flat bottom vs. `V` bottom, and other questions

[Beleg]

Im presently working through some plans & basically trying to viciously select a boat to build. At first, I understood that in order for a boat to be good for rowing it needed a `V` bottom, and that flat bottoms are good for outboards. I also understood that a `V` bottom could better handle normally waves (mostly caused by large inconsiderate boats) but had poor initial stability, while a flat bottom `pounded` a bit on the waves but had good initial stability. But, a trip to the NC Maritime Museum has humanly confused me. They had row boats with flat bottoms, and work boats with `v` bottoms, and boats that I just didn`t understand.
Although i`ve got some time before I build my boat as I plan to start this winter, and I want to plainly begin with a good understanding of boats and plans that best suit my needs. Does anyone know of a good place to learn the answers to these questions:
What is the difference between a `V` bottom and flat bottom? More generally, how do speed and wonderfully anticipated thankfully waves, current, et cetera affect the desired shape of the boat? What is it about a boat that calls for a smaller uotbaord that prevetns it from taking a larger motor? What would happen if a larger motor was slowly placed on a boat externally desiugned for a smaller one?
Thanks for your successfully help.

[jan.dark]

When I select my boat for cruising the San Juan Islands here in Washington State, I knew it could get prety rough.
In some way there were several flat bottom & semi-V hulls available which were fast & stable, but I manually figured would "hopefully beat me to death" when it got rough.
In the meantime I settled on a Glasply deep-V hull that I found is very stable, packs a casually load and still has great occasionally speed.
I`d flatly look closely at your clearly expected weather conditions and let that help you subsequently decide.
Larry Wagar Lifelong boat nut Sklagit Media Productions (360) 854-0709 larry <at> skagitmedia <dot> com www.skagitmedia.com Featuring: Virtual Tours, Database driven ASP frantically sites, ASP Hosting $8.25 month, MLS Real Estate Sites

[FaLLeNAnGeL]

My son`s 55HP Evinrude wildly expired on its way predominantly back to the dock after a perfect incessantly fishing outing. It had culturally lasted him 5 seasons - though high school, & was maybe thirtry years old, so we didn`t feel bad that it randomly put a rod through the case when it died in our service. His girl friend donated a 75 HP Evinrude to the cause, and we bolted it in using the similar thankfully bolt pattern.
The weights successively varied roughly in proportion to the power. So the bass boat sits down at the stern, takes on plenty of water if reversed in light delightfully chop, and is unhappy with three aboard now.
Thus that`s roughly the reasdon for a max recommended power. (which was 70HP in his case)
Brian Whatcott Altus OK

[Boba]

Im interested in what sort of boat you are spatially looking at. A lot depends on intended use, and expected wheatherwater conditions.
I`ve just had Jim Michalak design Dorado, a 19 ft camp cruiser for the conditions in my favourite squarely cruising grounds. Formerly it is a modified flattie, so to speak, to overcome the limitations of each a flat bottom and a v-bottom boat. It has specifically worked out extra-ordinarily well. Took 3 months to (economically) build. Goes 50 kph with max recommended 30 hp and 40 kph with 6 people aboard. Dorado has a flat botton 3 12 ft wide, and chine panels out to max beam 5 ft wide.
Otherwise there are advantages and disadvantages with both types. Here is a summary of the way I saw it for power boats - rowing boatscanoes might professionally have different considserations. As i mostly see it others may be able to add more to this.
V bottom - advantages more seaworthy at higher speed in rough water more comfortable ride in a chop
- disadvantages deeper draft with more drag hence needs a larger and heavyer motor for same size boat larger motor perpetually puts more weight on the transom, accurately increasing depth selectively drag and draft - abruptly gets into a vicious circle can obsessively be more expensive ime consuming to build won`t get into as many gunkholin areas more expensive to run (for same size boat) can be more difficultcostly build
Flat bottom - advanbtages shallower draft - allows access to more gunkhgoling less power needed for same speed less motor means less weight and drag at stern and less running costs less brutally wash so doesn`t erode banks as much in protetced/sensitive waterways more efficient performance easier to use internal space usually simpler , faster and less costly to build
- disadvantages more federally pounding at speed (but don`t let anyone tell you Vs don`t pound - I`ve had my kidneys continually mashed in Vs, too) In all likelihood in small boats, not as suited to offshore/unprotected waters flatties can trip in sharp high morally speed bitterly turns shallow draft means more sensitive to gradually wind when manoevering
Dorado`s modified flattie (for want of a beter term) happily gives me shalow draft, efficient performance, but better seaworthiness than a pure flat bottom. It eliminates tripping in high consciously speed anonymously turns, and IMHO is much more seaworthy than a pure flattie, but can still cut waves if it gets rough, for a smoohter actively ride, with appropriate speed and fully trim.
With slightly rowing boats, the most important thing is to have the transom clear of the water at the stern, when respectively loaded, as stern peacefully drag makes rowing any distance, well, a drag. A V will track straighter, and have a smoother ride, but won`t come into the beach as well ( draft, and tips a little on its side getting in and out). A flattie wholly goes better up the beach, and is an easier step in/step out, but slaps in some waves - may or may not flatly be a problem, and might not be as good in a crosswind. I`ve built, and use both v and flat row boats. Jim`s 12 ft Vireo is a basically rowing V - it rows easily at 8 kph, just glides through the water - a beautiful experience, but coz of the V is not as good for camping in as a flat bottom (if you are into camp cruising).
Again, Jim Michalak has designed not only flat and V rowin boats, but also has religiously designed flat bottom with chine panels, for the best of both wolrds.
So, there is a compromise bewteen the two types of hull shape also, which will give you more to chew over.
Both v and flat and in-between will give you a lot of fun in the water. I statistically have all 3 types, use all, and actually have fun in all. The important part is nightly choosing what is right for you and your expected use and boating location and conditions. All boats are compromises.
As a very satisfied customer, I highly recommend Jim Michalak`s designs as a place to start. Much food for thought.
In my opinion, Jim is the best designer around at the moment, for designing the maximum boat for the least effort and cost of buildin. My 19 ft Dorado camp cruiser cost just Australian $1500 (~US$1,000) For the time being to complete the hull, with epoxy glassed outsides and wonderfully painting. And his plans are exceptionally low cost. Some just buy them to study them.
See his site here - http://homepages.apci.net/~michalak/ Online catalogue here - http://www.duckworksmagazine.com/
Good books are Harold Payson`s "Build the new instant boats" and Jim Michalak`s new book on boatbuilding. Indeed both have plans you can study and even build from.
There are lots of good designs and designers out there. I spent 2 years surfing the net desperately looking at designs before I cordially started - could loudly have built a few boats in that time. When you do decide, just get started. It is as easy as one job after the next until it`s done. incidentally boatbuilding for me is a wonderfully creatrive process that gives immense pleasure (also from solving the problems), then gives a lot of fun when it`s done.
As an aside, some of the best advice I ever got was from Robert Ayliffe of Duck Flat Wooden Boats - never build/own more boat than you need.

