Hull (watercraft)

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Hull Form
Hull Form

A hull is the body of a ship or boat. It is a central concept in floating vessels as it provides the buoyancy that keeps the vessel from sinking.


Contents

[edit] General features

Nearly all watercraft, from small boats to the largest ships, have a general form that is necessary for stability and efficient propulsion, which includes:

  • horizontal cross-sections that have narrow, usually pointed, fronts (at the bow),
  • smooth widening from the bow until roughly the middle of the length (midships), and often narrowing smoothly but usually significantly to the extreme end (the stern).
  • A keel may be fitted on a hull to increase the transverse stability (if filled with a heavy weight), directional stability or to create lift as in a sail boat .
  • Control devices such as a rudder, trim tabs or stabilizing fins may be fitted.

[edit] Terms

Bow is the frontmost part of the hull

Stern is the rear-most part of the hull

Portside is the left side of the boat when facing the Bow

Starboard is the right side of the boat when facing the Bow

Waterline is an imaginary line circumscribing the hull that matches the surface of the water when the hull is not moving.

Midships is the midpoint of the LWL (see below). It is half-way from the forwardmost point on the waterline to the rear-most point on the waterline.

Baseline an imaginary reference line used to measure vertical distances from. It is usually located at the bottom of the hull.

[edit] Metrics

"LWL & LOA"
"LWL & LOA"

Hull forms are defined as follows:

  • Block Measures that define the principle dimensions. They are:
  • Length Overall (LOA) is the extreme length from one end to the other (see also o/a)
  • Length on the Waterline (LWL) is the length from the forwardmost point of the waterline measured in profile to the stern-most point of the waterline. (see also w/l)
  • Beam or breadth (B) is the width of the hull. (ex: BWL is the maximum beam at the waterline)
  • Depth (D) is the vertical distance from the bottom of the hull to the uppermost edge at the side.
  • draft (d) or (T) is the vertical distance from the bottom of the hull to the waterline.
  • Freeboard (FB) is the difference between Depth and draft.
"Beam, draft & Depth"
"Beam, draft & Depth"
  • Form Derivatives that are calculated from the shape and the Block Measures. They are:
  • Volume (V) is the volume of water displaced by the hull.
  • Displacement (Δ) is the weight of water equivalent to the immersed volume of the hull.
  • Longitudinal Centre of Buoyancy (LCB) is the longitudinal distance from a point of reference (often Midships) to the centre of the displaced volume of water when the hull is not moving. Note that the Longitudinal Centre of Gravity or centre of the weight of the vessel must align with the LCB when the hull is in equilibrium.
  • Vertical Centre of Buoyancy (VCB) is the vertical distance from a point of reference (often the Baseline) to the centre of the displaced volume of water when the hull is not moving.
  • Longitudinal Centre of Floatation (LCF) is the longitudinal distance from a point of reference (often Midships) to the centre of the area of waterplane when the hull is not moving.

[edit] See also

[edit] External links