Boat Data Calculator
Boat Data Calculator
and book
Please email [email protected] with any suggestions or ammendments. - Acknowledgements - Ted Brewer, Nig
Westsail 32
My Test Boat
Horse Power Requirement Data for Propellor Efficiency - then 33% added for weather loading
Propellor Efficiency in Percentage
20% 30% 40% 50% 60%
Speed Knots
5.22 12.75 8.50 6.37 5.10 4.25 HP
5.74 17.03 11.35 8.51 6.81 5.68 HP
6.26 28.41 18.94 14.21 11.36 9.47 HP
6.78 53.27 35.51 26.64 21.31 17.76 HP
6.99 67.11 44.74 33.56 26.84 22.37 HP
Wire size formula CM=( I * L * 10.75)/E Where - CM= Circular Mils of Wire - I = Current in Amps -
10.75 is resistivity of copper
LIGHTING
Anchor Light 1.2 1 9.0 0 0.0
Fluorescent Light 0.5 2 4.0 2 5.0
Cabin Light (incandescent) 1.5 2 1.0 2 1.0
Compass Light 0.1 1 0.0 1 12.0
Masthead Tri-color 2.0 0 0.0 1 12.0
Foredeck Light 1.7 1 0.1 1 1.0
Spreader Lights 6.0 0 0.0 1 0.5
Steaming Light 1.0 0 0.0 1 0.0
Strobe Light 0.7 0 0.0 1 0.5
Spotlight 10.0 0 0.0 1 0.1
INSTRUMENTS
Autopilot 4.0 1 0.0 0 0.0
Depth Sounder 0.1 1 0.0 1 1.0
Knot meter 0.1 0 0.0 1 24.0
Wind Speed indicator 0.1 0 0.0 1 24.0
Sat Nav (average) 0.3 1 24.0 1 24.0
Radar 3.7 0 0.0 1 5.0
RADIO ETC
SSB Radio (receive) 2.0 1 2.0 1 6.0
SSB Radio (transmit) 25.0 1 0.5 1 1.0
Tape Player 1.0 1 2.0 1 2.0
VHF Radio (receive) 0.3 1 24.0 1 24.0
VHF Radio (transmit) 4.5 1 0.5 1 0.1
Weather Fax 2.4 1 0.5 1 0.5
CABIN
Refrigeration (cycling) 5.0 1 10.0 1 10.0
Water Maker (small 12-volt) 3.6 1 1.0 1 2.0
Propane Electric Shut-Off 0.7 1 0.2 1 0.2
Cabin Fan 1.2 3 4.0 1 3.0
Fresh Water Pump 8.0 1 0.1 1 0.1
Bilge Pump 4.0 1 0.1 1 1.0
DECK
Deck Wash Pump 10.0 1 0.2 1 0.1
Anchor Windlass 75.0 1 0.1 0 0.0
Total
133.16 184.44 Safety Factor 2
Requirement Requirement
at anchor at sea Battery Bank Battery Bank
Requirement Requirement
(AH) (AH)
10.8 0.0 Anchor Sea
4.0 5.0
3.0 3.0 266.32 368.88
0.0 1.2 (AH) (AH)
0.0 24.0
0.2 1.7
0.0 3.0 Based on worst case from above
0.0 0.0
0.0 0.4 Alternator Requirement at 25% Bank Capacity 92.22
0.0 1.0 AMPS
Daily replenishment requirements 230.55
Worst case plus 25% AMPS
Anchor Sea
50.0 50.0 Solar 45 45
3.6 7.2 Wind 24 66
0.1 0.1 Towed 0 96
14.4 3.6 Total 69 207
0.8 0.8 Needed Daily 133 184
0.4 4.0 Inc. 25% factor 166 231
Deficiency -98 -24
2.0 1.0
7.5 0.0
133.16 184.44
Ted Brewer Presents A Primer on Yacht Design
The terms and ratios that follow are used by all yacht designers so it's a good
idea to have an understanding of them if you are considering buying a boat, or
having a custom design created (of a classical style, of course!).