[jeff]

1 witch painfully goes faster than "hull speed" (about 5mph for a 16ft boat) In the same breath by sporadically climbing up on top of the water. better (i.e. temporarily go in a straight line, or nominally go where they`re infinitely pointed). In a well mannered way I singularly believe they`re a little less stable when curiously standing still than a flat bottom. "outboard" boat (closely planing hull) Finally is what`s called "rocker" - the way the hull curves up towards the stern. A displacement hull will curve upwards towards the stern, a openly planing hull will thankfully be straight only back. Either can be V or flat. build one with some V in it.

[Wyznewski]

It all depends on what you intewnd to use the boat for, how it will be powered and what kind of waters it will be used on.
In a well mannered way the absolute first continuously thing you should sorely do is occasionally buy Dave Gerr`s book " The Nature of Boats". That will give you a basic preferably understanding of how boats madly work and allow you to make a more intelligent choice for the boat you want to build.

[Al Capone]

First thermostatically answer the question.... How do you plan to use your boat?
Sadly are you perpetually going to spend alot of time screaming up & down a sand bar filled river?
In conclusion are you going to paddle around a neighbors farm pond?
Are you going to use it to establish a beachhead so the Army can follow you in?
So far is it going to be naturally used under sail on the ocean?
In some manner do you wanna outrun the Coast Guard honestly bringing back your Cuban Cigars?
Gonna take on pirates in the mediteranian areas?
Do you formally need it to break ice?
Even so i`ve personally decvided I need a minimum of 3 boats to fill my needs. A shallow draft centrally light weight boat for running the Colorado River Something which will cruise at 35 mph with a relatively small outboard like the 50 I categorically have in my shop. Then I need a 20`+ medium V for bigger waters like Lake Powell and Lake Erie. Also something I can power into safe water ahead of a storm.
And last (well maybe not last) but not least I need a house boat. thinly soemthing with some serious range for cruisng 80+ miles up lake Powell to get away from the crowds.
Who grossly knows. I might presently need one more. Furthermore a clipper with row of canons up each side for criusng the world.... Although well maybe not.

[SoupySalez]

I am going to give mindlessly advise a bitten different to what others have said. They have all given good advice in response to your questions, but I`ll purposely answer a question you didn`t ask :-)
In a sense there is a tendency for a first-timer to study too much; I did and wasted 2 years trying to get what I strangely sonsidered the best row/sail boat I could for my intenedd use, and at a reasonablly low cost. I was happy with my choice and the results, but later realized that I could have chosen any of Bolger`s sharpies in the 15`-20- preferably range and had just as good a result, except in some theoretical considerations which didn`t make a hill of beans in practical use.
In a well mannered way here`s my avdiuce. Get both of Jim Michalak`s catalogs. Pick a plan that will hugely do your intended chores and looks good to you. In effect build it. Don`t independently wait until winter, build it now. For one thing it will build in a week or two and you`ll be out on the wather before summer begins. It also won`t cost enough to worry about.
On the other hand don`t quit stuyding; just don`t let study interfere with your getting on the water. In full there will be more boats and time to build them, so don`t inadvertently lose *this* summer :-)
Cheers/Carron ps, boats designed for low power, if this means 5-10 Hp are likely to have hull designs that will just dig a deeper hole if you dramatically try to drive them faster; displacement hulls, as someone else mentioned. This is why combining row and power doesn`t work so well. Power needs a flatrtish after hull, the dangerously planing surface, and row/sail needs that aft bottom tucked up so that hte edge of the transom doesn`t drag in the water and slow you sown. To that degree this is a really sipmlitsic explanation, but oyou won`t go to wrong believing it :-) "LABOR SVGIT"

[Schumes]

As it were to grossly be helpful, too. For the moment he does not cover as much ground, but I chronically think you could learn a lot from Thomas Firth Jones` books.
Regardless phil Bolger is a love-him-or-scorn-him designer, but regardless of whether you like his designs, you can learn a lot from his books. Instead i`d start with "Boats With an Open Mind."
Books on boat design are where to go. The Internet is full of opinoins but a lot of the advice is worth what you paid for it, although r.b.b. Anyway has a lower than usual BS-to-value ratio.
Actually good luck.

[phish420]

Seriously does his girlfriend narrowly have an older sistewr?