pp.   144–179. ISBN   0415100542 .
• 1 2 3 Doran, Edwin B. (1981). Wangka: Austronesian Canoe Origins . Texas A&M University Press. ISBN   9780890961070 .
• ↑ Beheim, B. A.; Bell, A. V. (February 23, 2011). "Inheritance, ecology and the evolution of the canoes of east Oceania" . Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences . 278 (1721): 3089–3095. doi : 10.1098/rspb.2011.0060 . PMC   3158936 . PMID   21345865 .
• ↑ Hornell, James (1932). "Was the Double-Outrigger Known in Polynesia and Micronesia? A Critical Study". The Journal of the Polynesian Society . 41 (2 (162)): 131–143.
• ↑ Kirch, Patrick (2001). Hawaiki . Cambridge University Press. p.   80 . ISBN   978-0-521-78309-5 .
• ↑ "Model of a twin-hulled ship - William Petty" . Royal Society . Retrieved August 8, 2014 .
• ↑ "Sailing with an Achilles' keel | General" . Times Higher Education . September 22, 2000 . Retrieved August 8, 2014 .
• ↑ Bertie Reginald Pearn (1938). A History of Rangoon . Corporation of Rangoon. p.   136.
• ↑ M. F. Crisp (1849). A treatise on marine architecture, elucidating the theory of the resistance of water   : illustrating the form, or model best calculated to unite velocity, buoyancy, stability, strength, etc., in the same vessel   : and finally, adducing the theory of the art of shipbuilding . Maulmein: American Baptist mission press. p.   94.
• ↑ Nathanael Herreshoff (April 10, 1877). "US Patent Number 189459: Improvement in construction of sailing-vessels" .
• ↑ L. Francis Herreshoff. "The Spirit of the Times, November 24, 1877 (reprint)" . Marine Publishing Co., Camden, Maine. Archived from the original on January 24, 2008 . Retrieved December 2, 2014 .
• ↑ Sampsell, Lorillard D. (March 1898), "The Southern Yacht Club of New Orleans" , Outing: Sport, Adventure, Travel Fiction, Volume 31
• ↑ Counce, Oliver J. (2000), "The sesquicentennial of the Southern Yacht Club of New Orleans, 1849-1999   : 150 years of yachting in the Gulf South", Metairie Franklin Southland Printing , OCLC   46836336
• ↑ Aviación Digital (May 31, 2020). "La "Binave" de Torres Quevedo: El precursor de los modernos catamaranes" . Retrieved June 25, 2024 .
• ↑ Rodrigo Pérez Fernández. Francisco A. González Redondo. On the origin, foundational designs and first manufacture of the modern catamaran , International Journal of Maritime History , SAGE Publishing , Volume 34, Issue 3, February 1, 2022.
• ↑ Patentes de invención de Don Leonardo Torres Quevedo , España Registro de la Propiedad Industrial, 1988. ISBN 84-86857-50-3
• ↑ The Voyage of the Kaimiloa , London, 1940 (translated from French: Kaimiloa   : D'Honolulu à Cannes par l'Australie et Le Cap, à bord d'une double pirogue polynésienne ), Editions Plon, Paris, 1939 ( Au delà des horizons lointains 1 ).
• ↑ Bird, Vanessa (2013). Classic Classes . A&C Black. p.   65. ISBN   9781408158906 . Retrieved January 27, 2016 .
• ↑ Charles E. Kanter (November 2001). "Reviewing the Prout Snowgoose 34 catamaran" . Southwinds Sailing . Archived from the original on May 19, 2006 . Retrieved February 27, 2019 .
• ↑ Sailor's multihull guide to the best cruising catamarans & trimarans . Jeffrey, Kevin, 1954-, Jeffrey, Nan, 1949-, Kanter, Charles E., 1930- (3rd   ed.). Belfast, P.E.I.: Avalon House. 2002. ISBN   0962756288 . OCLC   51112242 . {{ cite book }} : CS1 maint: others ( link )
• ↑ Andrews, Jim (1974). Catamarans for cruising . London: Hollis and Carter. ISBN   0370103394 . OCLC   1273831 .
