Hi Grob
Wow ,really nice looking hull . thanks for posting the pic , I,m a fan of MM cat designs , their most recent A Class cat looks great .
I have something called Data cad 10 but hardly use it ,-I,m one of those dinosaurs that still use a pencil , so I,m not much help but like the idea.
Some classes like the Tornado for example are common knowledge and made available for home construction .Lines sections and volume calc -PC # wetted surface ,--CLR CE sail plan etc would be fun for those types ,--but we will have to be carefull about newer designs by individual firms and I suspect get their permission .
The intelectual property aspect I think would protect the authors rights on other designs so we should be carefull,--not a lawyer but this most likely would fall into this category even though all basic boats are published with {class} specifications ,though these just basics as per rated Length -board area- board depth- rated weight and rated sail area per ISAF requirements. The hull sections lines and actual design may be something the designer wants to sell themselves or not made available to a competitive design firm .
I,m sure the interpretation and laws may be different in various countries on intelectual property ,-It protects your fold up 4 huller as well, though you may have an actual patent and international patent on it ,
The intent is an excellent one -scientific research ,and this would really help many sailors to understand the basics of design and serve potential Formula Classes and help refine catamaran rating ,
-but again some newer designs may be off limits and may conflict with a design firms wishes .
Maybe someone more knowledgable on this would comment on designs off limits and those that are O K to examine in detail with hull sections and specifics of basic design .
We could start with the Tornado which is used as a benchmark of sorts for cat design , suggest just posting the pic , L and basic section dimentions then let others calc the various comparisons at various angles of heel and submersion from sail forces and crew weight .
There is some nice looking boat specific cad software available
http://home.att.net/~hcyoung/ http://www.vacantisw.com/http://www.westlawn.org/student_center/yacht_design_software.shtml A group just started a Formula 14 class concept with fairly open rules , just L 14,3 and a 24 ft mast with 300 sq ft max sail area in any configuration .
Unlimited beam ,-any sail plan configuration within 24 ft
any hull shape or number of -hulls .
Some have built ht type 14s that weight 107Lbs ,-
there are production types like Mystere 4,3
H-14 Trac 14 N 450 Wave -the production boats weight 240 and up ---Some design comparison and performance annalysis might be fun there ,--It would help future F-14 rules and the potential of sub categories as numbers grow in class --They may have 3 eventually that they find needed
due to potential speed differences .--antisipate a HT Category for lightweight designs that will include the more experimental type creations allowed within open rules ,like 14 ft beam craft with 2 masts ,-or a tri configuration or tunnen hull scow type .--a Production category for 230 and up weight boats that will be the majority at first in another category .
Beyond C Class cats with solid wing sails the only other development classes are the A Class with 7.5 beam limits and no angled boards ,150 sq ft sail ar ,-160 min weight ,
and the seldom built 18 sq class with unlimited beam on 18 ft L and 193 sq ft of sail . It would be good to see this type of class in this size renued maybe longer with spin added .
The C class designs at 25 ft and 14 beam with 300 max sail area due to its light weight to length ratio seem to concentrate on minimizing wetted surface area in hull design .
The new F-14s present a completely different set of problems due to human scale -weight ,-sail forces etc .
It might be interesting to take some existing hull design and just try variables out on it ,--like wider transom on an A class cat design ,then predict its speed potential comparison ,-though they wildthing downwind .
The variables are really interesting and think evan experienced designers often fool themselves with test tank type and formula data between theory and practical function.
Inspiration and insight being wonderfull unknown human quantities.
Maybe we could pick a Length class category and start there and examine one a week . It is very boring stuff for some ,--maybe Rick would add a design -build specific forum category for those interested.
I,m strictly an amature ,but always interested in learning more
