SHINING 3D’s FreeScan Trak quantifies hull geometry for aluminum electric catamaran
Rudderless, diesel-free sailing vessel designed for long-range ocean travel has 3D scanning at the core of its manufacturing workflow
Hangzhou-based engineer and sailor Hu Wei has invested tens of millions of RMB into the HighWei 66, an electric catamaran built around variable-pitch electric propulsion, solar power generation, and regenerative energy recovery.
The vessel carries no diesel engine and no traditional rudder, with directional control managed through dual electric motors, variable-pitch propellers, and control algorithms. It is designed for long-range ocean travel, with the stated capacity to sail thousands of nautical miles and undertake polar expeditions.
To keep weight low without sacrificing structural strength, the HighWei 66 uses an aluminum-alloy hull. The material, however, is prone to thermal deformation during welding, and at the marine vessel scale, dimensional deviations introduced during fabrication can directly affect hydrodynamic performance.
Conventional inspection tools such as tape measures and calipers are insufficient for capturing full-scale three-dimensional geometry or quantifying hull deformation across the entire structure, so the team used SHINING 3D’s FreeScan Trak series, a wireless large-area tracking scanner designed for industrial metrology.
The system captured complete hull geometry without physical markers, measuring critical waterline cross-section dimensions including length, width, and perimeter. Scan data was compared against the original CAD model in inspection software, generating color deviation maps that made dimensional discrepancies between the physical hull and the design geometry directly visible.
Engineers used those results to then refine the structural designs and conduct CFD simulations to evaluate how deformation affected hydrodynamic resistance. The workflow shortened the development cycle from prototype to production-ready vessel significantly, according to the team.
Sea trials are approaching, and Hu Wei’s stated goal extends beyond a single prototype. The aim is to establish a standardized design, manufacturing, and inspection workflow applicable to a broader commercial line of electric sailing vessels for global markets.
