3 ms·

It has squared off corners in the front... I know nothing about boats, but couldn't he have have reduced drag a bit by at least rounding off the front corners o

It has squared off corners in the front... I know nothing about boats, but couldn't he have have reduced drag a bit by at least rounding off the front corners or cutting them off at a 45 degree angle -- I'm not suggesting tapering the entire front, but just rounding off 6 - 12" from the edges seems like it would help? This would reduce the interior space a bit but gaining even 1% better speed on a 90 day journey seems quite significant. The only similarly shaped hulls I can think of are barges, but they are towed by 1000 horsepower tugboats.

Johnny555 9y ago
Not sure why I was down voted, is it well known that the common tapered hull shape is not any more efficient and faster than a squared off hull? I didn't see any details in the article or website about the design other than that it was designed to pitch rather than roll, and tapering the front seems like it would just add to this effect. I wish the downvoter had just said "Dumb question, everyone knows that hull shape doesn't matter on a small boat" or "He covered this exact question on his website" or given some indication why they felt this was not an appropriate question
- BugsJustFindMe 9y ago
  I think I can help you out here. > "I know nothing about boats, but...I...suggest...rounding off 6 - 12" from the edges." That man is a professional sailor, and you know nothing about boats. I think that people don't like when a person who knows nothing decides that they know better. > Not sure why I was down voted...I wish the downvoter had... Please don't do this. HN comment guidelines ( https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html ) say "Please resist commenting about being downvoted. It never does any good, and it makes boring reading."
cromulent 9y ago
Curious decision. The top part of the bow is rounded off, but not the sides, so it seems like a conscious design choice. Edit: here's a profile picture of the hull. Maybe it's just to ease fabrication and he doesn't care too much about speed. http://www.atlanticpacific.org.uk/little-boat-project-talk/ http://www.atlanticpacific.org.uk/little-boat-project-talk/
Xylakant 9y ago
The speed of a yacht is limited by the length of the hull line at water level. No matter how much horse power you put in, the boat will not exceed hull speed, it will rather sink. Given that this boat has such a tiny hull line, drag is likely a secondary concern.

Johnny555 9y ago

Not sure why I was down voted, is it well known that the common tapered hull shape is not any more efficient and faster than a squared off hull? I didn't see any details in the article or website about the design other than that it was designed to pitch rather than roll, and tapering the front seems like it would just add to this effect. I wish the downvoter had just said "Dumb question, everyone knows that hull shape doesn't matter on a small boat" or "He covered this exact question on his website" or given some indication why they felt this was not an appropriate question

BugsJustFindMe 9y ago
I think I can help you out here. > "I know nothing about boats, but...I...suggest...rounding off 6 - 12" from the edges." That man is a professional sailor, and you know nothing about boats. I think that people don't like when a person who knows nothing decides that they know better. > Not sure why I was down voted...I wish the downvoter had... Please don't do this. HN comment guidelines ( https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html ) say "Please resist commenting about being downvoted. It never does any good, and it makes boring reading."

cromulent 9y ago

Curious decision. The top part of the bow is rounded off, but not the sides, so it seems like a conscious design choice. Edit: here's a profile picture of the hull. Maybe it's just to ease fabrication and he doesn't care too much about speed. http://www.atlanticpacific.org.uk/little-boat-project-talk/ http://www.atlanticpacific.org.uk/little-boat-project-talk/

Xylakant 9y ago

The speed of a yacht is limited by the length of the hull line at water level. No matter how much horse power you put in, the boat will not exceed hull speed, it will rather sink. Given that this boat has such a tiny hull line, drag is likely a secondary concern.