Leonardo da Vinci sketched a catamaran, a boat with two parallel hulls joined by a connecting structure.
His design belongs to a group of nautical studies in Leonardo’s notebooks. A twin-hull arrangement can provide greater stability than a narrow single hull, making it useful for carrying people or equipment on water. Leonardo also investigated paddles, oars, pumps, and other devices connected with navigation.
The drawing is often cited as an early European example of a catamaran concept, but Leonardo did not invent the basic idea worldwide. Twin-hulled boats were developed much earlier in several maritime cultures, including communities in the Indian Ocean and the Pacific.
The term “catamaran” comes from the Tamil word kattumaram, referring historically to lashed logs. Modern catamarans range from small sailing craft to large passenger ferries, while Leonardo’s sketch was a Renaissance design study rather than a documented production vessel.