FIGURE 3-5 quick, snappy roll in certain wave conditions,

Hard versus slack sections. whether at sea or at anchor. For offshore work the
easier, slower motion imparted by round bilges,

lower beam/LWL ratios, and reasonable deadrise is

much preferable.

Of course, even a round-bilge boat can be uncom-

fortable. In one case, a trawler yacht with an uncom-
fortably quick roll was cured by adding ballast up
high beneath the deck. This raised the center of grav-
ity, reduced the stability of the boat, and slowed the
roll. It is a trick that was used commonly in coastal

trading schooners at the turn of the century. In a calm

with rolling swells, the skipper hoisted weights to the

mastheads to ease the motion.

The story is different for sailing craft. Except in a

dead calm, as noted above, the added stability of

A- lAAe-D B^USvC, FUAT FLOOR. -^MD
wider beam does not greatly reduce motion comfort
B^^OFT B'Lae, ^V^CWC FLOOe. Afvli)
because the wind pressure on the has a steady-
J ing effect and slows the roll.
sails

Also, the sailboat bene-

fits from added stability in two ways. First, it reduces

rtMe T«E SAME N^l^ 'BEA^A. the angle of heel in a breeze, and this in turn
increases the effective sail area and improves the dn-
ving force of the sails. Since the area of the sails pre-
tance at planing speeds by adding more lift. The sented to the wind is reduced as the boat heels, a ves-
greater beam increases performance and fuel econ- sel with 1000 square feet of sail heeling at 25 degrees
omy as a result, but may degrade comfort and ability actually presents only 906 square feet of sail to the
in heavy weather. Beam/LWL ratios of .30 to .36 are wind. At a 15-degree heel angle the effective area

common m modern small and mid-size planing increases to 966 square feet, a 6.6% jump in sail area

yachts, although ratios up to .4 can be seen. For and, hopefully, a substantial increase in speed. Sec-
rough-water usage the lower ratios are preferred. The ond, the reduced heel angle means that the fin or keel
very large megayachts, which commonly go offshore, is more upright, increasing the efficiency of the fin,

may have beam/LWL ratios in the .23 to .26 range to the area of the lateral plane, and the boats draft. All

improve their behavior in heavy seas. of these work to increase hydrodx-namic efficiency
As was pointed out earlier, wide beam increases and minimize leeway.
stability, but excess stability can adversely affect the The benefits of greater beam must be balanced
comfort and seaworthiness of the vessel. Many chine- against the increased resistance of the wider hull,

hull powerboats, with their great beam, wide tran- especially when sailing to windward in choppy seas.

soms, low-deadrise bottoms, and extremely hard There may also be penalties of heavier steering when
bilges, have such great initial stability that they running or reaching in heavy weather. The beamier
almost jerk the crew and guests off their feet with a vessel also has greater welted surface, and this

INTERPRETING THE LINES DRAWING

15