You may need to work out some of the ratios for the boats you are considering for
purchase from the available information but the formulas are simple and can be
handled by an inexpensive scientific calculator. The one I use in my design
business is a Sharp EL-520, almost old enough to vote, and cost less than $25 new,
too many years ago.
LENGTH: Different designers and builders have different ways of expressing Length.
Length On Deck (LOD) is the true length, omitting rail overhangs, and is the
honest way to describe the length of a boat. More usually, you will see it as
Length Over All (LOA) which may be the LOD if the builder is honest but often
includes rail overhangs, anchor sprits, bowsprits and even boomkins if the builder
is trying to sell a "larger" boat.
BEAM: This is the greatest width of the hull and is often expressed as Beam (Max).
Beam WL is the width at the LWL and is very useful to know, but not readily
available as a rule.
DRAFT: This is the depth of the hull from the LWL to the bottom of the keel or
fin. Like the LWL, it will vary with the weights of fuel, water, stores and the
equipment added over the years and is usually somewhat more than the original
designed or advertised draft. When you run onto a 4' deep rock in a boat with 3'9"
draft it is always nice to know that it may not be your fault.
DISPLACEMENT: If you weigh the boat on a scale, that is her actual (not
advertised) displacement and it is the weight of sea water that she will displace
when she is afloat. Most designers figure displacement when half loaded (the boat,
not the designer) with stores, liquids and crew.
Displacement can be expressed in pounds, long tons or cubic feet; one ton = 2240
pounds = 35 cubic feet of sea water, at 64 pounds per cubic foot. Fresh water
weighs only 62.4 pounds per c.f. so a boat taken from sea water to fresh water
will sink into the water and increase her draft slightly. For example, a boat
weighing 7500 pounds will displace 117.19 cu. ft. of sea water or 120.19 cu. ft.
of fresh water. The difference is 3 cu. ft. so, if her waterline area is 150 sq.
ft., she will sink 3/150 of a foot (about 1/4") when she is moved from salt to
fresh water. It is truly insignificant for most sailors, unless you are skippering
a 90,000 ton tanker.
CENTER OF BOUYANCY (CB): Often called Lateral Center of Buoyancy (LCB); it is the
center of the underwater volume of the vessel and can be expressed as a distance
abaft the forward end of the LWL, or abaft midships, or as a percentage of the LWL
from the bow end. If the boat is to float on her LWL the center of gravity (CG)
must be in line vertically with the CB, both fore and aft and athwartship. If the
two centers are not in line the boat will change trim, and so change her
underwater shape, until the new CB lines up with the CG.
For example; if your boat is floating perfectly in trim and you add 100 pounds of
davits and dinghy aft you will move the center of gravity of the boat aft. The
vessel will sink by the stern and the bow will come up until the underwater shape
changes enough to move the CB over the new CG.
The same applies athwartship. With luck, the CB and the CG are both on the
centerline of your boat so she floats level, without any heel angle. When you move
to the starboard rail you move the CG off centerline to starboard, so the boat
will heel until the change in underwater shape moves the CB vertically above the
new CG.
CENTER OF FLOTATION (CF): The CF is the center of the waterline area and is the
pivot point about which the boat changes trim, much like the pivot in the center
of a teeter totter. On normal sailing hulls the CF is somewhat abaft the CB and,
like the CB, is expressed as a percentage of the LWL or a distance from either the
bow end of the LWL or from amidships. Of course, as the boat changes trim, due to
added weights at one end or the other, the LWL shape changes, so the CF will move
slightly.
WATERLINE AREA: The area of the LWL, usually expressed in square feet. It is not
always easily obtained but can be calculated roughly for a sailboat by the formula
: .67 x LWL x Beam. It is more accurate if you have the Beam WL rather than the
Beam(Max), of course. Knowing the LWL area is essential in working out the
following calculations.
