Experimental and Numerical Evaluation of an innovative Planing hull

In this paper the static and dynamic behaviour of an innovative hull is studied. The hull, called Y-Hull, consists of an hybrid structure between a catamaran and a mono hull; it was tested in the towing tank at the laboratories of the University of Trieste. The most distinctive feature is the presence of a central tunnel that affects the back part of the hull. In its foeward part, the hull has a geometry similar to conventional hulls with a very marked V shape. This allows to have good directional characteristics and a good seakeeping in rough sea conditions. The aft part has the typical form of multihull with the hige difference that the area affected by the presence of the tunnel lies Always below the water plane. This work shows the interresting results of the tests performed in the tank and a series of numerical tests performed with the aim to develop future enhancements. Numerical simulations were carried out in order to understand the distribution of pressure on the bottom. In this way it was possible to perform appropriate shape optimizations.