Trimaran is a high speed marine vehicle that looks like catamaran. It consists of one main hull and two other smaller hulls balancing each other at both sides of the boat. The fine and streamline shape of the boat enables her to move fast on sea surface even when the height of the wave has reached 2 meters. This type of boat is suitable for cruising or traveling from one island to another in certain regions such as the Carribean or the Pacific islands.
Yesterday while I was watching Luxe TV, I saw the promotion of a passenger trimaran - Patrol One. The inside interior of the boat is similar to that of private jet plane. Passenger cabin is arranged in rows of black seats at port and starboard side separated by an aisle. It cannot be said that this boat is a luxurious one. Operating this boat is like driving a sport car. We can see it from the design of the "driver's steering wheel" which is similar to a Formula 1 car. According to the company that operates patrol one, the cost of the boat is 2 million US dollars.
From naval architecture perspective, actually this type of boat is only a reinvention of outrigger boat or canoe which traditional fishermen in the Pacific islands use to catch fish or transport people and small number of their daily goods. In this region the Pacific islanders call it kole-kole. The outriggers are installed to stabilize the boat or canoe.
The demand for high speed marine vehicles with low energy consumption or efficient propulsion system is increasing every year. Naval architects answer this by designing ships or boats that have unique hull forms. As a result, boats like catamaran, trimaran, pentamaran are released to the public. The hull shapes of these type of boats experience improvements. Now we can see boats that are called SWATH or Small Waterplane Area Twin Hulls. They are similar to catamaran but they have different hull forms. The propulsion system is still the same as conventional displacement ship, i.e. propeller. The main advantage of this boat is that her superstructure is located clear off the water. It makes her more stable even when she moves at high speed in rough seas.
Trimaran at this time is specially built for small boats. Its advantage in fuel economy enables her to find wide applications in yacht, ferry, and even in naval ships. Large deck area is also favorable for fishermen. In the future, more ships or boats with better stability and propulsion properties such as catamaran and trimaran will frequently be seen on waters across the globe. by Charles Roring
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