It’s is a difficult enough task choosing the correct boat but have you ever stopped to consider the different types of hulls that are on the market? Forget all the wonderful accessories for the time being. Paint a picture in your mind of a completely stripped down boat with just the hull remaining. Leisure Boating delves deep below the Plimsoll line to find out exactly what is going on down under. And, we promise to tell the hull truth and nothing but the truth … your honour.
The biggest and most important part of any boat is the hull and this is why it is imperative to get it right the first time. Once you’ve signed on the dotted line, there is no going back if the hull shape does not suit your needs, so making the correct hull purchase decision in the beginning is paramount.
There are basically two types of hulls and these are monohulls and multihulls. Let’s take a look at these two hull types and their subcategories.
MONOHULL BOATS
Monohulls generally fall into two categories which are displacement hulls and planing hulls.
DISPLACEMENT HULLS
Displacement hulls are designed to operate at displacement speeds only and this type of hull is generally restricted to lower speeds, yet it is often very efficient to run. Displacement hulls move gently
through the water but can be prone to side-to-side movement.
PLANING HULLS
To achieve higher speeds on the water, a planing hull is required that has flat hull surfaces and a flat transom (the back of the hull). The bow usually has a pointed shape which allows the boat to slice
through the water instead of drive into it. The bottom of a planing hull boat, which angles upwards from the keel is known as the ‘deadrise’.
