Planing angle

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John Hart
Posts: 208
Joined: Sun Jan 29, 2006 7:26 pm

Planing angle

Post by John Hart »

I am interested in the location of the proper planing surface on our Thompson Boats... Mine is a Seacoaster.... At say 25-30 MPH, should most of the weight of the hull contact the water on the rear half of the boat... ?

As I look at various pictures of boats underway, I see different amounts of the hull exposed... Looking at a 1959 Thompson brochure cover page, there is a Thompson with the garboards clearly visible.... Other times I see more of a level hull with maybe the first or second strake contacting the water...

Still other pictures in Classic Boating (which is a great magazine.. I see more in one isssue there than the much larger WoodenBoat), there are Chris Crafts, Garwoods and others with 8 inches of air between the bottom of the hull and the water surface at the bow...

Should the goal be to have a level ride, or one that puts the planing surface in the rear third for minimal friction? I am not sure if the variability of the boats I see is related to improper motor angle, or just due to different boats designed to ride the water in different ways.

Any thoughts...?
thegammas
Posts: 566
Joined: Sat Nov 25, 2006 2:10 pm
Location: Wilmington, Delaware. peterstransky@verizon.net - put wooden boat in the subject

Post by thegammas »

I've noticed the same - and since my boat has never been in the water since I've owned it, not sure I can contribute. I've never seen a picture of a Cortland Sea Lancer underway. I'll have to scan my CD to see if I can find a picture of any sea lancer under way. I plan to trim it out to get the best planning speed just under full throttle.
Peter Stransky
1962 Cortland Custom Sea Lancer
Wilmington, Delaware
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