Hydro- and aerodynamic analysis for the design of a sailing yacht

Abstract

The results of the design analysis for a sailing yacht’s hull and sails are reported. The results were used to confirm the design of a 30 ft long sloop, which was planned, designed, and built in Korea for the first time in history. Flows around a sailing yacht above and under the free surface were analyzed separately using both computational and experimental methods. For the underwater flow analysis, turbulent flow simulations with and without free surface wave effects were carried out for the canoe hull with keel/rudder. The computed drag and side forces on the hull model were compared with the measurement data obtained from the towing tank experiments. In order to assess the sail performance, another set of computations was carried out for the flow around a sail system composed of main and jib sails with a mast. The present study demonstrates that, for the design analysis of a sailing yacht, computational fluid dynamics techniques can be utilized with a reasonable level of confidence.