Editing Catamaran (section)

== Applications ==
[[File:AC72 New Zealand Aotearoa San Francisco 01.jpg|thumb|upright|Emirates Team New Zealand's AC72 ''Aotearoa'' on foils in San Francisco Bay]]A catamaran configuration fills a niche where speed and sea-kindliness is favored over bulk capacity. In larger vessels, this niche favors car ferries and military vessels for patrol or operation in the littoral zone.

=== Sport ===
[[File:Gitana 13.jpg|thumb|[[Gitana 13]], an ocean-racing catamaran]]

Recreational and sport catamarans typically are designed to have a crew of two and be launched and landed from a beach. Most have a trampoline on the bridging structure, a rotating mast and full-length battens on the mainsail. Performance versions often have trapezes to allow the crew to hike out and counterbalance capsize forces during strong winds on certain points of sail.<ref>{{ cite book | last = Berman | first = Phil | title = Catamaran Sailing: From Start to Finish | publisher = W. W. Norton & Co. Inc | date = March 1982 | pages = <!-- 209   ... probably number of pages in book --> | isbn = 978-0393000849}}</ref>

For the [[33rd America's Cup]], both the defender and the challenger built {{convert|90|ft|m|adj=on}} long multihulls. [[Société Nautique de Genève]], defending with team [[Alinghi]], sailed a catamaran. The challenger, BMW Oracle Racing, used a trimaran, replacing its soft sail rig with a towering [[wing sail]]—the largest sailing wing ever built. In the waters off [[Valencia]], Spain in February 2010, the BMW Oracle Racing trimaran with its powerful wing sail proved to be superior. This represented a break from the traditional monohulls that had always been sailed in previous [[America's Cup]] series.<ref>{{ cite news | agency = Associated Press | title = BMW Oracle wins America's Cup | publisher = ESPN | date = February 14, 2010 | url = https://www.espn.com/olympics/news/story?id=4913750 | access-date = 2016-01-27}}</ref>

On San Francisco Bay, the [[2013 America's Cup]] was sailed in {{convert|72|ft|m|adj=on}} long [[AC72]] catamarans (craft set by the rules for the 2013 America's Cup). Each yacht employed [[Sailing hydrofoil|hydrofoil]]s and a wing sail. The regatta was won 9–8 by [[Oracle Team USA]] against the challenger, [[Emirates Team New Zealand]], in fifteen matches because Oracle Team USA had started the regatta with a two-point penalty.<ref>{{cite web|url = https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/sailing/24274103|title=Ben Ainslie's USA beat Team New Zealand in decider|date=September 26, 2013|work=BBC Sport|access-date=September 26, 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/oracle-team-usa-completes-historic-america-cup-comeback-article-1.1467496|title=Oracle Team USA completes greatest comeback in America's Cup history, defeating Emirates New Zealand|date=September 25, 2013|work=New York Daily News|access-date=September 26, 2013|archive-date=September 29, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130929085318/http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/oracle-team-usa-completes-historic-america-cup-comeback-article-1.1467496|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Yachting has seen the development of multihulls over {{convert|100|ft|m}} in length. "[[The Race (yachting race)|The Race]]" helped precipitate this trend; it was a circumnavigation challenge which departed from Barcelona, Spain, on New Year's Eve, 2000. Because of the prize money and prestige associated with this event, four new catamarans (and two highly modified ones) over {{convert|100|ft|m}} in length were built to compete. The largest, ''[[PlayStation (yacht)|PlayStation]]'', owned by [[Steve Fossett]], was {{convert|125|ft|m}} long and had a mast which was {{convert|147|ft|m}} above the water. Virtually all of the new mega-cats were built of pre-preg [[carbon fiber]] for strength and the lowest possible weight. The top speeds of these boats can approach {{convert|50|kn|mph km/h}}. The Race was won by the {{convert|33.50|m|abbr=on}}-long catamaran ''[[Club Med (yacht)|Club Med]]'' skippered by [[Grant Dalton]]. It went round the globe in 62 days at an average speed of {{convert|18|kn|mph km/h}}.<ref>{{ cite book | last = Zimmermann | first = Tim | title = The Race: Extreme Sailing and Its Ultimate Event: Nonstop, Round-the-World, No Holds Barred | publisher = Houghton Mifflin Harcourt | date = 2004 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=WI7U45COn1EC&q=catamaran&pg=PT128 | isbn = 0547347065 }}</ref>

