ABSTRACT

This chapter has used the tools of conventional naval architecture to interpret the performance characteristics of four different boats and to attempt to understand the operational implications of these characteristics. The approach sheds light on factors such as the maximum speed potential in calm water and waves, load-carrying capability, seaworthiness and stability. It is helpful in explaining what a boat can do and what its ultimate limits are, although this does not mean that these capabilities are necessarily fully exploited in practical operation. The approach is silent on the question of why boats have come to be shaped as they are.