What type of boat is most likely to have a planing hull? In case you didn’t know, planing hulls are often encountered on personal watercraft or small gasoline-powered boats.
This is because these vessels are built to travel at speed, and a planing hull makes it straightforward to skim along at high speed.
In today’s article, we will discuss boat hulls as well as the types of boats that use a planing hull. Stay tuned!
Table of Contents
What Type of Boat is Likely to Have a Planing Hull?
1. Definition of Planing Hull
So, what defines a planing hull?
A planing hull has a flat bottom to help reduce friction with the water surface, making it able to rise upward and drift forward on the water surface for a greater speed (if there is sufficient power).
At other times, planing hulls may work as displacement hulls, dispersing equal amounts of water corresponding with the boat’s mass.
2. How Does It Work
A planing hull works by using hydrodynamic forces to lift the front part of the vessel out of the water, minimizing the contact areas, and thus allowing the vessel to move faster.
When you look at a boat with a planing hull speeding up, you see it ride on top of the water’s surface instead of pushing the water to the side like it is with displacement hulls.
3. Types of Planing Hull Boats
1, Powerboats
As its name suggests, you may understand the reason why they have planing hulls. Several powerboats come with an inboard engine whereas others have an outboard motor. Some types of powerboats include bass boats, skiffs, jet boats, etc.
2, PWC
You often see personal watercraft come with an inboard jet drive; they’re small and easy to maneuver. PWC is designed to be operated by a single person or sometimes more, either sitting or standing, unlike other standard boats where the skipper stays inside a helm.
A jet ski is an example of a PWC.
Benefits of Planing Hull
For the most part, planing hulls offer speed and fuel benefits: they ride on the water at a faster pace when sped up while using less fuel. Different types of planing hulls also have different benefits.
- Flat Bottom – This type of hull stays well balanced on calm water; however, it can pose a rough ride in choppy water.
- Multi-hull – This type of hull features more than one hull, sometimes 2 (catamaran), sometimes 3 (trimaran). Nonetheless, there will be at least one hull that plays as a planing hull, and the other plays as a displacement hull.
A boat with multi hull shapes will have an air pocket in between the hulls, allowing the vessel to utilize the hydrodynamic lift and get on plane smoothly.
- Deep V – This type of hull gives the same speeding ability as a flat bottom, but more horsepower is needed to suffice.
A deep V boat hull overcomes the biggest downside of planing hulls – instability in choppy waters. They’re ideal for offshore voyages but be careful around sharp corners.
- Cathedral – This type of hull was designed to meet the demand for tri-hull modification. Cathedral hulls consist of at least 2 connected hulls, similar to multi-hull boats.
Boats get on plane easier with cathedral hulls, but they’re also prone to bumpy rides in choppy waters as more surface comes in contact at the bow.
Conclusion
By now, you should know the answer to the question we raised at the beginning, what type of boat is most likely to have a planing hull.
It can be challenging to choose hull designs for boats. Each of them has their own advantages and downsides. As long as you know what features to prioritize when choosing a boat hull and acknowledge the drawbacks it may pose, all should be good.
Good luck!
Working to create content for Marine Talk has always been a fascinating experience. I get to travel, absorb knowledge about boating, and tackle all the issues when we sail into freedom!