FINENESS COEFFICIENT (Cf): Also called the Waterplane Coefficient, or Cwp. The Cf
is a figure derived from: LWL Area/(LWL x Beam WL). The lower the Cf, the finer
the hull at the waterline. Typical sailboats have a Cf of .65-.68
POUNDS PER INCH IMMERSION (PPI): The weight required to sink the yacht one inch.
It is calculated by multiplying the LWL area by 5.333 for sea water or 5.2 for
fresh. The PPI usually increases as the hull sinks into the water as the LWL area
is also increasing due to the shape of the hull above water.
MOMENT TO TRIM 1 INCH (MTI): The MTI is the moment, expressed in foot-pounds, that
will change the fore and aft trim of the yacht one inch. For a displacement hull,
the MTI is, roughly (but close enough for all practical purposes), .35 times the
square of the waterline area divided by the WL beam, or:
For example; a boat has a LWL Area of 165 sq ft and a Beam WL of 8 feet. The MTI
is .35 x 165 x 165 /8 = 1191 ft-lbs., say 1200 for rough figuring. Now you hang a
100 pound dink 18 feet abaft the CB. You've added 1800 ft-lbs of aft moment so the
boat will trim 1800/1200 = 1.5 inches down by the stern. However, the boat does
trim about its CF and, as that is usually abaft amidships, the stern will move
less than the bow. You might find that she trims 5/8" down by the stern, and 7/8"
up by the bow, making a total trim change of 1.5 inches.
CENTER OF LATERAL PLANE (CLP): Also called CENTER OF LATERAL RESISTANCE (CLR).
This indicates the center of the hull's underwater area as viewed from the side.
The CLP is readily found by tracing the outline of the underwater hull on paper,
cutting it out, and balancing it on a pin. Some designers omit the rudder area
when finding the CLP; others use 1/3 to 1/2 the rudder area.
WETTED SURFACE (WS): This is the area in square feet of the underbody of the
yacht, including the fin, rudder and skeg. A boat with a large WS will have more
surface friction than a boat with lesser WS and be slightly slower given the same
sail area due to the greater resistance. This is most important in light air as,
at slower speeds, surface friction is the primary cause of resistance.
PRISMATIC COEFFICIENT (Cp): This is a figure that relates the fullness of the ends
of the underwater hull to the area of the midship or largest station. The sketch
will explain it better than words can.
The Cp is the percentage of the original shape that remains after the hull is
carved out. The more that is cut away to "carve" the hull, the finer the ends and
the lower the Cp, and vise versa.
The proper Cp for a hull depends on the intended speed and is related to another
figure called the speed/length ratio, written V/L.5. The correct Cp for various
are as follows:
Cp
1.1 .54
1.2 .58
1.3 .62
1.4 .64
Selecting the correct Cp for a sailing yacht depends on her speed which, of
course, varies with the winds. For an inshore racer in primarily light air
conditions it might be wise to go to a .525 Cp. while an all around cruising yacht
would benefit from a higher Cp, say ..54-.55 and an ocean racer from higher yet,
perhaps .56-.57. In any case, it is best if the Cp is a bit on the high side since
the penalty for having too high a Cp at low speeds is less detrimental to
performance than having too low a Cp at high speeds. As well, the high Cp should
be achieved by fullness aft, not forward, as full bows have an adverse effect on
performance.
SPEED/LENGTH RATIO (V/ L.5): This is the speed in knots divided by the square root
of the LWL. For example, a 25 foot waterline sailboat moving at 5.5 knots would be
at a V/ L.5 of 1.1. while a 400 foot LWL destroyer travelling at 22 knots also has
a V/ L.5 of 1.1. Both vessels would develop about the same resistance per ton of
displacement as they are both running at the same V/ L.5.