• ↑ "Hobie 16 2012 Class Report 2012" (PDF) . Retrieved October 1, 2015 .
• ↑ Forbes, John; Young, Jim (2003). "A Brief Tornado History—The Story of the Tornado, the Olympic Catamaran" . International Tornado Class Association . Retrieved January 27, 2016 . .
• ↑ Nelson, Gunnar (November 15, 2016). "World Sailing confirms Nacra 17 Foiling version for Tokyo 2020" . catsailingnews.com . Catamaran Racing News and Design . Retrieved August 21, 2017 .
• ↑ Wong, Jonathan (October 18, 2015). "Perfecting their craft" . The Straits Times . Singapore Press Holdings Ltd . Retrieved November 1, 2017 .
• ↑ "Youth World Sailing Championship – Multihull selection" . sailing.org.au . Australian Sailing . Retrieved August 21, 2017 .
• ↑ Johnson, Tim. "Nacra 15 selected as the next Youth multihull" . Yachts and Yachting .com . YY Online Services Ltd . Retrieved August 21, 2017 .
• ↑ Principals of Naval Architecture SNAME
• 1 2 Garrett, Ross (January 1, 1996). The Symmetry of Sailing: The Physics of Sailing for Yachtsmen . Sheridan House, Inc. p.   133. ISBN   9781574090000 .
• ↑ Yang, C.; Löhner, R.; Soto, O. (August 22, 2001). "Optimization of a wave-cancellation multihull using CFD tools". In Wu, You-Sheng; Guo-Jun Zhou; Wei-Cheng Cui (eds.). Practical Design of Ships and Other Floating Structures: Eighth International Symposium . Vol.   1. China: Elsevier. ISBN   9780080539355 .
• ↑ Weltner, Klaus (January 1987). "A comparison of explanations of the aerodynamic lifting force". American Journal of Physics . 55 (1): 52. Bibcode : 1987AmJPh..55...50W . doi : 10.1119/1.14960 .
• ↑ Nielsen, Peter (May 14, 2014). "Have Wingsails Gone Mainstream?" . Sail Magazine . Interlink Media . Retrieved January 24, 2015 .
• ↑ Biran, Adrian; Pulido, Ruben Lopez (2013). Ship Hydrostatics and Stability (2   ed.). Butterworth-Heinemann. p.   67. ISBN   978-0080982908 .
• 1 2 Howard, Jim; Doane, Charles J. (2000). Handbook of Offshore Cruising: The Dream and Reality of Modern Ocean Cruising . Sheridan House, Inc. pp.   36–8. ISBN   1574090933 . Retrieved January 27, 2016 .
• ↑ Newman, John Nicholas (1977). Marine hydrodynamics . Cambridge, Massachusetts: MIT Press . p.   28 . ISBN   0-262-14026-8 . .
• 1 2 Watson, D. G. M. (2002). Practical Ship Design . Elsevier Ocean Engineering Book Series. Vol.   1 (Revised   ed.). Gulf Professional Publishing. pp.   47–48. ISBN   0080440541 . See Fig. 2.1 'Slender' and 'Swath' figures.
• ↑ Wilson, F.W.; Vlars, P.R. (September 1981). "Operational Characteristics Comparisons" . AIAA 6th Marine Systems Conference . American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics: 11 . Retrieved March 31, 2017 .
• ↑ Eames, Michael C. (April 15, 1980). "Advances is Naval Architecture for Surface Naval Ships" (PDF) . Proceedings . London: Royal Institution of Naval Architects: 31. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 1, 2016 . Retrieved January 31, 2016 .
• 1 2 Misra, Suresh Chandra (2015). Design Principles of Ships and Marine Structures . CRC Press. ISBN   978-1482254471 . Retrieved January 27, 2016 .
• ↑ Helfers, John (2006). The Unauthorized Dan Brown Companion . Kensington Publishing Corp. p.   271. ISBN   0806535806 . Retrieved January 27, 2016 .
• ↑ Jane's high-speed marine craft (24   ed.). Jane's Information Group. 1991. ISBN   0710612664 . Retrieved January 27, 2016 .
• ↑ Husick, Charles B. (2009). Chapman Piloting, Seamanship and Small Boat Handling . Sterling Publishing Company, Inc. p.   16. ISBN   9781588167446 . Retrieved January 26, 2016 .
