Basic Design SWATH

A Small Waterplane Area Twin Hull, or SWATH for short, is a vessel with some unique characteristics.

It has a much smaller waterline area relative to conventional hulled vessels, which make it less responsive to a changing sea state.

It’s a bit of a niche vessel. In the Netherlands and Germany, they are used as pilot and crew tender vessels.

Bring my vision to life!

How this project started

I had the pleasure to sail on these vessels a number of times.

While they were impressive vessels in rough seas, they were a bit bare-bones in terms of comfort, which is a shame for such a stable vessel.

So I set out to design a bit of an update.

Specs and datasheets

First the parameters where set, basic guides and labels for the frames and deck were set up.

After that I made a rough block out.

In this stage it’s important not to go overboard (pun intended) with the details, because a lot of things can still change.

Bring my vision to life!

Laying out machinery

To get a better idea of what would be possible with the volumes on board, I added in the main machinery.

Simplified models for CAT C32 engines, high and low voltage cabinets, fuel, lube and powerpack oil tanks, FW and BW tanks.

Engine rooms are often cramped, so I tried to find a balance between a roomy engine room, and a comfortable accommodation area.

I tried some variations, like a raised freeboard, moving the machinery back forward where the origingal engine room was and then… I had to move on to other projects.

To be continued…

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