FIGURE 7-5

Bow shapes.

^
•

T^^ABLErte^^e
Cfi,Pe Cofi CAT BoftTS.

\-0\tJ cri> M

Bald ci.\?<'Ee-
SA^u •S«:\ ?-iAOC

advantage of reducing wetted surface when the vessel However, these features can be worked into other
is running upright or slightly heeled, as opposed to bow shapes if some thought is given to the design.
the constant, greater wetted surface of the long water- Fast boats built of sheet material, pK-wood in par-

line, short-stemmed yacht. Of course, modem sailing ticular, must have reasonably long bow overhangs to
yachts reduce wetted surface by fin keels and spade provide sufficient flam to the sections for dryness in a
rudders, not by spoon bows. seaway at high speeds. Sheet material cannot be bent
Powerboats in the 1920s and 1930s usually had in two directions at one time, so if the bow is short it

plumb bows, but this has given way to a semi-chpper must be combined with a narrow deckline or with
bow or, in the Eurostyle, to an exaggerated raked extremely full chines to fair into a short or plumb
bow. Such shapes provide well-flared foru^ard sec- stem. These are both undesirable features on planing
tions and good reserve buoyancy that combme to craft. Displacement powerboats of sheet material are
assure a drier ride when driving into a choppy sea. not bothered by finer forward lines because, like a

AESTHETICS

65