• ↑ Caprio, Dennis (July 2001). "Loomes 83" . Yachting . Vol.   190, no.   1. pp.   81–84. ISSN   0043-9940 . Retrieved January 26, 2016 .
• ↑ Yun, Liang; Bliault, Alan (July 8, 2014). High Performance Marine Vessels . Springer Science & Business Media. p.   206. ISBN   978-1-4614-0868-0 . Retrieved January 26, 2016 .
• ↑ Brumley, Jeff (October 5, 2011). "Unusual ship visits Mayport after 6-month deployment to African waters" . Florida Times-Union . Jacksonville . Retrieved January 26, 2016 .
• ↑ Berman, Phil (March 1982). Catamaran Sailing: From Start to Finish . W. W. Norton & Co. Inc. ISBN   978-0393000849 .
• ↑ "BMW Oracle wins America's Cup" . ESPN. Associated Press. February 14, 2010 . Retrieved January 27, 2016 .
• ↑ "Ben Ainslie's USA beat Team New Zealand in decider" . BBC Sport . September 26, 2013 . Retrieved September 26, 2013 .
• ↑ "Oracle Team USA completes greatest comeback in America's Cup history, defeating Emirates New Zealand" . New York Daily News . September 25, 2013. Archived from the original on September 29, 2013 . Retrieved September 26, 2013 .
• ↑ Zimmermann, Tim (2004). The Race: Extreme Sailing and Its Ultimate Event: Nonstop, Round-the-World, No Holds Barred . Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. ISBN   0547347065 .
• ↑ Fox, Peter (May 26, 2016). "Cataraft Testing on the Clackamas River" . Northwest Rafting Company . Retrieved March 3, 2019 .
• ↑ Steelhammer, Rick. "WV guides on US team in world whitewater rafting championship" . Charleston Gazette-Mail . Retrieved March 3, 2019 .
• ↑ Lindeman, Phil (January 31, 2017). "Take 5: On the Grand Canyon 'cataraft' with the U.S. Whitewater Rafting Team" . Summit Daily . Retrieved March 3, 2019 .
• ↑ Tarjan, Gregor (2007). Catamarans: The Complete Guide for Cruising Sailors . McGraw Hill. ISBN   9780071596220 . Retrieved January 25, 2016 .
• ↑ Sass, George Jr. (October 3, 2007). "Lagoon Power 43—An exceptional first powerboat from a builder of sailing cats" . Yachting . Retrieved January 25, 2016 .
• ↑ Gieffers, Hanna (May 4, 2012). "Ankunft in Monaco: Solarboot schafft Weltumrundung in 584 Tagen" . Spiegel Online (in German) . Retrieved May 5, 2012 .
• ↑ "First Westamaran Revisited" (PDF) . Classic Fast Ferries. October 7, 2003.
• ↑ Bowen, David (May 4, 1996). "Forget the tunnel; all the talk on the high seas is of 50   mph (80   km/h) super ferries. And Britain doesn't make any of them" . The Independent . London . Retrieved January 29, 2016 .
• ↑ "History" . Incat. 2016. Archived from the original on October 5, 2013 . Retrieved January 27, 2016 .
• ↑ "Our story" . Austal. 2016 . Retrieved January 27, 2016 .
• ↑ Note: Because many of the fast multihull ferries are known as "SeaCats", it is presumed that they are catamarans; in fact they are trimarans with a large centre hull.
• ↑ "Strategic Sealift (PM3)" . www.msc.navy.mil . Archived from the original on June 27, 2008 . Retrieved November 1, 2015 .
• ↑ "INS Makar commissioned into the Indian Navy" . Economic Times . September 21, 2012 . Retrieved September 1, 2013 .
• ↑ Axe, David (August 4, 2011). "China Builds Fleet of Small Warships While U.S. Drifts" . Wired.com . Retrieved February 4, 2012 .
• ↑ "Taiwan Navy Takes Delivery of First Stealth 'Carrier Killer' Corvette" . December 24, 2014.
• Marchaj, C. A. (2000). Aero-Hydrodynamics of Sailing . Tiller Publishing. ISBN   1-888671-18-1 .

