Catamaran

The catamaran is a boat with two skinny v-hulls on each side, which are similar to sponsons. Between the sponsons is a "tunnel" of air, similar to that of a tunnel hull. The two hulls instead of one give the catamaran more lateral (side to side) stability than a deep vee of monohull, so it is less likely to tip over sideways. When the boat is moving, air rushes through the tunnel under the boat, lifting the boat out of the water further to reduce friction and increase speed. The two thin hulls also enable the catamaran to "slice through" oncoming chop, instead of launching the boat over or off the waves.

The catamaran is a a boat that has the rought water handling of a deep vee, combined with the sponsons and tunnel of a tunnelhull. It is a comibnation of speed and rough water handling. Catamarans are usually powered by an inboard engine, but occaisionally you will see an outboard powered catamaran. This boat usually requires more skill to build and maintain than a monohull or deep vee, but can be used as a first boat nonetheless.