HYSUCAT stands for Hydrofoil Supported Catamaran and describes a novel hullform developed by Prof. K.G. Hoppe at Stellenbosch University. The design consists of a novel catamaran hull with a hydrofoil system located in the tunnel between the hulls of the vessel.
The hydrofoils support 40-60% of the craft’s weight at speed and lifts the hull partially out of the water.
As the hydrofoils have a much better lift to drag ratio (L/D=20) than a planing hull (L/D=5) the result is a craft with much lower resistance than a conventional planing hull. This lower resistance can be applied effectively to:
- Increase the speed of the vessel without having to increase installed power
- Reduce the fuel consumption and increase the range of the boat
- Increase the payload of the vessel.