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•     Broadblue 346
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•     Excess 11
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• Fountaine Pajot
•     FP 32 Maldives
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•     Xquisite X5
•     Xquisite X5+

Catalac Catamaran History

• Post author By Rick
• Post date June 28, 2010
• 9 Comments on Catalac Catamaran History

Following the successful development with Bill O’Brien of the Bobcat Catamaran in the 1960s, Tom Lack Catamarans LTD  specialized in building these early cruising catamarans. In fact, they built hundreds of Bobcat Catamarans. It was 1970 when they came to the decision to end building O’Brien’s Bobcat and working with boat designer John Winterbotham, created their own design, the Catalac 9M. This marked the beginning of the Catalac line of cruising catamarans.  

The Catalac 9M was formally introduced in 1970, followed by the Catalac 8M in 1975, 12M and then the 10M. The boats had a stellar reputation for build quality and seaworthiness. Close to 1000 cruising catamarans were built by the Lack family, 600 of them were  Catalacs, making them a cruising catamaran success story as well as one of the pioneers in multihulls. A related footnote is that boat builder Tony Smith of Performance Cruising Inc. (Gemini Catamarans) also worked for O’Brien at that time. It’s no coincidence that the layout of Gemini’s and Catalacs are very similar.

“Another interesting bit of history. One of the Catalac rivals in the early 1970’s was the Aristocat. It failed to sell as it wasn’t as good a boat as the Catalac. Years later Tony Smith got the Aristocat moulds and it became the first Gemini. Which maybe gives an indication as to how good the Catalac actually is.”  Richard Woods of Woods Designs www.sailingcatamarans.com

There was at least one “official” upgrade of the Catalac 8M’s and 9M’s, which was the Mk II about 1980. The company directly addressed the windward performance complaints received, and introduced a newly designed skeg hung rudder system. This modification was a success and greatly improved the windward performance of the boats. The new design was applied to all boat designs going forward.

It is believed that there were some additional improvements as well: modifying the mould to include steps on the forward cabin between the windows for easy access to the cabin top, a square window replaced the round one in head and aft cabin/storage area. There had also been different engines  mounted over the years but those are not structural.

Production of Catalac Catamarans made by the Lack family ceased around 1985, after Tom Lack was seriously injured in an auto accident. Family tragedies usually come at a poor time and this was no exception. The introduction of the 12 meter Catalac at this time put unusual financial strains on the company, as the boat was a huge success at American boat shows. Alas, the company did not survive the combination of these events.

After 1985 production becomes confused with some boat repair boats finished and sold by Lacks sons and or builders associated with them. Additional boats were made/sold by several builders including  Catalac  Catamarans LTD (not related to the Lack family), which appears to have been the most successful making 10M’s until 1989. After the demise of CCC, John Lack (Tom’s son) was to finish two 10M’s for owners who had boats that had been started but not finished by CCC, and was producing Catalac 8M’s through at least 1990.

The Next Evolution

Sometime around 1995 the British boat builder  Hythe Marine Services LTD  of Southampton, started making the Catalac 11M, a updated 10M with “stern scoops” which increased  LOA by some 1.5 ft (.6 meters), and rerouted all sail control lines to the cockpit. They also featured handcrafted interior joinery and plush upholstery. While the boat received great reviews and from all reports was well made, sailed and motored better than the Catalac 10M, it was not a sales success. I have a letter sent to a 10M owner where they were exploring an upgrade, and have added the Catalac 11M data to the menu bar. 

During this same time period  Blue Water Catalacs Ltd,  bought the 8m/9M moulds and a “new” 9M came on the market, renamed the Catalac 900. The boat was modified by eliminating the main hatch and extending the ‘doghouse’ into a completely sealed cabin with cockpit entry door. Unfortunately, it was less than a sales success story, in that only 26 boats were manufactured during the company’s existence over 10 years.

I received an email from Nibby David, who lives in Seaton, East Devon, UK concerning the Catalac moulds. He has personally seen the moulds for the 12 meter Catalac at Burnham-on-Sea boatyard, Somerset, Bristol Channel west coast UK, and is fairly certain John Lack still has the 8M moulds, He also reports that the 9M moulds were bought by Blue Water Catalacs and moved to Piddlehinton in Dorset. This was the basis for the Catalac 900. As a side note, Blue Water Catalacs also moulded a few of the Solaris range of cats. However, John Lack disagrees. He told me that he doesn’t have the 8M moulds. 

John Lack also told me that he believes the 10m Catalac moulds used once by a Company in Hythe, near Southampton, following the demise of Catalac Catamarans, were cut up and discarded. John confirmed the 12m Catalac moulds were last known to be in the Weston Super Mare area of the West Country in the UK.

Owner of a Catalac 8M and Catamaransite webmaster.

9 replies on “Catalac Catamaran History”

Great article on Catalac history. Does this mean that the 10M is not of the same high quality as the original 8/9M? “After 1985 production becomes confused with some boat repair boats finished and sold by Lacks sons and or builders associated with them. Additional boats were made/sold by several builders including Catalac Catamarans LTD (not related to the Lack family), which appears to have been the most successful making 10M’s until 1989.’

I’m not sure how to answer a question about what happened 35 years ago. Let me say this. There is a story that the firm awarded the contract to design the Catalac 10M assigned the task to a recent university graduate. His roommate at the time, told me the story. His design was done in Metric which was little understood at the time. In converting metric to imperial, they made errors. When building the 10Ms, they used twice as much fiberglass as needed making them twice as strong as designed. I personally installed a windlass on a 10M and saw this for myself. The foredeck was 3 inches thick. These boats are fine. — Rick

Hello Rick, my name is Philippe Honorat (French). I have a question; do you know the hull number of the two catalac 900 with two helms. Thank you very much for your response and this very helpful CatamaranSite!! Regards Philippe

Thank you for your technicle dilligence…Facts versus fiction my desire…Is it true the 9 and 8 M boats with optional inboard vs outboard engines retaining or disgarding the prop shapht seal as a form of excess maintainence expence what is the dry dock experinece two that end…?…Does that same option appear on the 12,10 M ect…I am not a sailer but within a previous life i think. Its my goal two atain ownership what is a fine boat bi all acounts but as a new comer i have found sailing isnt the point and shoot afair it seams two be…Many a newcomer has learned the hidden expence what appears two be a vacation enviroment…Thusly my interest in the maintainence aspect of what would be my first boat…Seems two me the less time in dry dock the beter…Enamored…Eric…

I think you’re asking if the additional maintenance required by inboard diesel engines, is worth the cost? The answer is, it depends. Longshaft outboards work just fine, but have limitations. First, the outboards have tiny alternators which recharge batteries much slower than inboards do. Then there is the outboard cavitation issue in moderate seas as the propeller can actually leave the water instead of propelling the boat. Cruising range under power can be more than 1000 Kilometers with diesel engines, and a fraction of that with outboards. Lastly the twin throttles of the inboards allow for incredible maneuvering within marinas. So, there are benefits to having the inboards, but it depends if any of this is important to you.

Indeed…i didnt think about the charging of bateries relation two alternator i stand corrected on that front…I think that is due two my inexperience as i rely upon my info from what i research there has been nothing on that differnce untill now…Manuvering i understand asweell the rough seas what would be prop out of water but you know marco polo…hahaha…Thankyou for your wizdom and experince fair winds and glassy sea…

Hello What an excellent forum. I was glad to stumble on all this information and positive comments about the Catalac. In 1969 I was an apprentice working for M.G.Duff and partners Ltd. Tom Lack invited John to design the Cat that Lacks Nothing and John (bravely) asked me to do the styling. He had done all the clever work so all I had to do was design it’s appearance. This was really exciting opportunity and I was given a free hand. I wanted to give the craft a distinctive profile, which explains the broken sheer and what I hoped would be an elegant bow. To my surprise, John was happy with my styling and I was lucky enough to be on the Stand with a scale model later on at The Boat Show. Those were great days, especially for a 17 year old. Safe seas and happy sailing.

Nick, I’m happy you discovered our website. Please post more about your Catalac experiences. – Rick

What an interesting site.

I’m the proud owner of 9/183. A mark 2, 9M Catalac on which I have lived for the past two years.

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How It All Started

A letter from the founder.

To understand Aspen Power Catamaran’s goals and philosophy, you need a little history. My dad, Dave Graf, introduced me to boating and instilled in me a love of the outdoors. Throughout my youth we spent our summer vacations exploring, fishing, camping, and hiking in and around the San Juan Islands, the Washington Coast and Puget Sound. Our first boat trips were done in an 18-foot, plywood fiberglass cruiser that Dad built. Later, we moved up to a 24-footer, then a 26, and finally, to a 42-footer. The boats were our vehicles, and the fun was in the places we went and the things we did together. I remember getting up before sunrise to catch the morning bite, seeing the sun roll around and break through to melt the fog, hauling in salmon almost as big as me, and exploring small islands on a warm sunny day. These are the memories that last and shape my views of fun to this day.