=== Cruising ===
[[File:Catamaran de croisière Lagoon 560.JPG|thumb|A [[Lagoon catamaran|Lagoon]] 560 cruising catamaran]]Cruising sailors must make trade-offs among volume, useful load, speed, and cost in choosing a boat. Choosing a catamaran offers increased speed at the expense of reduced load per unit of cost. Howard and Doane describe the following tradeoffs between cruising monohulls and catamarans:<ref name="Offshore" /> A long-distance, offshore cruising monohull may be as short as {{convert|30|ft|m}} for a given crew complement and supporting supplies, whereas a cruising catamaran would need to be {{convert|40|ft|m}} to achieve the same capacity. In addition to greater speed, catamarans draw less water than do monohulls— as little as {{convert|3|ft|m}} —and are easier to beach. Catamarans are harder to tack and take up more space in a marina. Cruising catamarans entail added expense for having two engines and two rudders. Tarjan adds that cruising catamarans boats can maintain a comfortable {{convert|300|nmi|mi km}} per day passage, with the racing versions recording well over {{convert|400|nmi|mi km}} per day. In addition, they do not heel more than 10-12 degrees, even at full speed on a reach.<ref>{{ cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RgHZ2hnnmEEC&q=Characteristics|title=Catamarans: The Complete Guide for Cruising Sailors|last=Tarjan|first=Gregor|date=2007|publisher=McGraw Hill|isbn=9780071596220|access-date=2016-01-25}}</ref>

Powered cruising catamarans share many of the amenities found in a sail cruising catamaran.  The saloon typically spans two hulls wherein are found the staterooms and engine compartments. As with sailing catamarans, this configuration minimizes boat motion in a seaway.<ref>{{ cite magazine | last = Sass | first =  George Jr.  | title = Lagoon Power 43—An exceptional first powerboat from a builder of sailing cats. | magazine = Yachting | date = October 3, 2007 | url = http://www.yachtingmagazine.com/lagoon-power-43 | access-date = 2016-01-25}}</ref>

The Swiss-registered [[Wave-piercing hull|wave-piercing]] catamaran, ''[[Tûranor PlanetSolar]]'', which was launched in March 2010, is the world's largest [[solar energy|solar powered]] boat. It completed a [[circumnavigation]] of the globe in 2012.<ref name="Gieffers">{{cite news|title=Ankunft in Monaco: Solarboot schafft Weltumrundung in 584 Tagen |language=de | first=Hanna |last=Gieffers |newspaper=[[Spiegel Online]] |date=May 4, 2012 | access-date=May 5, 2012 |url=http://www.spiegel.de/reise/aktuell/planetsolar-solarboot-kehrt-von-weltreise-zurueck-a-831418.html}}</ref>

=== Passenger transport ===
[[File:Katamaran - Express 5 - Ystad-2024.jpg|thumb|Drive-on, drive-off deck of a catamaran ferry boat]]
[[File:Francisco Dársena Norte - 01.jpg|thumb| [[HSC Francisco|HSC ''Francisco'']], the world's fastest passenger ship]]The 1970s saw the introduction of catamarans as [[High-speed craft|high-speed]] [[ferry|ferries]], as pioneered by [[Westermoen Hydrofoil]] in [[Mandal, Norway|Mandal]], Norway, which launched the [[Westamaran]] design in 1973.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.classicfastferries.com/cff/pdf/cff_2003_7.pdf | title = First Westamaran Revisited | date = October 7, 2003 | publisher = Classic Fast Ferries | access-date = January 29, 2016 | archive-date = November 20, 2008 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20081120002817/http://www.classicfastferries.com/cff/pdf/cff_2003_7.pdf | url-status = usurped }}</ref> The ''[[HSC Stena Voyager|Stena Voyager]]'' was an example of a large, fast ferry, typically traveling at a speed of {{convert|46|mph|km/h}}, although it was capable of over {{convert|70|mph|km/h}}.<ref>{{ cite news | last = Bowen | first = David | title = Forget the tunnel; all the talk on the high seas is of {{convert|50|mph|0|abbr=on}} super ferries. And Britain doesn't make any of them | newspaper = The Independent | location = London | date = May 4, 1996 | url = https://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/forget-the-tunnel-all-the-talk-on-the-high-seas-is-of-50mph-super-ferries-and-britain-doesnt-make-1345677.html | access-date = 2016-01-29}}</ref>

The Australian island [[Tasmania]] became the site of builders of large transport catamarans—[[Incat]] in 1977<ref>{{cite web|date=2016|title=History|url=http://www.incat.com.au/domino/incat/incatweb.nsf/v-title/History?OpenDocument|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131005012304/http://www.incat.com.au/domino/incat/incatweb.nsf/v-title/History?OpenDocument|archive-date=October 5, 2013|access-date=2016-01-27|publisher=Incat|df=mdy-all}}</ref> and [[Austal]] in 1988<ref>{{cite web|date=2016|title=Our story|url=http://australia.austal.com/our-story-1|access-date=2016-01-27|publisher=Austal}}</ref>—each building civilian [[Ferry|ferries]] and [[Navy|naval]] vessels. Incat built [[HSC Francisco]], a [[high-speed craft|High-Speed]] trimaran that, at 58 knots, is (as of 2014) the fastest [[Ferry|passenger ship]] in service.<ref>''Note: ''Because many of the fast multihull ferries are known as "SeaCats", it is presumed that they are catamarans; in fact they are trimarans with a large centre hull.</ref>

=== Military ===
[[File:USNS Spearhead (JHSV-1) - 1.jpg|thumb|[[Spearhead-class joint high speed vessel|US Naval Ship ''Spearhead'' (JHSV-1)]] during sea trials in 2012]]
[[File:Shahid Soleimani corvette in January 2023 (1).jpg|thumb|[[Iranian corvette Shahid Soleimani]] IRIS FS313-01 in 2023]]
The first warship to be propelled by a steam engine, named [[United States floating battery Demologos|''Demologos'' or ''Fulton'']] and built in the United States during the [[War of 1812]], was a catamaran with a [[paddle wheel]] between her hulls.

