Yacht Design and Performance Assessment

One of the most demanding maritime design applications imaginable is the America’s Cup class yacht.  Performance differences smaller than 1% often separate the best boats from worst, yet design time frames are relatively short.  Concurrent design philosophies have to be followed because a winning yacht has to weigh hull resistance minimization, hydrofoil performance, and airfoil (mast and sails) efficiency.  The number and range of design parameters in each of these areas is essentially infinite, and the design has to perform over a wide range of operating conditions.  Thousands of RANS analyses are required if any significant design impact is expected. 

AFT personnel have more than 12 years experience using RANS to assist America’s Cup designers.  We have worked for four major syndicates (AmericaOne, Oracle BMW Racing, Clan des Team, and BMW Oracle Racing), won the Cup in 2010, and been continuously involved with the cup since 1995.  AFT RANS codes have been applied to guide hull design, keel and rudder design, bulb and winglet design, mast design, and sail design.  AFT maintains a velocity prediction program specifically developed to use RANS data for optimizing America’s Cup class yachts, and regularly applies it to handle complications inherent in concurrent design. 

Click on a menu item at left to see some of the ways AFT supports this demanding design application.