At the age of 32, I realized that the entrepreneur in me had to escape. As a design engineer, I had developed more than 75 innovative consumer products for a variety of companies in the automotive, powerboat, and quality fitness equipment industries. My passion for engineering really took off in 1980 when I was studying at Western Washington University and joined the Viking Car Program where we designed and built aerodynamic cars that achieve fuel economy upwards of 100mpg, winning competitions around the country. All the books I had read on starting a company said to do it in an area in which you feel great passion. Deciding that boating was the field was easy, I had owned 17 boats myself by this point! Creating a new, special niche was more work. My underlying goal and thought process was that a better mousetrap was needed. I thought that if I could bring the ride, stability, and comfort of larger boats into a smaller, trailerable boat, that boaters would beat a path to my door.

Starting with a fresh outlook to solve the ride and comfort issues, the displacement, catamaran hull concept evolved. It was developed and tested over a six-month period with scale models in 1987. A full-scale engineering test boat was built in 1988 and the first Glacier Bay production catamarans were introduced in 1990 to a boating world that had no idea what it was.

Through the years of Glacier Bay, 1990 – 2007, the company grew to building 358 boats a year with 205 employees. We became the world’s largest cat builder with 35 dealers, and sales in 7 different countries globally.

In the fall of 2007, I began developing the next line of exceptionally efficient cruisers, “Aspen”. The design stemmed from the ability to operate Glacier Bays off one engine, but with slight counter steering. The concept of designing an asymmetrical hull shape then evolved, to correct for the offset thrust. I suspected that if I could design a full displacement catamaran that operated under one diesel inboard engine that the fuel efficiency would be unparalleled.

In the spring of 2008, I began constructing the first prototype with my son Nick. Like the first Glacier Bay prototype, this began in a small shop alongside my house. After months of development, we tested the first prototype with sea trials in September of 2008. The performance results of that first sea trial were astounding and surpassed what I initially thought was possible. By February 2009 we had dialed in the final details of the prototype hull and took the boat to the Miami International Boat Show. Two years later we would return and win the award for Innovation of the Year, competing against the world’s largest companies.

By January 2010 we had developed the first Aspen C90 Cruiser and displayed it at the Seattle Boat Show where we pre-sold 8 boats. Over the following three years we built 19 C90s in the 4,000 square foot shop alongside my house in Snohomish, Washington with a team of 7 employees. During this time, we partnered with Nordic Tugs out of Burlington, Washington for the fiberglass construction.

After listening to our customers express a desire for a larger cockpit and larger engine, we began developing the 32’ Aspen C100 in 2012. In January 2013 we debuted the C100 at the Seattle Boat Show where sales were amazing. The C100 offered a cockpit that was 4’ longer than the C90, higher tunnel clearance for a slightly softer ride, and a Volvo D3 220hp engine that provided higher cruise speeds.

It was also in 2012 that the design of the 40’ Aspen C120 began. Starting with drawings, and then eventually a full-size chipboard mockup.

In June 2014 my son Nick, friend Dave Boner and I embarked on the Pacific Challenge put on by Pacific Yachting magazine. On this trip we circumnavigated Vancouver Island non-stop traversing 557 miles, in 47 hours and 5 minutes, consuming only 267 gallons of diesel. To this day we hold the record.

At this stage, in 2014, the company had outgrown that 4,000 square foot shop alongside my house, so we moved production into Nordic Tug’s facilities in Burlington, Washington. It was also at this time that we began development and tooling on the next big step for Aspen, the 40’ Aspen C120. This 40’x14’ yacht hit the water in the spring of 2015. To our delight, we proved that the patented proa hull design scales beautifully, and in fact only gets better. As of the summer of 2022 there are 23 C120’s cruising the waters around the United States.

It was in the fall of 2015 that Aspen moved out of Nordic Tugs facilities after acquiring two new facilities of our own in Burlington, Washington with a total of 33,000 square feet at that time. This included both assembly and our own lamination building. By early 2016 the facilities were fully up and running.

Always having a thirst for adventure, from May 2017 to October 2018 we partnered with a new C120 owner to journey 10,502 miles from the Pacific Northwest to Annapolis, Maryland on an expedition we called the Aspen 10,000 Mile Tour. This voyage included cruising North to the glaciers of Alaska, before heading down the Pacific Coast, around the Baja Peninsula into the Sea of Cortez Mexico. The C120 was then portaged by truck to Texas where the journey continued across the Gulf of Mexico, through the Florida Keys, and up the eastern seaboard to arrive in Annapolis, Maryland for the 2018 Annapolis Boat Show. We averaged 19.5mph, getting an average fuel economy of 1.48mpg, and a top speed of 32mph surfing down the California coast (per the Garmin chartplotter).