In the early 20th Century several catamarans were built as submarine salvage ships: [[SMS Vulkan|SMS ''Vulkan'']] and [[SMS Cyclop (1916)|SMS ''Cyclop'']] of [[Imperial German Navy|Germany]], [[Russian salvage ship Kommuna|''Kommuna'']] of [[Russian Navy|Russia]], and [[Spanish salvage ship Kanguro|''Kanguro'']] of [[Spanish Navy|Spain]], all designed to lift stricken [[submarine]]s by means of huge cranes above a [[moon pool]] between the hulls. Two Cold War-era [[submarine rescue ship]]s, [[USS Pigeon (ASR-21)|USS ''Pigeon'']] and [[USS Ortolan (ASR-22)|USS ''Ortolan'']] of the [[United States Navy|US Navy]], were also catamarans, but did not have the moon pool feature.

The use of catamarans as high-speed naval transport was pioneered by [[HMAS Jervis Bay (AKR 45)|HMAS ''Jervis Bay'']], which was in service with the [[Royal Australian Navy]] between 1999 and 2001. The US [[Military Sealift Command]] now operates several [[Spearhead-class joint high speed vessel|Expeditionary Fast Transport]] catamarans owned by the US Navy;<ref>{{Cite web|title = Strategic Sealift (PM3)|url = http://www.msc.navy.mil/PM3/|website = www.msc.navy.mil|access-date = 2015-11-01|url-status = dead|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080627195734/http://www.msc.navy.mil/PM3/|archive-date = June 27, 2008|df = mdy-all}}</ref> they are used for high speed transport of military cargo, and to get into shallow ports.

The [[Makar-class survey catamaran|''Makar''-class]] is a class of two large catamaran-hull survey ships built for the [[Indian Navy]]. As of 2012, one vessel, [[INS Makar (J31)]], was in service and the second was under construction.<ref>{{cite news|title=INS Makar commissioned into the Indian Navy|url=http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2012-09-21/news/34002314_1_indian-navy-surveys-western-naval-command|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131215190522/http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2012-09-21/news/34002314_1_indian-navy-surveys-western-naval-command|url-status=dead|archive-date=December 15, 2013|access-date=September 1, 2013|newspaper=Economic Times|date=September 21, 2012}}</ref>

First launched in 2004 at Shanghai, the [[Houbei class missile boat]] of the [[People's Liberation Army Navy]] (PLAN) has a catamaran design to accommodate the vessel's stealth features.<ref name="Wired">{{cite web |url=https://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2011/08/china-builds-warships/2/ |title=China Builds Fleet of Small Warships While U.S. Drifts |last=Axe|first=David |date=August 4, 2011|website=Wired.com|access-date=2012-02-04}}</ref>

The [[Tuo Chiang-class corvette]] is a class of [[Taiwan]]ese-designed fast and [[stealth technology|stealthy]] multi-mission [[wave-piercing hull|wave-piercing]] catamaran [[corvette]]s<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://news.usni.org/2014/12/24/taiwan-navy-takes-delivery-first-stealth-carrier-killer-corvette|title=Taiwan Navy Takes Delivery of First Stealth 'Carrier Killer' Corvette|date=24 December 2014}}</ref> first launched in 2014 for the [[Republic of China Navy|Republic of China (Taiwan) Navy]].

=== Small, personal boats ===
The distribution of the boat's volume, namely its buoyancy away from its center-line increases its stability beyond the stability offered by mono-hulled vessels of similar size, and even bigger ones. Narrow beamed, personal twin-hulled boats designed for paddling (e.g. [[Kayak|kayaks]] and [[Canoe|canoes]]), and for powering by small portable motors (e.g. microskiffs, [[Johnboat|Jon boats]], and [[Dinghy|dinghies]]) in which the user/s and passenger/s ride a type of saddle seat similar to the seat featuring in [[Personal watercraft|Personal Watercraft (PWC)]] have been produced since 2004 in the United States by a company named Wavewalk. The W720 Kayak-Skiff is 31 inches wide, and the S4 Microskiff is 38 inches wide, and both allow paddling, driving, and fishing standing up in full confidence, thanks to their [https://wavewalk.com/blog/fishing-kayak-stability/ enhanced stability].