how fast do racing catamarans go

Sail GP: how do supercharged racing yachts go so fast? An engineer explains

how fast do racing catamarans go

Head of Engineering, Warsash School of Maritime Science and Engineering, Solent University

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Jonathan Ridley does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

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Sailing used to be considered as a rather sedate pastime. But in the past few years, the world of yacht racing has been revolutionised by the arrival of hydrofoil-supported catamarans, known as “foilers”. These vessels, more akin to high-performance aircraft than yachts, combine the laws of aerodynamics and hydrodynamics to create vessels capable of speeds of up to 50 knots, which is far faster than the wind propelling them.

An F50 catamaran preparing for the Sail GP series recently even broke this barrier, reaching an incredible speed of 50.22 knots (57.8mph) purely powered by the wind. This was achieved in a wind of just 19.3 knots (22.2mph). F50s are 15-metre-long, 8.8-metre-wide hydrofoil catamarans propelled by rigid sails and capable of such astounding speeds that Sail GP has been called the “ Formula One of sailing ”. How are these yachts able to go so fast? The answer lies in some simple fluid dynamics.

As a vessel’s hull moves through the water, there are two primary physical mechanisms that create drag and slow the vessel down. To build a faster boat you have to find ways to overcome the drag force.

The first mechanism is friction. As the water flows past the hull, a microscopic layer of water is effectively attached to the hull and is pulled along with the yacht. A second layer of water then attaches to the first layer, and the sliding or shearing between them creates friction.

On the outside of this is a third layer, which slides over the inner layers creating more friction, and so on. Together, these layers are known as the boundary layer – and it’s the shearing of the boundary layer’s molecules against each other that creates frictional drag.

how fast do racing catamarans go

A yacht also makes waves as it pushes the water around and under the hull from the bow (front) to the stern (back) of the boat. The waves form two distinctive patterns around the yacht (one at each end), known as Kelvin Wave patterns.

These waves, which move at the same speed as the yacht, are very energetic. This creates drag on the boat known as the wave-making drag, which is responsible for around 90% of the total drag. As the yacht accelerates to faster speeds (close to the “hull speed”, explained later), these waves get higher and longer.

These two effects combine to produce a phenomenon known as “ hull speed ”, which is the fastest the boat can travel – and in conventional single-hull yachts it is very slow. A single-hull yacht of the same size as the F50 has a hull speed of around 12 mph.

However, it’s possible to reduce both the frictional and wave-making drag and overcome this hull-speed limit by building a yacht with hydrofoils . Hydrofoils are small, underwater wings. These act in the same way as an aircraft wing, creating a lift force which acts against gravity, lifting our yacht upwards so that the hull is clear of the water.

how fast do racing catamarans go

While an aircraft’s wings are very large, the high density of water compared to air means that we only need very small hydrofoils to produce a lot of the important lift force. A hydrofoil just the size of three A3 sheets of paper, when moving at just 10 mph, can produce enough lift to pick up a large person.

This significantly reduces the surface area and the volume of the boat that is underwater, which cuts the frictional drag and the wave-making drag, respectively. The combined effect is a reduction in the overall drag to a fraction of its original amount, so that the yacht is capable of sailing much faster than it could without hydrofoils.

The other innovation that helps boost the speed of racing yachts is the use of rigid sails . The power available from traditional sails to drive the boat forward is relatively small, limited by the fact that the sail’s forces have to act in equilibrium with a range of other forces, and that fabric sails do not make an ideal shape for creating power. Rigid sails, which are very similar in design to an aircraft wing, form a much more efficient shape than traditional sails, effectively giving the yacht a larger engine and more power.

As the yacht accelerates from the driving force of these sails, it experiences what is known as “ apparent wind ”. Imagine a completely calm day, with no wind. As you walk, you experience a breeze in your face at the same speed that you are walking. If there was a wind blowing too, you would feel a mixture of the real (or “true” wind) and the breeze you have generated.

The two together form the apparent wind, which can be faster than the true wind. If there is enough true wind combined with this apparent wind, then significant force and power can be generated from the sail to propel the yacht, so it can easily sail faster than the wind speed itself.

how fast do racing catamarans go

The combined effect of reducing the drag and increasing the driving power results in a yacht that is far faster than those of even a few years ago. But all of this would not be possible without one further advance: materials. In order to be able to “fly”, the yacht must have a low mass, and the hydrofoil itself must be very strong. To achieve the required mass, strength and rigidity using traditional boat-building materials such as wood or aluminium would be very difficult.

This is where modern advanced composite materials such as carbon fibre come in. Production techniques optimising weight, rigidity and strength allow the production of structures that are strong and light enough to produce incredible yachts like the F50.

The engineers who design these high-performance boats (known as naval architects ) are always looking to use new materials and science to get an optimum design. In theory, the F50 should be able to go even faster.

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how fast do racing catamarans go

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How Fast Do Catamarans Go? 5 Examples (With Pictures)

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A catamaran is generally more balanced on the water and can be faster than a multi-hull vessel.

Unless you compare them to foiling monohulls like the new America’s Cup boats that sail at over 50 knots, they are not recreational vessels.

In this article, we will look at how fast each type of catamaran will go.

Table of Contents

Here are the numbers before we dive into the details:

Sport Catamarans 30 knots
Cruising Catamarans 15 knots
Racing Catamarans 45 knots
Power Cruising Catamarans 70 knots
Swath Catamarans 30 knots

Average Speed For Sailing Catamarans

Catamarans can vary in size from 14 ft to over 100 ft. Catamarans can come in a wide variety of design types.

Sailing Catamarans have been attempting to make advancements over their mono-hulled counterparts.

These advancements include:

  • Foils that assist with lifting the vessel out of the water.
  • Stability advancements.
  • Racers that can maintain their speed while out in the ocean.

3 Different Types of Sailing Catamarans:

1) sport catamarans.

how fast do racing catamarans go

One type of sailing catamaran is a sport catamaran, which is otherwise known as recreational. These are typically supposed to have a small crew and launch and land on beaches.

Sport catamarans do not normally have living quarters and are ideal for day trips. Resorts or other rental services often use these.

These can also be used for racing.

Sport vessels have been known to travel over 30 knots but can speed over 40 knots in the proper conditions.

2) Cruising Catamarans

how fast do racing catamarans go

Another type of sailing catamaran is a cruising catamaran. These often come with complete living accommodations, so they sacrifice speed over their sportier counterparts.

They can average between 9 and 10 knots, depending on the conditions. The top speed is typically around 15 knots.

It would be best if you were careful with catamarans that have living quarters. The more you weigh it down, the less speed you will have.

3) Racing Catamarans

how fast do racing catamarans go

The final type of sailing catamaran is an ocean racing catamaran.

These boats are large and can reach over 100 feet in length.

The top speed of this type of catamaran is around 45 knots.

Because of the prize money for entering these in races, much research goes into their advancement.

Average Speed Of Power Catamarans

Catamarans with power motors fill a different type of boating category.

These are commonly used when speed and smoothness are favored over space or capacity.

Because of their stability, catamarans are good vessels for combating seasickness as well as transportation. We have a separate article here with all you should know about catamarans and (how to overcome) seasickness .

On a commercial level, these can be used for ferries for both people and vehicles. They are used for short term travel, often to or from islands.

Like sailing catamarans, there are a few types of power catamarans.

1) Power Cruising Catamarans

how fast do racing catamarans go

Similar to sailing cruising catamarans, they also have power cruising catamarans. These also have living quarters and are stable while out on the water. The speed of these vessels highly depends on the motors equipped and the size of the boat itself.

Like passenger transport or ferries, catamarans have a high speed of about 40 to 70 miles per hour.

These are made to travel at great speeds to allow their commuters the shortest possible ride to their destination.

The military also utilizes power catamarans. They use power catamarans to transport military cargo. These ships are ideal because of their speed, holding capacity, and ability to venture into shallow ports.

2) Swath Catamarans

how fast do racing catamarans go

They also have small-waterplane-area twin-hull vessels. These are called SWATHs.

These differ from the average catamaran because they also have submarine-like hulls that stay completely under the water.

Due to the hulls being submerged, they are not normally affected by waves. These are used most often in the ocean as research vessels. They can also be used for certain types of yachts. Because of their stability, they are good vessels for furniture that will not require as much securing.

These often travel between 20 and 30 knots.

Some catamarans are designed for wave piercing. These are made to pierce through waves rather than sail over them, causing them to be faster. These can be used as passenger ferries, yachts, and military vessels as well.

3) Whitewater Catamarans

how fast do racing catamarans go

There are also recreational catamarans made for whitewater travel. These are sometimes called “cata-rafts.”

They are made using two inflatable hulls connected with a scaffold. These are lightweight and perfect for whitewater sports.

They are even able to be packed away in a backpack. They can take up to 20 minutes to assemble, including inflation.

They have high speeds on white water rivers and can be most compared to a canoe, kayak, whitewater raft, or other white water vessels.

Performance Characteristics Of Catamarans

Catamarans require four times the power to double their speed. A mono-hull vessel, however, would require eight times the power to double their speed.

This is because a Catamaran has less resistance in the water.

This is also good for conserving and using less energy.

Catamarans are also more stable in the water. This stability is effective at resisting heeling or capsizing. A multi-hull vessel would require four times the force to capsize as a similar-sized mono-hull vessel.

The general sailing in a catamaran is smoother and allows for activities that are not always possible on a mono-hull sailboat.

Are Catamarans Faster than Mono-Hull Vessels?

Because catamarans have less water resistance, they are generally faster than mono-hull vessels.

This is because their hulls are smaller, which means they have a smaller bow wave to fight.

A bow wave is a wave created by the displacement of water by the bow of a ship. After a certain speed, a boat has to start hauling itself over its own bow wave.

The larger hull a ship has, the larger its bow wave will be and the more power required to fight it.

Catamarans have two small and narrow hulls, so they do not have much of an issue with their bow wave. This is one reason they are usually faster than a similar-sized mono-hull vessel.

Catamarans can be between 20-30 percent faster than their monohull counterparts.

Issues with catamarans over mono-hulls are that they can take more time to turn.

How Is The Speed Measured?

Boats commonly measure speed using GPS tracking devices to measure distance traveled. Speed while sailing is measured in knots. A knot is one nautical mile per hour, which equals about 1.15 miles per hour.

How Fast Are Catamarans Compared To Other Boat Types?

  • Sailing catamarans typically average about 10 knots.
  • Pontoon boats average about 20 mph.
  • A powerboat cruiser can average anywhere between 30 and 50 mph.
  • Cigarette boats can even reach close to 90 mph in the proper conditions.
  • Sailboats average between 6 and 12 mph depending on wind conditions. This includes mono-hull between 6 to 8 mph and catamarans and trimarans between 9 and 10mph

Two different factors can determine the speed of sailing ships:

1) The hull type as listed above.

Different hulls rest in the water more or less than other types. The less of the hull that is underwater, the faster it can go.

This is because the less of the hull in the water, the less drag created while sailing.

2) The length of the boat

The longer the boat, the faster it can go. Every boat has a maximum hull speed that cannot be exceeded unless the boat can plane on the water’s surface or be lifted on hydrofoils.  For most boats, the longer the boat, the higher the maximum hull speed is.

Speed Vs. Comfort Considerations For Catamarans

If you are looking for a catamaran, you have a lot of options.

You can choose to prioritize speed or comfort.

After deciding to purchase a catamaran, the type of catamaran you should look at depends on where and what you are using it for.

You will want to make sure that you look at what type of water you will be traveling in, how many people you are traveling with on average, and what type of speed you hope to achieve.

One thing you will want to keep in mind before the purchase of a catamaran is storage. If you intend to store your boat in a marina, you are often charged for two slips due to the beam, or width, of a catamaran versus the standard mono-hull vessel.

Catamarans can be beneficial for those who get seasick because they offer a steadier ride and the ability to have more open air space. Because the living quarters are not inside the hull and under the water’s surface, you have more windows and visibility.

Both sailing and power catamarans are viable options. Also, sailing catamarans can come with back-up power engines for low winds or situations such as docking in a marina.

Catamarans that have twin engines can offer more control and precision than those on a mono-hull vessel. This is good for tight and busy areas or navigating marinas.

Overall, there are plenty of options for you, and they offer many benefits over their mono-hull counterparts.

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How Fast Do Racing Sailboats Go?

How Fast Do Racing Sailboats Go? | Life of Sailing

Last Updated by

Jacob Collier

August 30, 2022

Speed thrills, and in a sailboat, it thrills even more. Sailboat racers like to push their boats to the limit. But just how fast do racing sailboats go?

Sailboats come in a variety of shapes and sizes. If you are a speed enthusiast, you must wonder about the maximum speeds of different sailboats and if larger sailboats can go faster than smaller ones.

Racing sailboats usually skim over the water at around 15 to 20 knots. For comparison, the average speed of a traditional sailboat is only around 5 to 8 knots. Some custom-designed boats can reach record-breaking speeds of up to 50 or more knots.

Since sailboats don't rely on internal power for speed, many factors determine the speed of a sailboat, and every sailboat has different top speeds.

Experienced sailboat sailors believe that several factors influence the top speed. The size and shape of the boat, sails, and skill level all play a crucial role in determining the speed of a sailboat. Even more than the internal factors, external factors such as the waves and the wind can greatly boost or hinder sailboat speed.

Table of contents

‍ What Influences Sailboat Speed

Sailboats have different shapes and sizes, and different sailboats can reach different speeds. There are many internal factors, such as those related directly to the boat, and external factors, such as weather, ocean currents, etc., that influence the speed of a sailboat.

Boat Size and Length

The most crucial thing that plays a role in speed is the sailboat's length and overall surface area. What does size have to do with speed, you ask? For a sailboat to go fast, you need to maximize the propulsion by the wind and keep drag and resistive forces to a minimum.

As the sailboat moves through the water, it generates waves. One wave that is created among others constantly rides with the boat. It has its peak just in front of the bow, while its trough is at the stern. If this wave is long enough, it can act as a wall of water to the boat.

The aerodynamic shape of the bow is designed to push up and rise above this wave. This allows the boat to lift the bow out of the water and rise above the water surface. As the bow rises, the stern gets pushed down into the water. This reduces the drag and also allows the boat to glide above waves.

But this wall of water creates resistance for the boat, and the sailboat requires power and momentum to break through this resistance. A larger sailboat has more momentum, which allows it to break through the barrier easily. This makes it possible for the larger boat to go faster.

You might think that a smaller boat is lighter and will offer less resistance and drag. Yes, this is true, but a smaller boat generates multiple small waves, which offer more resistance. Lightweight boats are also more susceptible to wind shear and tend to veer off course.

Different boats have different hull designs. The hulls are designed to be narrow and precisely engineered for racing sailboats to offer minimum resistance. It makes sense that a boat with a hull like a bathtub will not even come close to a sailboat with a narrow and streamlined hull.

The hull design also plays a vital role in the speed of a sailboat. A hull built for speed will have a straight line from the lowest point to the aft, and the aft will be wider. This design makes the boat stable and allows it to reach higher speeds.

On the other hand, a boat with multiple curves on the hull and a narrow transom will not be as fast. The reason for the hull playing a vital role in speed is simple. It needs to cut through the water to ensure the least resistance.

There are three major hull types for sailboats.

As the name implies, monohull sailboats comprise one hull. These boats offer high levels of stability, making them extremely difficult to capsize. The hull is designed to cut through the water, which keeps the boat stable, and allows it to pick up speed. The hull can be raised out of the water if you need to go faster. Monohull boats are traditionally designed to sail below 10 knots.

A catamaran, more commonly known as a cat, comprises two hulls running side by side. These hulls are similar in size. Cats are significantly faster than monohulls and can reach between 15 knots and even go more than 50 knots.

The Trimaran is also known as the double outrigger. Trimarans have three hulls, which means they offer more stability and are extremely buoyant. The three hulls allow the boat to gain speed because it rises above the water surface with little resistance. Tamarans can reach speeds of up to 20 knots.

Skill Level

Sailboat racing has become a highly competitive sport. When it comes to speedboats, you can use engine power to hit maximum speeds, but it takes a lot of skill and experience to get your sailboat to move at speeds three times the wind.

The amount of training, skill, and experience you have is crucial to how fast your racing sailboat goes.

The only propulsion you have on a sailboat is the wind. With a good wind in your sails, your boat will move much faster. Both types of winds, apparent and true, play a crucial role in your sailboat's performance. The stronger the true winds, the faster the boat will move.

Waves play a crucial role in your boat's performance. They influence the speed and determine your and your vessel's safety. Calm and serene water can quickly turn aggressive and furious without prior notice.

If the waves are strong enough, and you don't know how to navigate through them, they can easily capsize your boat. Depending on their direction, they can also significantly increase or decrease the speed of your sailboat.

When the medium you are running on, water, is moving fast, your boat will experience a significant increase in speed. You can think of it as walking on a travelator. If you are walking in the same direction as the travelator, your speed will be increased. But, if you decide to walk in the opposite direction to the travelator, you will look weird and will be considerably slowed down.

Going Faster Than The Wind

Two types of winds influence the speed of a sailboat; these are true wind and apparent wind. To understand these better, let us look at an example. Imagine you are riding a motorcycle when there is no wind. As you pick up speed, you begin to feel the wind in your face; this is called apparent wind. It is the air pressure you feel while moving through the still air.

Say you are riding at 20 mph on your motorcycle; the wind you will feel on yourself will be 20 mph. Now let's add true wind to the equation. Say the wind is naturally blowing at 20 mph, and you are heading in the same direction as the wind. The wind pushing you and the apparent wind will cancel each other out if they are perfectly reverse-parallel to one another.

The sails experience the same apparent wind you felt while on the motorcycle when you are on the sailboat. The sails are designed to put the apparent wind to use and help propel the boat further. As you increase your speed, the apparent wind grows stronger, which leads to more wind in your sails.

How Fast do Racing Sailboats Go?

Now that we know the factors that influence sailboat speed, let us look at how fast racing sailboats go. If you are a traditional sailboat sailor, you will be lucky if you can hit 10 knots. But with racing sailboats, you can achieve over 15 knots, and many racing sailboats can hit 20 knots. The fastest anyone has ever achieved on a sailboat is 65.45 knots , a world record.

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Born into a family of sailing enthusiasts, words like “ballast” and “jibing” were often a part of dinner conversations. These days Jacob sails a Hallberg-Rassy 44, having covered almost 6000 NM. While he’s made several voyages, his favorite one is the trip from California to Hawaii as it was his first fully independent voyage.

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How Fast Are Speed Boats: Speed Boating Performance Guide

Speed boats, with their sleek design and powerful engines, evoke a sense of exhilaration and adventure on the water. From racing boats to luxury cruisers, these watercraft come in various shapes and sizes, each engineered for specific performance levels. If you’ve ever wondered just how fast speed boats can go and what factors influence their speed, you’re in for an enlightening ride.

In this comprehensive guide, we will delve into the world of speed boating to uncover the secrets behind their impressive velocities. Whether you’re a speed enthusiast or simply curious about these high-performance vessels, join us as we explore the factors that determine the speed of speed boats and unveil the thrill of chasing the horizon on the open water.

Various Types of Speed Boats Available in the Market

How Fast Are Speed Boats

Speed boats encompass a diverse range of watercraft, each crafted with distinct designs and propulsion systems to achieve specific speed goals. Let’s explore the different types of speed boats available in the market:

  • Powerboats: Powerboats are the most common type of speed boats and come in various styles, such as bowriders, center consoles, and cuddy cabins. They are propelled by internal combustion engines, typically using gasoline or diesel fuel. Powerboats are versatile and well-suited for recreational activities like waterskiing, wakeboarding, and leisure cruising.
  • Jet Boats: Jet boats utilize waterjet propulsion instead of traditional propellers. Water is drawn through an intake and expelled at high speed through a nozzle, propelling the boat forward. This design allows jet boats to operate in shallower waters and provides increased maneuverability, making them popular for river and shallow water use.
  • Hydroplanes: Hydroplanes are specialized racing boats designed for high-speed competitions. They have a distinct hull shape, often featuring a stepped design to reduce drag and improve stability. Hydroplanes can achieve astonishing speeds and are commonly used in events like hydroplane racing and drag boat racing.
  • High-Performance Boats: High-performance boats are custom-built vessels designed for maximum speed and agility. They often have powerful engines, lightweight construction, and advanced hull designs to minimize drag and enhance performance. These boats are favored by thrill-seekers and racing enthusiasts for their exceptional speed capabilities.

Each type of speed boat is engineered to cater to different water conditions and boating preferences. Whether you seek the thrill of racing, the versatility of recreational activities, or the agility to navigate shallow waters, there’s a speed boat designed to meet your needs and ignite your passion for high-speed adventures on the water.

Key Factors That Influence the Speed of a Boat

The speed of a boat is influenced by a combination of factors that work in unison to determine its maximum velocity. Understanding these key factors can shed light on the thrilling world of high-speed boating:

  • Engine Power: The engine’s horsepower and torque play a pivotal role in a boat’s speed. A more powerful engine can generate greater thrust, propelling the boat forward with more force. High-performance boats often boast powerful engines to achieve remarkable speeds.
  • Boat Weight: The weight of the boat, including passengers, fuel, and equipment, affects its buoyancy and overall performance. A lighter boat experiences less resistance and can reach higher speeds with greater ease. Manufacturers often use lightweight materials to enhance a speed boat’s performance.
  • Hull Design: The shape and design of the boat’s hull greatly impact its speed capabilities. A sleek and aerodynamic hull reduces drag, allowing the boat to glide through the water more efficiently. Hydrodynamic features like stepped hulls and tunnels can further optimize speed and stability.
  • Water Conditions: Water conditions, such as wave height, currents, and wind, can significantly influence a boat’s speed. Rough waters and strong currents create resistance, limiting the boat’s velocity. On the other hand, calm waters provide optimal conditions for achieving top speeds.

The interaction between these factors can result in varying boat speeds. For instance, a boat with a powerful engine may achieve impressive speeds in calm waters, but its performance might be hindered in rough conditions due to increased resistance. Similarly, a lightweight boat with an efficient hull design may maintain high speeds across a range of water conditions.

Boat designers and enthusiasts carefully consider these factors to create vessels that excel in specific environments and meet the performance expectations of different boating activities. The perfect combination of engine power, boat weight, hull design, and water conditions can unlock the thrilling potential of speed boats and provide boaters with an unforgettable and heart-pounding experience on the water.

5 High-Performance Boats Designed to Achieve Remarkable Speed Records

High-performance boats are the epitome of engineering excellence, pushing the boundaries of speed and agility on the water. These extraordinary vessels have set numerous speed records, earning their place in the boating hall of fame. Let’s explore some iconic speed boats and their record-breaking achievements:

  • Bluebird K7: The Bluebird K7 is an iconic hydroplane boat that achieved legendary status in the boating world. Piloted by Donald Campbell, it set numerous water speed records in the 1950s and 1960s. In 1964, Donald Campbell set the world water speed record of 276.33 mph (444.71 km/h) on Coniston Water in England, making him the fastest man on water at the time.
  • Spirit of Australia: Another renowned hydroplane, the Spirit of Australia, held the world water speed record twice during the 1970s. Designed and piloted by Ken Warby, the Spirit of Australia achieved its fastest speed of 318.75 mph (513.28 km/h) in 1978 on Blowering Dam in Australia, securing its place in history.
  • Spirit of Qatar: In the world of offshore powerboat racing, the Spirit of Qatar set the Superboat Unlimited world speed record at the 2014 Lake of the Ozarks Shootout in Missouri, USA. This high-performance catamaran reached an astonishing speed of 244.23 mph (393.09 km/h), leaving spectators in awe of its raw power.
  • Miss Budweiser: The Miss Budweiser hydroplane was a dominant force in unlimited hydroplane racing for decades. It held multiple speed records in various categories and was renowned for its exceptional speeds and victories in races around the world.
  • Alfa Romeo II: A famous offshore powerboat, Alfa Romeo II set a world speed record for the fastest circumnavigation of the globe by a powerboat. It completed the journey in just under 61 days, showcasing the endurance and speed capabilities of these high-performance vessels.

These iconic speed boats, among many others, have left an indelible mark on the world of boating, inspiring generations of enthusiasts and setting the bar for future speed achievements. Whether in hydroplane competitions, offshore powerboat racing, or other speed events, these remarkable vessels have proven that with the right combination of engineering prowess and a daring spirit, there are no limits to how fast a boat can go on water.

Typical Speed Ranges for Recreational Speed Boats

Recreational speed boats come in various shapes and sizes, each designed to offer different experiences on the water. While high-performance boats are known for pushing the speed limits, most recreational speed boats are built to balance speed, comfort, and safety. Here’s a general overview of the typical speed ranges for different types of recreational speed boats:

  • Bowriders: Bowriders are popular for their versatility and ability to accommodate a group of passengers. These boats generally have a speed range of around 30 to 50 mph (48 to 80 km/h). They are designed for leisurely cruising and are well-suited for activities such as water skiing, tubing, and day trips.
  • Wakeboard Boats: Wakeboard boats are optimized for wakeboarding and other water sports that require a strong wake. They typically have higher horsepower engines, allowing them to reach speeds of 35 to 45 mph (56 to 72 km/h). The focus with these boats is on creating ideal wake conditions rather than achieving maximum speed.
  • Sport Cruisers: Sport cruisers are larger vessels designed for comfortable and extended cruising. They offer amenities like cabins, kitchens, and washrooms. These boats can reach speeds of 25 to 40 mph (40 to 64 km/h) and are meant for leisurely exploration of coastlines and islands.
  • Center Consoles: Center console boats are popular for fishing and recreational activities. They usually have higher horsepower engines and can achieve speeds of 30 to 50 mph (48 to 80 km/h) or more. These boats provide versatility for fishing, water sports, and cruising.

It’s essential for boat owners to understand the speed capabilities of their vessels and operate them within safe limits. Many factors can influence a boat’s top speed, including engine power, boat design, hull type, load, and water conditions. Exceeding safe speed limits can compromise stability, handling, and fuel efficiency, leading to potential accidents or damage to the boat.

In addition to understanding speed limits, boat operators should always prioritize safety, wear appropriate safety gear, and be familiar with local boating regulations and navigational rules. Whether you’re cruising with family and friends, engaging in water sports, or simply enjoying the serenity of the water, responsible and safe boating practices ensure a memorable and enjoyable experience on your recreational speed boat.

Significance of Safety When Operating Speed Boats

How Fast Are Speed Boats

Safety should always be the top priority when operating speed boats. While the thrill of speed boating is undeniable, it comes with increased risks that demand responsible and skilled handling. Here are some key safety considerations to keep in mind:

  • Proper Training and Experience: Operating a high-speed boat requires specific skills and knowledge. It’s essential to receive proper training and gain experience in handling speed boats before venturing into faster waters. Enrolling in a boating safety course can provide valuable insights into safe navigation, handling emergencies, and understanding navigational markers.
  • Adhering to Speed Limits: Speed limits are in place for a reason – to ensure the safety of all boaters, passengers, and the environment. Respect posted speed limits and be aware of any specific speed regulations in certain areas, such as near docks, marinas, or congested waterways.
  • Navigational Rules: Familiarize yourself with the navigational rules for the waterways you’re boating in. Adhering to these rules helps prevent collisions and ensures smooth traffic flow on the water. Give way to other vessels when required and maintain a safe distance from swimmers, divers, and other boats.
  • Life Jackets and Safety Gear: Always wear approved life jackets when on a speed boat. In case of an accident or a sudden stop, life jackets can save lives, especially for non-swimmers and young children. Additionally, ensure that safety equipment, such as fire extinguishers, flares, and first aid kits, are onboard and readily accessible.
  • Avoid Impairment: Operating a speed boat while under the influence of alcohol or drugs is illegal and extremely dangerous. Impairment affects judgment, coordination, and reaction times, increasing the risk of accidents. Designate a sober operator or wait until everyone can enjoy the water safely.
  • Weather and Water Conditions: Be aware of weather forecasts and water conditions before heading out on the water. High winds, choppy waters, or poor visibility can make high-speed boating hazardous. Always use caution and common sense when navigating in adverse conditions.
  • Emergency Preparedness: Have a plan in place for emergencies, including communication devices to reach shore or request assistance if needed. Inform someone on land about your boating plans and estimated return time.

By prioritizing safety, maintaining situational awareness, and adhering to best practices, boaters can enjoy the exhilaration of speed boating while minimizing risks and ensuring a safe and enjoyable experience for all on board. Remember that being a responsible and knowledgeable boater contributes to the overall enjoyment of the boating community and helps preserve the natural beauty of our waterways.

Regulation and Enforcement of Speed Limits in Different Waterways and Jurisdictions

How Fast Are Speed Boats

Regulation and enforcement of speed limits in different waterways and jurisdictions are vital to maintaining safety, protecting the environment, and ensuring a harmonious boating community. Local authorities, such as the U.S. Coast Guard, state agencies, and municipalities, are responsible for setting and enforcing speed limits on waterways.

Speed limits are typically established based on factors such as the size and type of the water body, surrounding environment, boat traffic density, and potential hazards. Here are some key points related to regulation and enforcement:

  • Variable Speed Limits: Speed limits on waterways may vary depending on the location and time of day. In areas with high boat traffic or near sensitive ecosystems, lower speed limits may be imposed to reduce the risk of accidents and minimize environmental impacts.
  • No-Wake Zones: No-wake zones are designated areas where boaters must operate their vessels at idle speed, creating minimal wake. These zones are common near marinas, docks, swimming areas, and wildlife habitats to prevent shoreline erosion, protect structures, and maintain a safe environment for swimmers and marine life.
  • Environmental Concerns: Speed restrictions may also be implemented in areas with fragile ecosystems, such as seagrass beds, coral reefs, and wildlife habitats. Operating at reduced speeds helps prevent propeller damage to underwater vegetation and minimizes disturbance to marine life.
  • Enforcement: Local authorities and law enforcement agencies have the responsibility to enforce speed limits and other boating regulations. Officers may use radar or speed detection devices to monitor boat speeds and issue citations for violations.
  • Boater Responsibility: Boaters must take responsibility for adhering to speed limits and other regulations to ensure the safety of everyone on the water. Following posted speed limits and being mindful of no-wake zones demonstrates respect for fellow boaters, swimmers, and the environment.
  • Community Education: Local authorities often conduct boating safety education programs to raise awareness of speed limits and other regulations. Boaters are encouraged to stay informed about local waterway rules and participate in safety courses to enhance their knowledge and skills.

Adhering to speed regulations is essential for maintaining a safe and enjoyable boating experience for everyone. By respecting speed limits, boaters can protect the environment, minimize the risk of accidents, and contribute to a positive and harmonious boating community. Always stay informed about local regulations, be considerate of others on the water, and operate at safe speeds to ensure a responsible and enjoyable boating experience.

Watch Fastest speed boats in the world | Video

Top 5 FAQs and answers related to How fast are speed boats

How fast can speed boats typically go.

The speed of speed boats can vary widely depending on their design, size, and intended use. Recreational speed boats may reach speeds of 30 to 60 miles per hour (48 to 97 kilometers per hour), while high-performance boats and racing boats can achieve speeds of 100 miles per hour (160 kilometers per hour) or more.

What factors affect the speed of a speed boat?

Several factors influence the speed of a speed boat, including engine power, boat weight, hull design, water conditions, and propeller efficiency. The combination of these factors determines the boat’s maximum velocity.

Are speed boats safe at high speeds? 

Speed boats can be safe at high speeds when operated responsibly and by experienced boaters. It is essential to follow safety guidelines, wear appropriate safety gear, and have proper training in handling high-speed boats to ensure safe navigation.

What types of boats are considered high-performance boats? 

High-performance boats are specially designed to achieve high speeds and are often used for racing or recreational boating. Examples include offshore powerboats, hydroplanes, catamarans, and certain types of jet boats.

Are there speed restrictions on waterways? 

Yes, speed restrictions exist in many waterways to ensure the safety of boaters, passengers, and the environment. Local authorities enforce speed limits and may implement no-wake zones near marinas, docks, and sensitive areas to prevent accidents and minimize environmental impact.

How Fast Are Speed Boats

In conclusion, this article explored the diverse world of speed boats, highlighting various types such as powerboats, jet boats, hydroplanes, and high-performance boats. We discussed how factors like engine power, boat weight, hull design, and water conditions play pivotal roles in determining a speed boat’s maximum velocity. Furthermore, we learned about high-performance boats and their record-breaking achievements, as well as typical speed ranges for recreational boats.

Throughout the discussion, safety emerged as a crucial theme, emphasizing the need for proper training and experience to handle high-speed boats responsibly. Understanding and adhering to speed limits and navigation rules were also underscored for the safety of all boaters and passengers.

With this knowledge, readers are encouraged to appreciate the thrill of speed boating while prioritizing safety and responsible navigation. By respecting speed limits and embracing proper safety practices, boaters can enjoy exhilarating and memorable experiences on the water, while maintaining harmony within the boating community. With the right approach and understanding, speed boats can offer an exciting and safe way to explore the open waters.

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how fast do racing catamarans go

Cruising Catamaran Speed! With Examples and Explanation

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One of the most popular cruising vessels is cruising catamarans. Cruising catamarans are popular thanks to their stability and space, but some sailors have concerns about cruising catamarans’ speed. So, how fast are cruising catamarans? 

Sailing cruising catamarans can travel at an average of 9-15 knots and max out around 35 kts. Power Cruising catamarans have a maximum speed of 70 knots but averages around 20-25 kts. How fast a catamaran can go also depends on the load it is carrying, its structural design, and its engine power.

This article explores details of what affects a cruising catamaran’s speed. It also considers how fast sailing and power cruising catamarans can go, along with some of the most rapid cruising catamaran models available today. 

How Is a Cruising Catamaran’s Speed Measured?

To better understand a cruising catamaran’s speed, it is essential to consider how a boat’s speed is measured. Boat speed is measured in knots , which is one nautical mile per hour, (or 1.15 mph). One nautical mile is approximately 1.15 land miles. 

The speed of a catamaran is calculated by a GPS tracker that records the distance sailed every hour. 

How Fast Are Sailing Cruising Catamarans? 

The wind powers sailing cruising catamarans – their speed depends on the speed of the wind. If there is a lot of wind, more wind equals higher a faster boat. However, if there is little to no wind, the catamaran won’t move very fast or very far. 

At about 14-16 knots of wind speed, sailing catamarans can average 9-12 knots . Some high-end sailing catamarans can be even faster. For instance, the Gunboat 62 Tribe can sail up to 36.6 knots when the wind is between 35-45 knots.  

How Fast Are Power Cruising Catamarans?

Unlike sailing catamarans, power catamarans do not rely on the wind to move. Instead, they are powered by fuel (usually diesel). This means that they can travel faster than sailing catamarans and that their speed is more reliable. 

Under light loads the Power catamarans can travel at between 20-25 knots. When the load is higher, power catamarans speed drops to 15-20 knots. 

Some high-end catamarans, such as the Freeman 47, can reach up to 70 knots .

What Affects the Speed of a Cruising Catamaran? 

There are several features of a cruising catamaran that impact its speed. These include: 

  • The type of hull. The less the hull is submerged into the water, the faster the catamaran will go. When they are submerged, hulls create drag which slows the velocity of the boat. 
  • The beam/length ratio. When a catamaran has a higher surface area (stable base), it can better withstand stronger winds, therefore allowing it utilize more of the wind before needing to reduce sail area.
  • The material used to construct and reinforce the vessel. When areas of the catamaran are filled with foam, it decreases the catamaran’s weight while ensuring that stability is maintained. As a result, the catamaran has a lighter weight, making it faster. 
  • The type of propellers. Propellers are an essential part of a vessel as they act as brakes, which are necessary to slow down and stop a boat. However, many modern cruising catamarans have folding propellers that reduce the boat’s water resistance when the engine is turned off. As a result, the catamaran can travel faster under sail. 
  • The engines. The higher the horsepower of the catamaran’s engine, the faster it can go. Most newer catamarans have two engines which makes them faster than the older, one-engined counterparts. 
  • The load of the catamaran. Each catamaran has a load-carrying capacity. If the amount of weight the catamaran has onboard exceeds this capacity, it will “sit” lower in the water and significantly slow down the catamaran’s speed. 
  • The sail trim and reef. When sail area is reduced (called reefing), the catamaran slows down (in most situations). Properly trimming the sails will also enhance performance.

In addition, catamarans will be faster downwind . Going downwind removes the headwind and will many times allow you to surf with the waves.

Why Should You Look for a Faster Cruising Catamaran?

The old adage is that “slow and steady” wins the race. However, when it comes to cruising catamarans, many sailors believe the faster, the better. Faster catamarans are preferred because they: 

  • Allow the crew to quickly move the catamaran out of bad weather conditions, protect the vessel and passengers on board.
  • Allow the captain to more predictably calculate Estimated Time of Arrival (ETA).
  • A shorter time spent in bad patches of sea making big ocean crossings safer and more enjoyable.

What Are the Fastest Cruising Catamaran Models? 

Some catamarans have been recognized and won awards for their speed. Some of these models are explored below. 

Freeman 47 (Power)

Freeman catamarans are symmetrical catamarans that have especially been designed to carry a heavy load without sacrificing speed. Released in 2020, the Freeman 47 has quad 450R Mercury outboards that allow it to travel at 70 knots.

In addition to the outboards, many features of the Freeman 47 allow it to move faster. It has a fuel capacity of 1000 gallons (3785 liters) and a maximum power of 1800 HP. 

If you’re interested in purchasing or finding out more about the Freeman 47, register your interest on Freemanboatworks.com . 

Glider SS18 (Power)

The Glider SS18 is a power catamaran that was launched in 2017, after eight years of development. It is powered by 300 BHP supercharged engines that allow it to travel for up to 50 knots. It also has a built-in Stability Control System (SCS), ensuring that the catamaran remains stable and comfortable, even when traveling at top speed. 

To buy or get a quotation for the Glider SS18, visit glideryachts.com . 

ICE Cat 61 (Sail)

The Ice Cat 61 is a luxury catamaran. At 61 feet (18.60 meters) long, it is a large catamaran that has been designed with both speed and stability in mind. While its average cruising speed is 12 knots, it can achieve up to 25 knots. 

The ICE Cat 61 has been designed with carbon and glass fiber – materials that allow the boat to be lighter. It has two engines with 55 HP each and a fuel capacity of 206 gallons (780 liters). 

If you’re interested in an ICE Cat 61, you can learn more at iceyachts.it .

Gunboat 68 (Sail)

At 68 feet (20.8 meters) long, the Gunboat 68 makes for an impressive sight on the open ocean. It averages 20 knots but can reach 30 knots depending on the amount of wind power. 

The Gunboat 68 has been designed by VPLP, also known as the ‘ fastest naval architects in the world .’ It has been designed with large sails, long daggerboards, and material that has lighter weight. This vessel also has retractable rudders, which reduce the boat’s drag. 

To find out more about the Gunboat 68 or register interest in purchasing one, visit Gunboat.com . 

Conclusion 

A catamaran’s speed depends on its design, its load, its type, and on a variety of other factors. However, on average, most sailing catamarans can achieve between 9-15 knots, while power catamarans can, on average, achieve between 20-25 knots. If you are looking to splurge for the best on the market, some power catamarans can reach 50-70 knots. 

If you’re looking to buy a cruising catamaran, make sure you use the information you have gained to assess the speed of the catamaran you are considering. A faster catamaran can make for safer and more exciting sailing. Ultimately, it will make your cruising experience more enjoyable and satisfying. 

Owner of CatamaranFreedom.com. A minimalist that has lived in a caravan in Sweden, 35ft Monohull in the Bahamas, and right now in his self-built Van. He just started the next adventure, to circumnavigate the world on a Catamaran!

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How Fast Can a Catamaran Sail?

how fast do racing catamarans go

What is a catamaran? This question is asked by many people, especially those who have never seen this type of boat before. A catamaran is a type of sailboat that has a few key differences from regular sailboats and boats. In this blog post, we will discuss the basics of catamarans and how they compare to both each other and other boats.

What is a catamaran and how does it sail?

A catamaran is a type of sailboat that is characterized by having two hulls, or pontoons, attached to one another. Catamarans are often used for pleasure cruising and racing and are able to reach high speeds due to their design.

It is powered by sails and is mainly used for recreation. Catamarans are stable and can sail in shallow waters. They are also faster than monohull vessels because they have less drag. The speed of a catamaran heavily depends on the wind conditions and the size of the vessel.

How fast can a catamaran sail and what are the speeds for different types of catamarans?

As we said earlier, the speed of a catamaran depends on the wind conditions and the size of the boat. Most catamarans can sail at speeds between 15 and 30 knots. Some racing catamarans can reach speeds of up to 30 knots. Of course, there are always exceptions to the rule and some catamarans can sail faster or slower depending on the conditions.

However, the average cruising speed for a catamaran is around 12 knots. This means that it would take approximately five hours to travel 60 nautical miles.

Factors that affect a catamaran’s speed

There are a few factors that can affect the speed of a catamaran. The first is the wind. If the wind is blowing against the boat, it will slow it down. The second factor is the size of the boat. A larger catamaran will usually be slower than a smaller one. The third factor is the type of sails that are being used. Some sails are designed to go faster in certain conditions than others.

There are a variety of types of catamarans, such as ultralight, cruisers, and sport catamarans which all have different amenities. Catamarans as a whole are built to pierce through waves making them a fantastic boat for ocean waters. Depending on what type of catamaran you’re in, there will be a difference in the performance of each.

The best wind conditions for sailing a catamaran

The best wind conditions for sailing a catamaran are when the wind is blowing from behind the boat. This is because the sails will be able to catch more wind and the boat will be pushed forward. When the wind is blowing from the side, it can create drag and slow the boat down. If the wind is too strong, it can also cause the boat to tip over.

The best way to sail in different types of winds is to adjust the sails accordingly. For example, if it is windy, you would want to reef, or lower, the sails so that they are not catching as much wind.

Fun Activities for Catamaran Rides

A catamaran is a great way to get out and explore when you’re near the beach. Whether you have a friend with a boat or want to take a tour, it’s guaranteed to be a fun and unique experience.

If you ever find yourself on the Big Island of Hawaii, there are a variety of businesses that can take you out on a catamaran for different fun activities. We at Kona Style offer a variety of exciting outdoor activities, such as a manta ray night snorkeling trip , or a simple afternoon snorkel and sail along the Hawaiian coast. You have a bunch of different snorkeling tour options when you book with Kona Style.

Whatever you’re looking for, someone on the island can offer it. Make sure to do your research and figure out what catamaran sailing adventure is best for you.

Time to Sail

Now that you know what a catamaran is and what they can do out in the water – you can start planning your sailing adventure. These versatile boats can accommodate pretty much any activity you have planned for the water – from a relaxing cruise in the sunset to snorkeling late at night with the manta rays.

We at Kona Style offer a variety of ways to get out and experience the power of catamaran and explore the Hawaiian waters. Call us now at (808) 936-1323 or email us at [email protected] with any questions you may have about your vacation. We hope you’ve enjoyed this blog post.

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26-08-2017, 08:26  
? I know that most catamarans sailing speed ranges between 7-15knts but I was wondering how they perform under . I understand that a larger will cause them to go faster, but do they have a max like a sailboat, or will they perform more like a large pontoon or a "power catamaran" under ?

For example, lets say their is a 30ft sailing with a 60hp attached to it. If the beam is 14.5ft and the is 7000 lbs. Is there an equation that I can use to determine approximate cruising speed or can anyone reference and examples that may be similar to this case so I can off a baseline?

Thanks a ton.
26-08-2017, 08:54  
Boat: crowther trimaran 33
.

There is not much reason to consider motoring speeds.
26-08-2017, 09:47  
are more complicated. The formula for catamaran is 1.34*(wetted length)1/2; however, this drag formula is generally not the limiting factor for catamaran speed. This is because with waterline length to beam ratios greater than 8:1 are not limited by hydrodynamic drag factors, whereas smaller need to plane to do so (planing requires enormous amounts of power for hulls). A more important factor to consider is the prismatic coefficient, Cp. Cp = V/(LBP*Am), where V is the volume of displaced by the , LBP is the length between perpendiculars, and Am is the area at midship.

I felt really smart for a few seconds....but I copied all that from ...have no idea what it means.
26-08-2017, 10:16  
. However, narrower hulls can get away with a lower prismatic coefficient. The ideal range of Cp for a catamaran is between 0.61 and 0.65. There are a few ways of increasing the prismatic coefficients: sailors can use bulb bows, a wide planing aft segment, or a flat hull rocker in conjunction with a bustle aft. Though high prismatic coefficients increase drag at low speed, at high speeds they can reduce drag by as much as ten percent. I think what all this means is that if you put a 60hp in a 30' cat, it gonna go like hell. That's all I got to say about it; and I'm sticking to it.
26-08-2017, 11:37  
Boat: Hitchhiker, Catamaran, 40'
26-08-2017, 13:25  
Boat: Prout Snowgoose 35
at a good cruising with a 30hp . More often that not I get around 5-6knts. The same Cat with a 40hp will do close to 8knts.

I've been on larger catamarans that will easily do 10knts using just one engine, but perhaps something in the 7knt range is more common for Lagoons and the like.
26-08-2017, 13:57  
450 cruises on one 54 HP engine at 2200rpm around 6knots at of around 3.8 litres per hr.

With Both engines at 2400 revs 8.3 kn with 9.4 litres per hour.
Both engines flat out 9.1 knots 3000 is 20.5 Litres per hour
26-08-2017, 14:11  
Boat: Chamberlin 11.6 catamaran
at about 8-9 knots top speed. Going 8 knots will use about 50% more than 7 knots so you motor at 6-7 instead.

Drag is related to the square if the boat speed so going fast needs huge amounts of power and fuel. I added a second motor to my boat - and got an extra 1 top speed with almost double fuel consumption - 9.9 knots now.

Sailing cats and power cats have very different shapes. A power cat has straight aft sections and a sailing cat has upsweep in the line. The two are very different and you can't make a power cat shape well when sailing in lighter winds and upwind and you can't make a sailing shape work well at high speeds under power.

Just chill out and go at 7 knots. Even though our boat has hit 19.9 knots, we average about 7.5 to 8.5 most of the time. You don't go that fast.
26-08-2017, 14:29  
Boat: Fountaine Pajot - Lucia 40
,
26-08-2017, 14:34  
26-08-2017, 14:57  
Boat: Fountaine Pajot - Lucia 40
26-08-2017, 15:00  
26-08-2017, 15:20  
Boat: Leopard 39
26-08-2017, 16:44  
Boat: TRT 1200
top speed with almost double fuel consumption - 9.9 knots now.



Sailing cats and power cats have very different shapes. A power cat has straight aft sections and a sailing cat has upsweep in the line. The two are very different and you can't make a power cat shape work well when sailing in lighter winds and upwind and you can't make a sailing shape work well at high speeds under power.



Just chill out and go at 7 knots. Even though our boat has hit 19.9 knots, we average about 7.5 to 8.5 most of the time. You don't go that fast.
26-08-2017, 17:28  
Boat: Searunner 40 trimaran, WILDERNESS
40 , 30 hp with folding 18x12 prop = 8 knots at 2300 rpm, 20 knots under sail, unless I'm really nutso.
 
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Better Sailing

How Fast Do Catamarans Sail? Average Sailing Speed of a Catamaran

How Fast Do Catamarans Sail? Average Sailing Speed of a Catamaran

In most aspects, sailing a catamaran is very similar to sailing a monohull. If you learn to sail on a monohull then most of the skills are transferable. But, there are a couple of subtle differences that we will analyze further in this article. A catamaran is generally more balanced on the water and can be faster than a multi-hull vessel. And, cruising on a sailboat with a cat hull will be much faster than cruising on a sailboat with a monohull. Therefore, a catamaran hull is able to achieve the speeds of a racing monohull and is also more comfortable to sail on.

A tri-hull is even much better as they’re designed towards the performance end of the spectrum. And that is why they double the speed of a racing monohull. So, let’s analyze this subject further in this article and see what’s the average sailing speed of a cat. Follow me!

Catamaran Vs Monohull Speed: Are Cats Faster than Monohulls?

Not all cruising cats are always faster than an equivalent length monohull. But, many well-designed and balanced multihulls can easily surpass the speed of their monohull cousins. And, it’s not fair to mass all cats into one example, but performance cruising catamarans like the Nautitech or Neel trimarans distinguish from others. Their narrow waterline beams, hull chines, deep and fine keels, and rudders as well as efficient sail plans will typically be faster than the average cruising monohull.

“The fun of sailing is proportional to the speed of sailing”, as an American designer, L. Francis Herreshoff, said. And, it’s basically true because when we sail and see another boat heeling in the breeze, we also feel we want to do the same. This is because for many sailors speed means much more than just fun. You should, however, consider keeping your cat as light as possible if you want to maximize speed. I know that keeping your sailboat light is difficult but it’s of importance if speed is your main goal.

Keep in mind that a boat’s speed has won wars and has also been a contributor to safety. In the past, a fast warship was able to outmaneuver its adversary or escape from a boat with more firepower. And just as proven in history, the speed of a sailboat is important and provides a faster boat with more options.

Monohull VS Catamarans Differences

  • When tacking, you must work hard to keep your speed consistent in the tack and always ease the mainsheet to avoid “windvaning.” When the larger mainsail on a catamaran attempts to turn the boat back towards the wind, this is known as windvaning.
  • On a monohull, you must be extremely cautious about an unintended gybe. Meaning that you must gybe much more slowly. On a catamaran, you can take advantage of the increased speed and sustain it while gybing to help depower the main.
  • On a monohull, and when winds increase, the boat starts heeling. This automatically informs you that you have too much sail up and it’s time to reef. And, as catamarans don’t heel, you have to be very careful when to reef the massive main. Most of the time, you will throw in the first reef at 18-20 knots of wind speed. The second reef will be put as the wind gets closer to 23-25 knots. The above-mentioned always depend on the size and type of your vessel.

Wind as a Main Factor for Speed

Thanks to tech evolutions in radar, satellite, and computer technology, a five-day forecast is as accurate as a two-day forecast was back in 1980. A multihull’s higher speed also contributes to easier and safer planning of ocean passages around weather windows since exposure time will be less. Moreover, meteorological prediction for shorter periods is far more accurate. Keep in mind that when sailing faster you also introduce the concept of apparent wind to the strategy of efficient sailing.

Multihull speed upwind? Sailing upwind, the catamaran usually experiences more apparent wind across the deck since it’s sailing faster. Therefore, the sails will feel more pressure, which will make the boat perform even better. And, of course, the concept of apparent wind contributes to the joy of sailing, as it adds another dimension to it. When sailing towards a downwind destination, fast multihulls are able to sail at smaller wind angles. Subsequently, this brings the apparent wind forward of the beam, hence optimizing the angle of attack on the sails.

While cats will fly gennakers, code-zeros, or asymmetric spinnakers, monohulls mostly set symmetric spinnakers to the poles. And most importantly, their boat speed will often cancel out the true wind and will reduce the apparent wind and performance. The faster the multihull is the more it is able to take advantage of the apparent wind and tack downwind towards its destination. Although it might be sailing twice the distance, it will arrive at the downwind mark quicker because its Velocity Made Good (VMG) will be faster.

>>Also Read: How Fast is a Laser Sailboat? Laser Sailboat Top Speed

Performance Characteristics

Bear in mind that cats require four times the power to double their speed. But, a mono-hull vessel requires eight times the power to double the speed. This is due to the fact that a cat has less resistance in the water. However, this is great in terms of conserving and using less energy. Catamarans are also more stable in the water. This stability is effective at resisting heeling or capsizing. In other words, a multi-hull vessel requires four times the force to capsize as a similar-sized mono-hull vessel.

Most of the time, sailing in a catamaran is smoother and facilitates activities that are not always possible on a mono-hull sailboat. In addition, as catamarans have less water resistance, they are generally faster than mono-hull vessels. As their hulls are smaller, this means that they have a smaller bow wave to fight. The bow wave is a wave created by the displacement of water by the bow of a ship. After a certain speed, the boat has to start hauling itself over its own bow wave. Meaning that the larger hull a boat has, the larger its bow wave will be and the more power will be required in order to fight it.

Since catamarans have two small and narrow hulls, they don’t have much of a bow wave. This is one of the reasons they are normally quicker than a monohull vessel of comparable size. Catamarans can travel at speeds of up to 30% faster than monohull boats. Catamarans have the disadvantage of taking longer to transform than monohulls.

Lastly, the thing that makes monohulls harder to sail is heeling and smaller spaces. In stronger winds, monohulls tend to heel. This results in making most tasks a bit more difficult to perform. Whether you’re heading forward to reef, trying to winch in a sail, or move about the boat, sailing on a heeling boat is always more difficult. However, cats have extra stability and room, and this allows for much easier movement around the boat as they do not heel. And, for this reason, catamarans are often considered easier to sail.

Average Sailing Speed of a Catamaran

How Fast Are Catamarans Compared To Other Boat Types?

There are two main factors that determine the speed of ships. The first one is the hull type. There are hulls that stay beneath the water more or less than others. But, keep in mind that the less the hull is underwater, the faster it can go. This is due to the fact that the less of the hull underwater, the less the drag created when sailing. The other factor is the length of the boat. And, reasonably, the longer the boat, the faster it can go. Every boat has a maximum hull speed that can’t be exceeded. This can only happen in case the boat can plane on the water’s surface or be lifted on hydrofoils. For most boats, the longer the boat, the higher the maximum hull speed is.

Sailing catamarans typically average about 10 knots while pontoon boats average about 16 knots. As for powerboats, they can average anywhere between 30 and 50 mph. Most average sailboats are designed with monohulls and they average from 6 to 9 knots depending on wind conditions. Generally, sailboats average between 8 and 12 mph, again depending on weather conditions. This includes mono-hull between 6 to 8 mph and cats or trimarans between 9 and 10mph.

Speed and Comfort Considerations For Cats

You have a lot of choices if you choose to buy a catamaran. You have the option of prioritizing speed or comfort. After you’ve decided to buy a catamaran, the type of catamaran you can consider is determined by where you’ll be using it and what you’ll be doing with it. In addition, make sure that you look at what type of water you will be traveling in, your crew members, and what type of speed you want to achieve.

Storage is an important consideration to make before purchasing a catamaran. Due to the beam, or width, of a catamaran versus a regular mono-hull vessel, you are often charged for two slips if you wish to store your boat in a marina. Moreover, catamarans are a great option for those who get seasick because they have a more stable ride and more open air space. You have more windows and visibility since the living quarters are not within the hull and below the water’s surface.

Sailing and power catamarans are both great choices. In addition, for low winds or conditions such as docking in a marina, sailing catamarans may be equipped with backup power engines. Twin-engine catamarans can have more power and precision than mono-hull vessels.

>>Also Read: How Fast Can Sailboats Go?

Main Advantages of Catamarans

  • Space! If you want to opt for more interior and exterior space then the two separate hulls of a catamaran can often double the amount of social space than a monohull of the same length.
  • Catamarans are far more stable than monohulls. For this reason, they don’t heel when sailing, and are less prone to rocking when at anchor. This factor also contributes to comfortable sailing.
  • Catamarans have a shallow draft which allows them to enter shallower areas. Keep in mind that in the South Pacific, most lagoons are 6 to 8 ft in depth. This depth doesn’t allow for monohulls to enter, but a catamaran can easily enter these areas.
  • Stability is another big plus of cats. A cat isn’t that susceptible to the effects of wave action and it also doesn’t heal the way a monohull does. Therefore, it’s much easier to walk around on deck and within the interior of the cat while underway.
  • In terms of speed, and mostly for downwind sailing , cats are faster than monohulls. This particularly applies to downwind runs, reaches, and broad reaches.
  • More light, customizable, and airy living area. On a catamaran, the living space is usually situated in the middle of the boat and built on the bridge deck. But, in a monohull you go down into the hull where it is darker and less airy.
  • More storage space and room for extra systems, provisions, and general sailing equipment. These may include air conditioning, heaters, oven, watermakers, generators, larger fridges, and freezers, etc. And, if you’re a liveaboard, then living on a cat is far more comfortable than living in a sailboat. You have more interior, exterior, and storage space as well as stability and speed in terms of sailing performance.
  • Many modern cats have flybridge helms. And of course, no monohull achieves this visibility from the helm provided on most modern catamarans.
  • The galley, main salon, and cockpit are all located on one level , above the waterline.
  • Because the majority of living space is above the waterline , there’s a better flow of ventilation on a cat making the need for air conditioning somewhat less important during the daylight hours.
  • When you plan to set sail, you almost never have to rush around stowing stuff or using bungee cords to hold things in place. Except in relatively rough waters, most things stay put.
  • Since catamarans lack a large, heavy keel filled with lead, they can float even if they’re holed. Production cats are constructed with so much buoyancy that sinking them is nearly impossible.
  • Catamarans are usually easy to dock because you have two motors and two rudders. Additionally, there’s also no need for a bow thruster.
  • Most catamarans are able to turn 360 degrees within their own length.

Average Sailing Speed of Catamarans

Sport Catamarans30 knots
Cruising Catamarans15 knots
Racing Catamarans45 knots
Power Cruising Catamarans70 knots
Swath Catamarans30 knots

How Fast Do Catamarans Sail? – The Bottom Line

Bear in mind that not all catamarans are created equal. In other words, catamaran speed is relative. The most important benefit of the speed of a multihull is the ability to outrun bad weather. Meaning that you’re able to average 9-10 knots on a catamaran rather than 6-7 knots on a monohull. Subsequently, this will give you more options in your strategy to avoid bad weather. In general, sailing catamarans typically average about 10 knots. Higher maximum and average speeds are what makes cats distinguish as well as their stability. These are the most important characteristics which makes many sailors prefer cats rather than monohull boats.

Peter

Peter is the editor of Better Sailing. He has sailed for countless hours and has maintained his own boats and sailboats for years. After years of trial and error, he decided to start this website to share the knowledge.

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Go-Fast Boats: Beginner's Guide to the World of Speed

go-fast boats

Speed on the water is a rush like no other, and if by chance it captures your imagination you’ll likely spend the rest of your powerboating days chasing it. Not everyone who enters the boating world discovers his or her inner speed gene. But for those who do, it quickly becomes a passion—and likely a lifelong one. 

high performance center console boats

But assuming you end up on the “love” side of the equation, there are more than a few things that you, as a novice getting into go-fast boating, need to know. What follows is a quick, though by no means comprehensive, question-and-answer guide. It won’t provide everything you need to know, for the education of a powerboat owner, especially in the high-performance realm, never stops. But it will help you understand some of the basics.

Learn More about High Performance Boats

Different Types of Go-Fast Boats

Go-fast boats essentially break into two hull categories: 

  • V-bottom (mono hull)
  • Catamaran (twin smaller “sponson” hulls with a “tunnel” between them)

Picture “one of those Cigarette boats” and you have a classic V-bottom. Though most are powered by inboard stern-drive engines, a few are offered with outboard-engine power. Their lengths range from 20 to more than 50 feet. Most often, they have single or dual engines. They range from bare bones, meaning a steering wheel, a throttle and two gauges (speedometer and tachometer), to plush with multiple GPS units, front and rear video cameras, FLIR systems, monster stereos, plus cabins and more.

Sticking with the Cigarette mental image, a traditional V-bottom sportboat has a closed deck and a cockpit behind it. Today’s fastest V-bottom sportboats top out at more than 150 MPH.

Center Consoles

More popular these days, however, are V-bottom-based “center consoles” with open-cockpit layouts with bolster seats and lounges from bow to stern and tiny-to-generous cabins inside the consoles. Most high-performance center-consoles are powered by two to four outboards. Top speeds range from 60 to 85 MPH.

Go-Fast Catamarans

Today’s most popular go-fast catamarans range from 28 to 52 feet. Powered by twin inboard engines up to 1,750-HP, they can reach 180 MPH and beyond. Once again, it goes without saying—but still needs to be said—that boats in this rather extreme category take years of experience to learn to handle safely.

A sport catamaran, meaning outboard-engine-powered cats from 28 to 38 feet long, are the hottest things in the go-fast boat segment these days. Equipped with twin outboard racing-style engines, the fastest top out at 130 MPH. Thanks to the outstanding reliability built into today’s outboards and overall ease of use as compared to their larger, higher-maintenance stern-drive counterparts, sport cat popularity has exploded in the last five years.

high performance catamaran

How Much Does a Go-Fast Boat Cost?

If you’re looking at an entry level new go-fast powerboat, you can expect to spend no less than $100,000. That might seem like a lot of money and, in fact, it is, but it’s not out of line with the pricing in rest of the powerboat world (more than a few ski/wake tow boats list for 50 percent more than that).

Of course, you spend far less than $100,000 in the pre-owned go-fast boat market. On the flip side, you can spend more than $1 million on a new custom creation.

Other Related Costs

Being new to go-fast boating and excited about the world you’re about to enter, this you forget to ask this question. But it’s an important one, so we’re asking it for you.

Short answer: Yes.

Longer answer: Like all forms of powerboating, the high-performance segments includes costs beyond the boat, the most obvious one being fuel. High-horsepower marine engines demand fuel, often higher octane and hence more-expensive fuel, to make power. And they tend to burn a lot of it. By automotive standards, five miles per gallon is appalling. But powerboating—all powerboating—it’s world-beating, even for outboard engines.

Other costs include insurance, which is higher for go-fast boats than it is for boats in other segments. The faster the boat, the more expensive and expensive and difficult it is to insure. Though high-performance marine engines, especially Mercury Racing’s inboard and outboard offerings, have become far more reliable than they once were, they still require more routine maintenance than the lower output engines found in general-use powerboats.

Costs of Boat Ownership Guide

Go-Fast Boats: Frequently Asked Questions

How fast can high-performance boats go?

To make things simple, we’ll define any powerboat that exceeds 70 MPH as a high-performance boat. These days, there are plenty of boats that can run more than 120 MPH and several models that—with enough horsepower—can top 180 MPH. It should go without saying, but still needs to be said, that the highest tier of performance boats take years of experience and a careful, methodical progression to learn to handle safely.

How do I get involved in high-performance boating?

If your family owned a powerboat, there’s a good chance that you might end up owning one someday. Lifelong boat owners typically were exposed to the activity as children. To the outsider, the whole “powerboating thing” can seem intimidating, whereas those who grow up around boats have a hard-coded comfort level with all that boating entails.

Your best bet if you think a go-fast boat appeals to you? Get a ride in one. There are more than a few dealers around the country who can make that happen for you. If you like it, you’ll move forward. If not, move on.

Assuming you like it, you’ll need to take more rides—and we mean a lot of them—with dealers and builders. Don’t be afraid to ask hard questions and don’t be afraid to go elsewhere if the folks introducing you to the go-fast boating world can’t answer them.

How do I learn to drive (and safely handle) a go-fast boat?

Volumes could be written about the progression of go-fast powerboat ownership, but the most simple and solid path is to start small and work your way up.

  • For a novice , trying to dock a 50-foot, twin-engine V-bottom in a crosswind, much less run it at speed, would be a horrific and potentially dangerous experience.
  • For a seasoned go-fast boat owner , it’s routine—but routine that always needs to be approach with respect and caution. More than a few owners of big, multi-engine catamarans started with a 20-foot V-bottom. And it took them years, as it will take you, to progress up the ladder.

So be patient. Your life and the life of every passenger in your boat depends on it. And get instruction , whether it be from the manufacturer such as MTI or Nor-Tech or an outfit like the Tres Martin Performance Driving School. Listen, learn, ask lots of questions—there are no dumb ones—and take it slowly.

Nothing is without risk. Your job, through a slow progression to experience and competent instruction, is to do your best to minimize it. In time, you’ll be going plenty fast. That’s just what happens when the aquatic speed bug bites.

Explore Go-Fast Boat Brands

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  • High Speed Holiday
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  • First Time Boat Owners: How to Get Started
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  • Find the Right Boat for Your Lifestyle

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Fact check: What the Obamas and other Democratic speakers got right, wrong on Day 2 of the DNC

Former president barack obama and former first lady michelle obama energized convention attendees. here are some fact checks of their claims..

how fast do racing catamarans go

CHICAGO —  Two decades after exploding onto the political scene at a different Democratic convention, former President Barack Obama, along with former first lady Michelle Obama, energized convention attendees here. The Obamas bestowed their support on nominee Kamala Harris, who aims to follow Obama as the nation’s second Black president.

Barack Obama began his address by praising outgoing President Joe Biden. “I am proud to call him my president, but I am even prouder to call him my friend,” Obama said of Biden, his former vice president.

Obama attacked Harris’ opponent, former President Donald Trump with zingers, once needling Trump for a “ weird obsession with crowd sizes ” (which also involved a suggestive hand gesture).

Barack Obama offered a few notes that rhymed with his career-making 2004 keynote address at the Democratic convention in Boston, in which he argued against the idea that there is a blue America and a red America.

Michelle Obama’s speech also offered some optimistic notes, including the notion that “hope is making a comeback” with Harris’ late entry into the presidential race as Biden’s would-be successor. But the former first lady’s remarks were sometimes even more acerbic than her husband’s.

She said, for example, that Trump had benefited from the “affirmative action of generational wealth” yet still managed to get “a second, third or fourth chance” while regularly “whining” or “cheating.” She also criticized Trump — an early spreader of the “birther” conspiracy theory that doubted that Obama was born in the U.S. — for having made Americans “fear us” as an educated, high-achieving couple who “happen to be Black.”

PolitiFact fact-checks politicians across the political spectrum. We also fact-checked the  Republican National Convention  in July.  Read more about our process.

Here are some fact-checks of claims made during the convention’s second night.

Barack Obama: Under Joe Biden, the U.S. produced “15 million jobs, higher wages, lower health care costs.” 

He’s right about jobs: The U.S. has  added 15.8 million jobs  since January 2021, when Biden was sworn in, though some of those represented the workforce return of workers the pandemic had sidelined.

Wages are up under Biden without factoring in inflation. But for his full tenure, wages have  trailed inflation , which hit a four-decade high under Biden. Nevertheless, wages have outpaced inflation over the past two years, the past year and compared with before the pandemic.

Whether health care costs were lower overall is a trickier question, because there’s great variation from family to family and person to person. However, U.S. health care expenditures as a percentage of gross domestic product peaked during the pandemic in 2020 and have  since fallen  roughly to prepandemic levels. This represented the biggest sustained decline in decades.

Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt.: “Unemployment was soaring” when Biden and Harris took office in January 2021.

Mostly False.

Sanders overstated the unemployment situation when Biden and Harris were inaugurated.

In April 2020, at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the unemployment rate surged to 14.8% as millions of Americans lost their jobs.

But by the time Biden took office in January 2021, the rate had fallen to 6.4%, and it continued to fall that year.

So it wasn’t “soaring” any longer, though the rate was still high by historical standards. It was lower than 6.4% for about six years prepandemic.

July’s unemployment rate is 4.3%.

Project 2025

Pennsylvania state Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta, D-Philadelphia: “And on Page 587, Project 2025 would cut overtime pay for hardworking Americans.”

Labor law experts have told PolitiFact  that the Project 2025 plan would not eliminate overtime pay, but some workers could lose overtime protections if the plan’s proposals are enacted. It’s hard to say how many; it would depend on what’s enacted.

The document proposes that the Labor Department maintain an overtime threshold “that does not punish businesses in lower-cost regions (e.g., the southeast United States).” This threshold is the amount of money executive, administrative or professional employees need to make for an employer to exempt them from overtime pay under the Fair Labor Standards Act.

In 2019, the Trump administration  finalized a rule  that expanded overtime pay eligibility to most salaried workers earning less than about $35,568. The Biden administration  raised that threshold  to $43,888 beginning July 1, and that will rise to $58,656 on Jan. 1, 2025.

Project 2025’s proposal would return to the Trump-era threshold in some parts of the country. It’s unclear how many workers that would affect, but experts said some would presumably lose the right to overtime wages.

Other proposals in the plan include allowing some workers to choose to accumulate paid time off instead of overtime pay, to work more hours in one week and fewer in the next rather than receive overtime,,and require employers to pay overtime for working on the Sabbath.

Former first lady Michelle Obama: One of Trump’s proposals is “shutting down the Department of Education.”

Trump has said he would  abolish the Education Department , a proposal  he shares with Project 2025 , an agenda independently produced by some Trump allies.

It’s also something conservative groups have pushed for decades. The idea is to save a few essential functions and hand them to other agencies.

Trump’s education agenda also includes universal school choice, not spending federal dollars on schools that have vaccine mandates, allowing prayer in school, making principals directly elected by voters, subsidizing homeschooling and abolishing tenure for K-12 teachers.

Health Care

Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.: “Democrats lowered prescription drug prices.”

Mostly True.

The Democrats did take historic steps to lower prices for Medicare recipients, but that’s a limited group of people and for many drugs that will take time.

In August 2022,  Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act,  which allows the federal government to negotiate prices with drugmakers for Medicare. It passed without Republican support. The same law  capped  the monthly price of insulin at $35 for Medicare enrollees starting in 2023.

The Biden-Harris administration  announced  Aug. 15 that the federal government had reached agreements with all participating manufacturers on new negotiated drug prices for the first 10 drugs selected under the new law.

That will define the prices to be paid for prescriptions starting in 2026. For 2027 and 2028, 15 more drugs per year will be chosen for price negotiations. Starting in 2029, 20 more will be chosen a year.

New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham: Donald Trump and J.D. Vance want to “repeal the Affordable Care Act.”

Half True .

Trump’s new position doesn’t match his old one, but more details are needed.

In 2016, Trump campaigned on a promise to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act. As president, Trump supported a failed effort to do just that. In the years since, he has repeatedly stated his intent to dismantle the health care law, including in campaign stops and social media posts throughout 2023.

In March, however, Trump walked back this stance. He wrote on Truth Social that he “isn’t running to terminate” the ACA but to make it “better” and “less expensive.”

Trump hasn’t said how he would do this, and health care policy experts said it’s difficult to know where he stands without a detailed plan. Experts identified an array of possible changes that could be executed under another Trump administration but said a sweeping repeal likely isn’t in the cards given a lack of political support.

Childhood Poverty

Sanders: “We cut childhood poverty by over 40% through an expanded child tax credit.”

Biden’s American Rescue Plan increased the child tax credit from $2,000 to $3,600 for children younger than 6 and to $3,000 for children 6 to 17.

We  previously reported  that supplemental poverty numbers showed poverty among all U.S. children dropped from 9.7% in 2020 to 5.2% in 2021, the Census Bureau said — a decline of 46%. About 5.3 million people were lifted out of poverty, including 2.9 million children.

The provision lapsed after December 2021, facing opposition from Republicans and Sen. Joe Manchin, now an independent, who argued that expanding the credit would worsen inflation.

When the expanded tax credit expired, supplemental child poverty  spiked , rising from 12.1% in December 2021 to 17% in January 2022 — a 41% change.

Kamala Harris in a DNC video: Trump “wants to impose what is in effect a national sales tax on everyday products and basic necessities that we import from other countries. … (it) would cost a typical family $3,900 a year.”

Trump has said that  he would propose a 10% tariff on all nondomestic goods sold  in the U.S. Although tariffs are levied separately from taxes, economists say that much of their impact would be passed along to consumers, making them analogous to a tax.

The video’s figure about how much it will cost families is higher than current estimates.

The American Action Forum, a center-right think tank, has  projected  additional costs per household of $1,700 to $2,350 annually.

The Peterson Institute of International Economics, another Washington, D.C.-based think tank,  projected  that such tariffs would cost a middle-income household about $1,700 extra each year.

PolitiFact chief correspondent Louis Jacobson, senior correspondent Amy Sherman, staff writers Samantha Putterman, Sara Swann, Loreben Tuquero and Maria Ramirez Uribe contributed to this story. 

Our convention fact-checks rely on both new and previously reported work. We link to past work whenever possible. In some cases, a fact-check rating may be different tonight than in past versions. In those cases, either details of what the candidate said, or how the candidate said it, differed enough that we evaluated it anew.

This fact check was originally published by PolitiFact , which is part of the Poynter Institute.

how fast do racing catamarans go

Opinion | Media reaction to Kamala Harris’ acceptance speech

It was a speech that wowed not only the obviously partisan crowd in Chicago, but many of the media commentators covering it.

how fast do racing catamarans go

Fact check: How accurate was Kamala Harris’ 2024 DNC speech in Chicago?

Harris leaned into several key policy themes: abortion rights, voting rights and support for Ukraine as it fights a continuing Russian invasion

how fast do racing catamarans go

LIVE: Fact-checking Kamala Harris’ 2024 DNC speech in Chicago

PolitiFact is live fact-checking the fourth and final night of the 2024 Democratic National Convention

how fast do racing catamarans go

Opinion | Who has been the DNC’s most surprising speaker so far?

It’s Stephanie Grisham, a former White House press secretary for Donald Trump who now supports Kamala Harris for president

how fast do racing catamarans go

Fact check: What Walz, Buttigieg, Clinton and others got right and wrong at Day 3 of the DNC

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz accepted his party’s vice presidential nomination on the Democratic convention’s third night

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Lynch Yacht Sinking Off Sicily Proves as Baffling as It Is Tragic

As bodies were recovered, the authorities and experts wondered how a $40 million, stable and secure vessel could have sunk so quickly.

  • Share full article

A diver in an orange jumpsuit suit and crews in gray shirts and red trousers hoist remains in a blue body bag onto a boat, as others in reflector uniforms stand nearby.

By Emma Bubola and Michael J. de la Merced

Emma Bubola reported from Porticello, Italy, and Michael J. de la Merced from London.

Two months after being cleared in a bruising legal battle over fraud charges, the British tech mogul Mike Lynch celebrated his freedom with a cruise. He invited his family, friends and part of his legal team on board his luxury sailing yacht, a majestic 180-foot vessel named Bayesian after the mathematical theorem around which he had built his empire.

On Sunday night, after a tour of the Gulf of Naples, including Capri, and volcanic islands in the Eolian archipelago, the boat anchored half a mile off the Sicilian coast in Porticello, Italy. It chose a stretch of water favored by the Phoenicians thousands of years ago for its protection from the mistral wind and, in more recent times, by the yachts of tech billionaires. The boat was lit “like a Christmas tree,” local residents said, standing out against the full moon.

But about 4 a.m., calamity unfolded. A violent and fast storm hit the area with some of the strongest winds locals said they had ever felt. Fabio Cefalù, a fisherman, said he saw a flare pierce the darkness shortly after 4.

Minutes later, the yacht was underwater. Only dozens of cushions from the boat’s deck and a gigantic radar from its mast floated on the surface of the sea, fishermen said.

In all, 22 people were on board, 15 of whom were rescued. Six bodies — five passengers and the ship’s cook — had been recovered by Thursday afternoon, including that of Mr. Lynch, an Italian government official said, adding that the search was continuing for his daughter.

It was a tragic and mystifying turn of events for Mr. Lynch, 59, who had spent years seeking to clear his name and was finally inaugurating a new chapter in his life. Experts wondered how a $40 million yacht, so robust and stable could have been sunk by a storm near a port within minutes.

“It drives me insane,” said Giovanni Costantino, the chief executive of the Italian Sea Group, which in 2022 bought the company, Perini, that made the Bayesian. “Following all the proper procedures, that boat is unsinkable.”

The aura of misfortune only deepened when it emerged that Stephen Chamberlain, 52, a former vice president of finance for Mr. Lynch’s former company and a co-defendant in the fraud case, was killed two days earlier, when he was hit by a car while jogging near his house in England.

Since June, the two men had been in a jubilant mood. A jury in San Francisco had acquitted both on fraud charges that could have sent them to prison for two decades. There were hugs and tears, and they and their legal teams went for a celebratory dinner party at a restaurant in the city, said Gary S. Lincenberg, a lawyer for Mr. Chamberlain.

The sea excursion was meant as a thank-you by Mr. Lynch to those who had helped him in his legal travails. Among the guests was Christopher J. Morvillo, 59, a scion of a prominent New York family of lawyers who had represented Mr. Lynch for 12 years. He and his wife, Neda, 57, were among the missing.

So, too, was Jonathan Bloomer, 70, a veteran British insurance executive who chaired Morgan Stanley International and the insurer Hiscox.

The body of the ship’s cook, Recaldo Thomas, was recovered. All the other crew members survived. Among them was Leo Eppel, 19, of South Africa, who was on his first yacht voyage working as a deck steward, said a friend, who asked not to be identified.

Since the sinking, the recovery effort and investigation have turned the tiny port town of Porticello, a quiet enclave where older men sit bare-chested on balconies, into what feels like the set of a movie.

Helicopters have flown overhead. Ambulances have sped by with the sirens blaring. The Coast Guard has patrolled the waters off shore, within sight of a cordoned-off dock that had been turned into an emergency headquarters.

On Wednesday afternoon, a church bell tolled after the first body bag was loaded into an ambulance, a crowd watching in silence.

The survivors were sheltering in a sprawling resort near Porticello, with a view of the shipwreck spot, and had so far declined to comment.

Attilio Di Diodato, director of the Italian Air Force’s Center for Aerospace Meteorology and Climatology, said that the yacht had most likely been hit by a fierce “down burst” — when air generated within a thunderstorm descends rapidly — or by a waterspout , similar to a tornado over water.

He added that his agency had put out rough-sea warnings the previous evening, alerting sailors about storms and strong winds. Locals said the winds “felt like an earthquake.”

Mr. Costantino, the boat executive, said the yacht had been specifically designed for having a tall mast — the second-tallest aluminum mast in the world. He said the Bayesian was an extremely safe and secure boat that could list even to 75 degrees without capsizing.

But he said that if some of the hatches on the side and in the stern, or some of the deck doors, had been open, the boat could have taken on water and sunk. Standard procedure in such storms, he said, is to switch on the engine, lift the anchor and turn the boat into the wind, lowering the keel for extra stability, closing doors and gathering the guests in the main hall inside the deck.

how fast do racing catamarans go

12 guests occupied the yacht’s six cabins. There were also 10 crew members.

Open hatches, doors and cabin windows could have let in water during a storm, according to the manufacturer.

how fast do racing catamarans go

Open hatches, doors and

cabin windows could

have let in water

during a storm,

according to the

manufacturer.

Source: Superyacht Times, YachtCharterFleet, MarineTraffic

By Veronica Penney

The New York Times attempted to reach the captain, James Cutfield, who had survived, for comment through social media, his brother and the management company of the yacht (which did not hire the crew), but did not make contact.

So far none of the surviving crew members have made a public statement about what happened that night.

Fabio Genco, the director of Palermo’s emergency services, who treated some of the survivors, said that the victims had recounted feeling as if the boat was being lifted, then suddenly dropped, with objects from the cabins falling on them.

The Italian Coast Guard said it had deployed a remotely operated vehicle that can prowl underwater for up to seven hours at a depth of more than 980 feet and record videos and images that they hoped would help them reconstruct the dynamics of the sinking. Such devices were used during the search and rescue operations of the Titan vessel that is believed to have imploded last summer near the wreckage of the Titanic.

After rescuers broke inside the yacht, they struggled to navigate the ropes and many pieces of furniture cluttering the vessel, said Luca Cari, a spokesman for Italy’s national firefighter corps.

Finally, as of Thursday morning, they had managed to retrieve all but one of the missing bodies, and hopes of finding the missing person alive were thin. “Can a human being be underwater for two days?” Mr. Cari asked.

What was certain was that Mr. Lynch’s death was yet another cruel twist of fate for a man who had spent years seeking to clear his name.

He earned a fortune in technology and was nicknamed Britain’s Bill Gates. But for more than a decade, he had been treated as anything but a respected tech leader.

He was accused by Hewlett-Packard, the American technological pioneer that had bought his software company, Autonomy, for $11 billion, of misleading it about his company’s worth. (Hewlett-Packard wrote down the value of the transaction by about $8.8 billion, and critics called it one of the worst deals of all time .) He had been increasingly shunned by the British establishment that he sought to break into after growing up working-class outside London.

He was extradited to San Francisco to face criminal charges, and confined to house arrest and 24-hour surveillance on his dime. In a townhouse in the Pacific Heights neighborhood — with security people he jokingly told associates were his “roommates” — he spent his mornings talking with researchers whom he funded personally on new applications for artificial intelligence. Afterward, he devoted hours to discussing legal strategy with his team.

Despite his persistent claims of innocence, even those close to Mr. Lynch had believed his odds of victory were slim. Autonomy’s chief financial officer, Sushovan Hussain, was convicted in 2018 of similar fraud charges and spent five years in prison.

During Mr. Lynch’s house arrest, his brother and mother died. His wife, Angela Bacares, frequently flew over from England, and she became a constant presence in the San Francisco courtroom during the trial.

After he was finally acquitted, Mr. Lynch had his eye on the future. “I am looking forward to returning to the U.K. and getting back to what I love most: my family and innovating in my field,” he said.

Elisabetta Povoledo contributed reporting from Pallanza, Italy.

Emma Bubola is a Times reporter based in Rome. More about Emma Bubola

Michael J. de la Merced has covered global business and finance news for The Times since 2006. More about Michael J. de la Merced

IMAGES

  1. How Fast Do Catamarans Go?

    how fast do racing catamarans go

  2. Racing Catamaran Top Speed

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  4. America’s Cup 2017 @Bermuda : LV Day 3, Glorious Catamaran Racing

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  5. How Fast Do Catamarans Go? 5 Examples (With Pictures)

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  6. How Fast Do Catamarans Go? 5 Examples (With Pictures)

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COMMENTS

  1. Sail GP: how do supercharged racing yachts go so fast? An engineer explains

    F50 catamarans used in the "Formula One"of sailing can travel at up to 50 knots. ... how do supercharged racing yachts go so fast? An engineer explains Published: September 19, 2019 7:28am EDT ...

  2. All About the F50 Catamaran

    The F50 is an awe-inspiring racing machine capable of reaching speeds up to 50 knots (60mph/100kph). The team who designed and built the fleet explains what ...

  3. How SailGP's foiling F50 catamarans sail so much faster ...

    How SailGP's foiling F50 catamarans sail so much faster than the wind. Jonathan Turner. January 8, 2023. Arguably the most technologically advanced sailboats on the planet right now, the one-design SailGP F50 foiling catamarans are capable of breathtaking speeds - at times, reaching four times the velocity of the wind that drives them.

  4. WATCH: How do the foils of SailGp's high speed F50 catamaran work?

    Teams must therefore work together to fly as high as possible without flying too high and crashing into the water, rising speed and losing speed in SailGP's high pressure racing. The F50's cutting edge technology is evident in its status as the first boat to hit 99.94 km/h during racing - and it has a top speed of over 100 km/h.

  5. How the world's fastest sail racing boats fly above the water

    Eight identical, supercharged boats flying above the water and hitting speeds of up to 100 kilometres per hour - it's definitely sailing… but perhaps not as you have ever seen it before. Since its inception in 2019, SailGP has fast become the pinnacle event in the sailing calendar - but this global racing league is more akin to Formula ...

  6. How Fast Do Catamarans Go?

    August 30, 2022. ‍ Catamarans are known for their speed, and some vessels are fast enough to break world sailing speed records. Catamarans can go between 15 and 30 knots, with the fastest achieving speeds well in excess of 60 knots. Sailing catamarans are sometimes twice as fast as monohulls and cut through the water with greater efficiency.

  7. How Fast Do Catamarans Go? 5 Examples (With Pictures)

    Sailing catamarans typically average about 10 knots. Pontoon boats average about 20 mph. A powerboat cruiser can average anywhere between 30 and 50 mph. Cigarette boats can even reach close to 90 mph in the proper conditions. Sailboats average between 6 and 12 mph depending on wind conditions.

  8. The Blistering Speed of SailGP

    The boats that most people race are considered fast at nine knots; screaming at 15. That's about 10 to 17 m.p.h. Then came the F50 catamaran in 2019, with wings instead of sails and hydrofoils ...

  9. SailGP Explained

    SailGP's fleet of rival nations goes head-to-head at iconic venues around the world during a fast and furious global tour. But how does it work? What are the rules of racing and why would a team be given a penalty? Read on to discover more about the cutting-edge F50 catamaran, how scoring works, plus much, much more...

  10. High Performance Speed Boats: The Ultimate Go-Fast Guide

    In fact, some of the fastest go-fast boats available to the public can even top speeds of up to 130-180 MPH. Speed Boat Designs And Advancements. Aerodynamic efficiency underpins high-performance racing boats, so they all have a low profile. But speed boats don't just go fast.

  11. Performance Cruising Cats Set New Standards in Sailing Speed

    Nathanael G. Herreshoff didn't (necessarily) mean to spark a yacht-design revolution when he launched the catamaran Amaryllis in 1875, but that's exactly what happened…eventually. Students of history will remember that Amaryllis was promptly banned from organized racing, mostly because she whipped the monohulls. Still, word spread: catamarans were lightning fast and sailed flat.

  12. The 8 Fastest Cruising Catamarans (With Speedchart)

    Still, cruising catamarans can be great racing boats, but just how fast can they go? Some of the fastest cruising catamarans include the Gunboat 68 (35 knots), Outremer 45 (25 knots), ORC50 (25 knots), FastCat 435 (20 knots), TS 42 (35 knots), and Lagoon 440 (20 knots). Yet, there are many more cats that can reach 35 knots safely.

  13. 6 Best Performance Cruising Catamarans (Buyer's Guide)

    These fast boats are ideal for racing and long cruising. Performance cruising catamarans are impressive-looking vessels that focus on speed above comfort. These fast boats are ideal for racing and long cruising vacations. ... Still, it'll get you where you want to go pretty fast, and it's an excellent value for money at approximately ...

  14. Go-Fast Boats: Beginner's Guide to the World of Speed

    Today's most popular go-fast catamarans range from 28 to 52 feet. Powered by twin inboard engines up to 1,750-HP, they can reach 180 MPH and beyond. Once again, it goes without saying—but still needs to be said—that boats in this rather extreme category take years of experience to learn to handle safely.

  15. How Fast Do Racing Sailboats Go?

    Racing sailboats usually skim over the water at around 15 to 20 knots. For comparison, the average speed of a traditional sailboat is only around 5 to 8 knots. Some custom-designed boats can reach record-breaking speeds of up to 50 or more knots. Since sailboats don't rely on internal power for speed, many factors determine the speed of a ...

  16. How Fast Are Speed Boats: Speed Boating Performance Guide

    The speed of speed boats can vary widely depending on their design, size, and intended use. Recreational speed boats may reach speeds of 30 to 60 miles per hour (48 to 97 kilometers per hour), while high-performance boats and racing boats can achieve speeds of 100 miles per hour (160 kilometers per hour) or more.

  17. Cruising Catamaran Speed! With Examples and Explanation

    Sailing cruising catamarans can travel at an average of 9-15 knots and max out around 35 kts. Power Cruising catamarans have a maximum speed of 70 knots but averages around 20-25 kts. How fast a catamaran can go also depends on the load it is carrying, its structural design, and its engine power.

  18. How Fast Can a Catamaran Sail?

    As we said earlier, the speed of a catamaran depends on the wind conditions and the size of the boat. Most catamarans can sail at speeds between 15 and 30 knots. Some racing catamarans can reach speeds of up to 30 knots. Of course, there are always exceptions to the rule and some catamarans can sail faster or slower depending on the conditions.

  19. High-Performance Speed Boats: The Ultimate Guide

    In the beginning, go-fast boats essentially came in one shape: a V-bottom monohull with a lot of deadrise and two or three engines depending on the length and beam. ... Where you have more than one fast boat, there will be racing. The fastest speed on the water ever achieved came on Oct. 8, 1978 on Blowering Dam reservoir in Australia, where ...

  20. How fast do sailing catamarans motor?

    Posts: 929. Re: How fast do sailing catamarans motor? For a typical 38ft cruising cat you will motor at about 8-9 knots top speed. Going 8 knots will use about 50% more fuel than 7 knots so you motor at 6-7 instead. Drag is related to the square if the boat speed so going fast needs huge amounts of power and fuel.

  21. What are the fastest cruising catamaran yachts. : r/sailing

    Not many boats at sea go 25+ kts for any extended period. Even high speed superyachts get beaten up above about 12-15kts and consum crazy amounts of fuel at full power. Sailing at >15kts also feels bananas when you do it in any kind of swell... it also takes a huge amount of attention to trim and loads to ensure you don't break something or ...

  22. How Fast Do Catamarans Sail? Average Sailing Speed of a Catamaran

    How Fast Do Catamarans Sail? - The Bottom Line. Bear in mind that not all catamarans are created equal. In other words, catamaran speed is relative. The most important benefit of the speed of a multihull is the ability to outrun bad weather. Meaning that you're able to average 9-10 knots on a catamaran rather than 6-7 knots on a monohull.

  23. Review: Xquisite 30 Sportcat Top 10 Best Boats 2024 Nominee

    The Xquisite 30 Sportcat is an expensive daysailer to be sure, but Hamor hopes to build a fleet for one-design racing at some point and entice an entirely new audience. In the meantime, you can sail one of these head-turning boats for free if you sign a contract for one of Xquisite's large cruising cats. It's an intriguing enticement for sure.

  24. America's Cup 2024: Sailing schedule, format and dates as Ben Ainslie

    This helps the boats to reach exhilarating speeds of more than 50 knots (57.5mph), despite weighing about 6.5 tonnes. But make a mistake and the boats could capsize. What is a cyclor and why are ...

  25. Go-Fast Boats: Beginner's Guide

    Go-Fast Catamarans. Today's most popular go-fast catamarans range from 28 to 52 feet. Powered by twin inboard engines up to 1,750-HP, they can reach 180 MPH and beyond. ... Equipped with twin outboard racing-style engines, the fastest top out at 130 MPH. Thanks to the outstanding reliability built into today's outboards and overall ease of ...

  26. Bayesian yacht: What we know about the luxury boat sank by a ...

    What do we know about the boat? Built in 2008, the 56-meter (184-foot) yacht was manufactured by Italian company Perini Navi, Reuters reported.

  27. Fact check: What the Obamas and other Democratic speakers got right

    As president, Trump supported a failed effort to do just that. In the years since, he has repeatedly stated his intent to dismantle the health care law, including in campaign stops and social ...

  28. Sicily Bayesian yacht sinking

    One man has died and six people are missing after a luxury yacht sank in freak weather conditions off the coast of Sicily. The 56m British-flagged Bayesian was carrying 22 people - 12 passengers ...

  29. What caused the fatal sinking of the superyacht Bayesian?

    Modern boats — Bayesian was built in 2008 and refurbished four years ago — are normally built to high safety standards and equipped with electronic navigation and communications systems, as ...

  30. Lynch Yacht Sinking Off Sicily Proves as Baffling as It Is Tragic

    As bodies were recovered, the authorities and experts wondered how a $40 million, stable and secure vessel could have sunk so quickly. By Emma Bubola and Michael J. de la Merced Emma Bubola ...