In 2018 we won the Family Business Award for Innovation from Seattle Business Magazine. This was a really cool award… maybe the coolest. As an engineer in the innovation category, I don’t know if it gets any better than receiving an award for working with your family that you love. Today I work with my son Nick, Aspen’s Sales Director, my son Steve, the Financial Controller, and my son-in-law Brandon, the Service Manager.

Putting my engineering and design hat back on, we followed the market and Aspen’s first asymmetrical outboard powered hull launched in June 2018. This new design featured dissimilar powered outboards to match the asymmetrical hulls, with a 70hp on port and a 200hp on starboard. This new outboard design was applied to the C100, and the 34’ C107 was introduced the fall of 2018.

To prove the capabilities of this new outboard design I thought up a new, albeit crazy adventure. We decided to take the outboard prototype boat down the Mackenzie River in Canada to the Arctic Ocean in July 2019 in a promotion we called Aspen’s Arctic Adventure. This was an epic journey through the untamed Canadian wilderness, down an uncharted river 1,120 miles to the Arctic Ocean, and then back up the river to return to where we launched.

In the summer of 2020, we expanded operations even further, acquiring a 17,400 square foot building to be home for Aspen’s Service Department and a second lamination facility for the C120 line. By fall of 2021 we acquired another 5,000 square foot building for sub-assembly, across the street from our main assembly building.

Today, Aspen builds 7 models in a modern 48,000 square foot campus in the Pacific Northwest with a team of more than 44 skilled boat builders. The company has become quite successful, and I am very proud of our products, and our team including my family. I am also confident that if you have, or will be purchasing an Aspen Power Catamaran, you will be proud to own one of the most advanced and innovative boats available.

Larry Graf, Founder / Designer

Glacier Bay Roots

Engineering development begins on high-speed, displacement cat hull shapes. A series of one-eighth scale, tow tank models are built to develop and then refine a new hull shape that runs at high speeds with the express goal of NOT planing. A great deal was learned with the scale models about what shapes performed, which ones didn’t and why.

Construction begins on a full-scale 22-foot engineering prototype (tongue and groove cedar strips with fiberglass-epoxy covering). It was constructed alongside Larry Graf’s home after hours, weekends and holidays.

Engineering prototype is ready for the water after more than 2,000 hours of “after hours” assembly.

Launching of the first hull.

Spring 1988-1989

Testing of full-scale prototype. After refinements, the 2,200-pound boat ran 22mph with a single 60hp outboard. It was tested in Puget Sound, the Straits of Juan de Fuca, the Pacific Ocean, and the Canadian Gulf Islands.

Introduction of the first tooled production model a Glacier Bay 248 at the Seattle International Boat Show. It was powered by a single 90hp outboard and included an aft head compartment and a queen size cuddy cabin berth.

First twin engine GB 248T introduced. Production moves to Arlington, WA. 3,000 sq. ft. facility w/ 8 employees.

Glacier Bay 252 Explorer Cuddy Cabin introduced. They were popular in Hawaii. Introduced the Glacier Bay 220 Center Console, 90hp engines, top speeds of 38mph.

The GB 260 Canyon Runner series is introduced with additional hull refinements for enhanced tracking, stability and heavy-load carrying performance – sold 56 at first show, market leader in FL. In 1996, this model was the first outboard-powered boat in history to run at speed from Norfolk, Virginia, to Bermuda – 728 miles nonstop – to win Boating’s Bermuda Challenge!

The 2670 Isle Runner Cuddy Cabin was introduced. Additional 8,000 sq. ft. leased facilities, team grows to 55.

Completed 1,378-mile delivery trip in 7-days from Oahu to Midway Island with a 260 Canyon Runner and a 2680 Coastal Runner with one refueling stop at Turn Island.

Spring/Summer

The 2680-90 Coastal Runners make their debut and complete two, incredible Alaskan adventures. One was a 2,700-mile run up the Pacific Coast to Prince William Sound and then across the Gulf of Alaska to Homer. A second adventure trip ran from Nome across the Bering Strait to Russia-Siberia and back.

the GB 2640 Renegade is introduced – the first GB, dual console, family sport-boat cat.

The 2240 dual console, family sport-boat with easily accessible head compartment and extra-large swim platform. Sales Zoom! 

The 3470-80 Ocean Runner sedan express cruiser twin diesel is introduced with an 8,400-mile Grand Americas Trip from Seattle to Portland, Maine. Production team grows to 150. Sold 74 Ocean Runners over the following 18-months.

Glacier Bay purchases new 7-acre complex. The new building design incorporates the latest technology into every aspect of the facility. With lamination combined facilities totals 128,000 sq. ft.

The first diesel inboard boat launched at Miami International Boat Show.

the 3065 Canyon Runner joins the fleet with new Quantum hull, and amazing blue water fishing features.

Company books 358 boats for 2007 model year, 205 employees, 35 dealers, and sales in 7 countries around the world. Becomes largest cat builder in the world.

Aspen Key Milestones

Larry transitions to start new proa cat company – “Aspen”. Engineering and design of the Aspen hull form begins.

Construction of the first Aspen prototype begins in a shop alongside Larry’s house.

First sea trials of the Aspen prototype. Results surpass expectations, measuring 4.8mpg running at 17.5mph.

Prototype is debuted at the Miami International Boat Show.

The 28’ C90 is introduced at the Seattle Boat Show where 8 are pre-sold. Assembly team grows to 7, and partnership with Nordic Tugs is established for manufacturing of the fiberglass parts.

The C90 is debuted at the Miami International Boat Show where the award for Innovation of the Year is won, competing against the world’s largest companies.

Tooling of the 32’ C100 begins, lengthening the cockpit of the C90 by 4’ and housing a larger 220hp engine. The design and development of the 40’ C120 begins.

The C100 is introduced at the Seattle Boat Show where sales were amazing. Also at the show was a full-size chipboard mockup of the interior of the Aspen C120.

Production moves to Burlington, Washington where Aspen leases 50% of Nordic Tugs facilities. Tooling of the C120 begins. Team grows to 15 employees.

The Pacific Challenge is won with a C100, circumnavigating Vancouver Island non-stop, 557 miles in 47 hours and 5 minutes, consuming only 267 gallons of diesel.

The C120 is launched for sea trials with minimal adjustments needed, proving that the patented proa hull design scales beautifully, and in fact only gets better.

Aspen leaves Nordic Tugs facilities, acquiring an assembly and lamination building in Burlington, Washington for a total of 33,000 square feet. Aspen begins laminating their own fiberglass parts.

New facilities are fully updated and operational. Production of C90s, C100s, and C120s are all underway. Team grows to 25 employees.

May 2017 – October 2018

Aspen partners with new C120 owners for the 10,000 Mile Tour, journeying 10,502 miles from the Pacific Northwest to the glaciers of Alaska, down the Pacific Coast, around the Baja Peninsula into the Sea of Cortez Mexico. After a truck portage to Texas the journey continues across and through the Gulf of Mexico, through the Florida Keys, and up the eastern seaboard to arrive in Annapolis, Maryland for the 2018 Annapolis Boat Show. The average speed was 19.5mph, getting an average fuel economy of 1.48mpg, and a top speed of 32mph surfing down the California coast (per the Garmin chartplotter).

The first asymmetrically L107 outboard powered Aspen prototype is launched.

An Aspen C100 being towed to California is involved in a freeway crash where the boat takes on a concrete jersey barrier, and wins. On seen cleanup crews said highway boat accidents typically involve sweeping up the pieces of the vessel but the Aspen is completely intact. The boat is refurbished and cruises Puget Sound today.

The 34’ C107 is introduced. This is the sister ship of the C100, with the same interior configurations but powered by outboards.

Aspen is awarded the Family Business Award for Innovation from Seattle Business Magazine.

Aspen wins Manufacturer of the Year Award in the small company category from Seattle Business Magazine. This is one of Washington state’s most acclaimed manufacturing industry tributes.

Arctic Adventure trip with the Aspen L107 outboard prototype. 1,120 miles down the uncharted Mackenzie River to the Arctic Ocean through untamed Canadian wilderness and back.

Design and development of the 35’ outboard powered C108 begins.

The first C108 is delivered. On the owner’s first ride they were slicing through 3-4 footers at 21mph and “high fiving” with delight in how she ran.

Operations are expanded further with a 17,400 square foot building for the Service Department and a second lamination facility for the C120 line. Team grows to 35 employees.

5,000 square foot sub-assembly building is acquired across the street from the main assembly building.

Patent No. US 8,109,221 B2

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