Does anyone know of a freeware pakage out there for the pupose of designing boat hulls (sailing catamarans )?

Question

I want to modify the WHARRAM style cat to be built useing scrimp composite construction

Answer 1

WOW!  I am very familiar with Wharram catamarans... and only familiar enough with the Seemann Composite Resin  molding process to know what it is and what it involves... I love the larger Wharram Cats - but mostly I love the way they look built in wood using the "one off fiberglass" method. (I just like that real deep polynesian style and wood... )

As far as "freeware" hull design software... I know there is a bit of it "out there" and several years I took a shot and using three of them - but found them all very limiting, confusing, and packed with tremendously time consuming "learning curves"...

In my case, I ended up making my design changes with pen and paper - as I knew what changes I wanted... (this wider, that deeper, and so on... ) and all my changes were on catamaran hulls.

I spent a lot of time working with a lot of free hull design software and so did my youngest son, in an effort to help me (and he is a programming engineer and works designing "design" software for a living).  So his final comments (as he walked away from our last attempt was:  "Dad, you get what you pay for.  I think you could do a better job faster using a crayola."

So, after more attempts to prove him wrong... (Ya know... "Father knows Best" ) I ended up giving up the ghost.

I think you will too... that's why it's free - they can't sell it.

Good luck on your new Wharram...

Happy & Safe Boating!

www.boatwrights.org

Answer 2

http://www.delftship.net/

http://www.hullform.com/

i don't know if either of these programs will do what you want for free, but it is a start.  we have used these to make plans for model sailboats.