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Any boat performance enthusiast and racer will very likely know who Jim Russell and Aeromarine Research is. A former championship-winning racer and professional engineer with a focus on the dynamics of tunnel boat performance, Russell has authored what I consider to be required reading for anybody that wants to gain an in-depth understanding of how these hulls are designed and the forces involved in producing their performance characteristics.
Just introduced is the second edition of Secrets of Tunnel Boat Design, which expands on what was already an impressively comprehensive work. Here on Scream And Fly and other sources you have probably read some of the many technical articles that Russell has authored over the years covering a wide range of topics on hull designs and performance analysis.
I reviewed the first edition of this exceptional book long ago and the concepts learned from it continues to guide my evaluations of different tunnel hull designs. This was especially important when we were using an STV for many of the tests performed for articles here on Scream And Fly, because understanding the dynamics at work under your feet at 125 MPH not only provides valuable insights into gaining more performance, but most importantly, increasing safety.
When observing the idiosyncratic handling aspects of a particular boat at very high speeds, it is not enough to simply identify moments of instability within a certain speed range; rather, it is prudent to understand the causes of that instability to either minimize or eliminate it altogether. There are numerous variables that affect how air entrapment hulls perform. and a full understanding of those performance variables could provide never before considered insights into your boat’s performance and how to improve it.
Secrets of Tunnel Boat Design is not a typical textbook-style manual that requires effort and patience to work through. What makes this work unique is in how approachable and importantly, enjoyable it is to any reader without any prerequisite experience or education in hull design to understand the concepts presented within.
| Secrets of Tunnel Boat Design covers every air-entrapment hull design ever created, from familiar catamarans to the eccentric ekranoplan ground-effect craft. |
Throughout the book, dozens of detailed photos and graphs are presented to illustrate specific points, within both a historical and analytical framework. Indeed, the comprehensive histories of the many different powerboat designs covered in Secrets makes for a very fascinating read that will appeal to any boater, not just us speed freaks.
Secrets is not just about racing boats - just about every air entrapment hull design conceived is highlighted in the book. From the standard catamarans we are familiar with, to the exotic ground-effect ekranoplan craft, the reader is introduced to many hull designs that, at first glance, border on the bizarre, with comprehensive explanations of what drove those designs.
Though certainly not necessary, Jim Russell’s Tunnel Boat Design Program is an ideal companion to this book. It is perhaps the ultimate software tool to perform detailed analysis on any boat, with pre-set hull measurements of popular hulls already in the program. Once your hull’s measurements are entered, you can manipulate data to predict handling characteristics of your boat in real time, providing a very insightful way to explore different configurations without having to experiment on the water. We used this program during testing of our STV Euroski and found its handling predictions surprisingly accurate. It is worth considering for anybody looking to get the most performance possible out of their boat.
Secrets of Tunnel Boat Design could be looked at as several books; It is a history of powerboating, an important manual for every high-performance boater, and a wonderfully interesting educational experience. I know of no other single resource that could provide so much information in such an enjoyable and easily digestible format.
For more information and to purchase Secrets of Tunnel Boat Design as well as access to a large variety of free articles, visit the Aeromarine Research website.
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