[which configuration] part one – the hulls

The most annoying thing about the configuration of a sailing boat is that it’s all a compromise. There is no one configuration which is favourable for ocean-going.



The monohull has a lot going for it – it’s “boaty” to look at, it feels solid onboard and the biggest plus of all – when it turns turtle [flips upside down], it comes back up again. Given the rogue wave at sea, that is a major plus.

Against that, the thing is as slow as a tub unless you have zillions of pounds to spend on a state-of-the-art-speedster and massive crew numbers. You can’t outrun the weather and the keel does fall off more often than one would like, resulting in the monohull finding its rest position is the ocean floor. When sailing it, you’re always on an angle.



The catamaran is flat, its accommodation is palatial in larger versions [not this one], it goes like the powers and therefore is hugely popular with off-shorers. It is the fastest production boat and is just plain pleasant to sail.

Against that, there is no forgiveness. Narrow hulls can dig into waves and over you go, stern over bow. Similarly, one gust, along with a rogue wave and you’re tipped over sideways, to go upside down with no way back. Catamaran primary lateral stability is very good but secondary stability doesn’t exist. This doesn’t necessarily mean death – it means you just sit there at sea, crawl inside and exist on your rations until some help comes.



Trimarans are the best compromise. Looking more like a boat, their accommodation is the worst of the three but their primary stability and secondary stability is second to none. If a gust and wave knocks you sideways, the float buries and soaks up the energy. It’s a great way for husband/wife teams or small families to sail. Not only that but these boats are manoeuverable.

The down side is that with the extra float or hull, the weight is more [not to mention the expense] and thus more sail area is carried to keep the speed up and therefore the mast is higher and therefore the fore and aft stability is drastically reduced, so stern over bow is quite a possibility if you dig into a wave.

There's a reason why a good pic of a modern voyaging outrigger can't be found - just these "off the beach" Polynesian variants - and that's because none exist in ocean-going form. This is because the natives are not interested in developing them for long distances when they have the double-canoe [below]. The west is simply not interested either. And yet, if the outrigger design problems are addressed, they're a great variant.

The best straight line speed is with one hull and outrigger, either in proa configuration or able to change direction into the wind [tacking]. Accommodation is poor unless you make the boat very long, which does increase the speed potential and is desirable.

The down side is that, laterally, they’re wildly unstable to sail unless you have an outrigger of exactly the right weight and configuration, which brings you back to the catamaran situation again, only without either the initial stability or the secondary stability. It’s cheaper to build but not by a lot.

One nice advantage is that it acts like a catamaran but if it goes over, the ama [or float] can be detached and the boat brought upright again. Its very narrowness helps in this. It also has the nicest motion through the water, is fast and won't "trip over itself". This would be the boat to have in a storm, with the least area exposed to the elements coming from the bow or stern.



Voyaging Canoe

These are the leviathans the Polynesians hit on for their long distance work. Simply put, the outrigger canoe cannot take the stores or people which a voyaging canoe can and as settlement in other places was a prime motivation or else trade, then the VC was the craft of choice.

However, this brings us back to the catamaran configuration again.

So, once more, it’s all a compromise. The trimaran you see in the youtube above is an attempt to be a catamaran with a pod down the centre and it sacrifices most of the advantages of a tri, in favour of straight line speed.

You have to smile when monohull sailors try to tell you that their boats do not heel [lean over] and that they are comfortable to sail. Look at this video and see what I mean - under motor, they're flat but once the sail is up, over they go on a lean. And the camera tricks they used here to make them appear fast, power boat zooming past and so on are very funny.

My designs are now all outriggers, with the ama containing the ship's heavier stores, the ama having near neutral buoyancy. I tend to make the hull narrower and longer, in separate compartments, which takes some getting used to, accommodation wise but against that is the greatly increased safety at sea.

As you’ll see from the youtube below, even a little amateur boat can be very quick and more importantly, a lot of fun and a joy to sail. After all, that’s what it’s all about: