How Do Multihulls Point?
Once a common question, but less so now since Dennis Connor’s catamaran Stars and Stripes showed how well a multihull can go to weather in the America’s Cup. The world’s most radical monohull, even though twice the size, couldn’t keep up. A trimaran is even faster than a cat to windward. Older multihulls didn’t go to weather well simply because most of them didn’t have daggerboards. In general, a Farrier design will go to windward equivalent to a monohull 50 to 60% larger. Pointing is simply a function of how good the sails are, the sheeting angle, and the size of the daggerboard or centerboard. These being equal, the mono or multi will point exactly the same, but the multihull will be faster through the water.
