4 ms·
On the water, speed is agility, and speed is limited to the square root of length for displacement hulls (which these are). Wider means heavier for a given leng
by coryrc 5y ago
On the water, speed is agility, and speed is limited to the square root of length for displacement hulls (which these are). Wider means heavier for a given length, taking longer to speed up, and more friction to overcome.
- pge 5y agowider also means more frontal surface area. Just like a car going through air, less frontal surface area means more aerodynamic (or hydrodynamic), ie lower coefficient of drag. Olympic rowing shells and flatwater kayaks provide good visuals of what a fast displacement hull boat looks like - long and as narrow as possible.
- coryrc 5y agoI think GP is thinking about a row boat, how it can turn on a dime quickly, which is true, but not useful in a sea battle.