About Multihull Dynamics
Welcome Multihull Sailing Enthusiasts
January 2008
Multihull evaluations are really coming into their own. Suddenly there are more articles and websites about multihull evaluation techniques, differing formulas involving real data, rather than only someone's subjective point of view. Initially the MDI website was going to be strictly about model specifications and objective comparisons; " Just the Facts ". Once we began publishing formulas and data results we received requests for explanations of vessel terms and the formula selections. We developed three resources to address questions and give the necessary explanations: Cals Evals; the Technical Section; and the Port of MDI with Membership Design Reviews and made them all accessible through a Membership. You can read more detail of Membership Privileges.
There are several formula variations of "First Order" Multihull Sailboat Analysis. Calvin H. Markwood discusses the MDI formula selections and the meaning of their results in selected papers in the Technical Section and in the article below.
I met Cal Markwood after much research into multihulls. I found an article he wrote to be of great help to me; his work summarized several books I had read, but none of the books had put the complete "First Order Evaluation" package together for multihulls as he had. His article is an engineering analysis of multihull evaluation. He supports his conclusions with real world data, "Theory and Statistics of Cruising Multihulls", by Calvin H. Markwood, published in Multihulls Magazine, March/April 1997, Vol. 23, No. 2.
Mr. Markwood has since updated his original article now entitled "Analysis and Comparison of Cruising Multihulls 2008". It is a clear and concise primer for evaluation of sailing multihulls. It also provides the backbone of analysis for the MDI website. Mr. Markwood's multihull evaluation strategy contributes a valuable resource to both multihull sailors and the multihull industry; clearly he sets the standard for "First Order" multihull sailboat evaluation strategies. Mr. Markwood is the Engineering Analyst for Multihull Dynamics, Inc. You may contact him by email: Cal Markwood
We are now in our 4th revision of this website. In the process we have met and discussed multihulls and their designs with creative and influential members of the multihull sailing community as well as racing and cruising sailors. We appreciate the help and feedback we have recieved in the website develpment.
Several mathematical monohull sailboat design evaluation sites are available: Carl Adler's Sail Calculator and the United States Sailing Association are two good examples. This is the first mathematically driven multihull sailboat design evaluation site - "Multihulls by the Numbers"
Feedback and interest in this site are invited, contact me, Pat Ross.