The limiting speed for a pure displacement hull is a V/ L.5 of 1.34. Above this
speed the stern wave moves aft so that the stern loses bouyancy, the hull squats,
and great additional power is necessary for a small gain in speed. In truth, the
typical cruising sailboat probably averages a V/ L.5 of about .9 - 1.0 and only
gets close to 1.3 when reaching in a stiff breeze. Tender boats may never get
above 1.2 as the crew has to ease sheets when the rail buries!
The modern beamy, super light ocean racer can have a stern wide enough to resist
squatting and the stability to stand up to a breeze so often achieves speeds well
above 1.4, but that is semi-planing and the boat is getting lift aft due to its
speed. My BOC 60 design exceeded 20 knots at times, a V/ L.5 ratio of over 2.6,
but those are very specialised yachts.
HALF ANGLE OF ENTRANCE: The angle, measured at the LWL, between the hull
centerline and the actual waterline shape. Fine angles are desirable for good
performance but can be overdone, creating a wet boat in a seaway. Angles below 19-
20 degrees would be considered fine, 20-24 degrees is fairly usual for a cruising
yacht and angles of 25 degrees and above are considered bluff bows today but were
fairly common in the '60s.
J,I,P,E: These are letters that you will see on the sail plans of many modern
cruiser racers and denote the rig dimensions. J is the length of the foretriangle
on deck, from the mast to the headstay. I is the height of the foretriangle from
the sheer to where the headstay intersects the mast.
P is the main luff and E is the main foot. Yawls and ketches will also have Pmiz
and Emiz to show mizzen dimensions.
CENTER OF EFFORT (CE): The center of the area of the sails. The CE is usually
determined using 100% of the foretriangle area, omitting the overlap of genoa
jibs. On some boats that do not carry genoas the CE may be calculated as the
center of the working sails. Both the CE and the CLP may be shown on sail plans
and the CE will be forward of the CLP by a distance known as LEAD. The LEAD
(pronounced 'leed') is essential to provide a balanced helm and the amount of lead
is based on certain characteristics of the vessel.
SAIL AREA/DISPLACEMENT RATIO: The SA/D ratio is the sail area in sq. ft. divided
by the displacement in cubic feet to the 2/3 power, or SA/D.667 .
Ratios below 14 are suited for motor sailers, from 14-17 for ocean cruisers and
from 16-18 for typical coastal cruisers. Ratios over 18-20 are seen on racing
dinghies, inshore racers and ocean racing yachts. The more extreme screamers can
have very high SA/D ratios indeed; My 60 foot design, WILD THING, had a SA/D
ratio, based on 100% foretriangle, of well over 30, depending on her displacement
at the moment. Her displacement varied widely as she could carry 8,000 pounds of
water ballast in tanks on the windward side.
Beam does enter into it as as wider beam increases stability, increases WL area,
and generates a faster reaction. The formula takes into account the displacement,
the WL area, and adds a beam factor. The intention is to provide a means to
compare the motion comfort of vessels of similar type and size, not to compare
that of a Lightning class sloop with that of a husky 50 foot ketch.
The CR is : Displacement in pounds/ (.65 x (.7 LWL + .3 LOA) x B1.333). Ratios will
vary from 5.0 for a light daysailer to the high 60s for a super heavy vessel, such
as a Colin Archer ketch. Moderate and successful ocean cruisers, such as the
Valiant 40 and Whitby 42, will fall into the low-middle 30s range.
Do consider, though, that a sailing yacht heeled by a good breeze will have a much
steadier motion than one bobbing up and down in light airs on left over swells
from yesterday's blow; also that the typical summertime coastal cruiser will
rarely encounter the wind and seas that an ocean going yacht will meet. Nor will
one human stomach keep down what another stomach will handle with relish, or with
mustard and pickles for that matter! It is all relative.
CAPSIZE SCREENING FORMULA (CSF): Some years ago the technical committe of the
Cruising Club of America came up with a simple formula to determine if a boat had
blue water capability. The CSF compares beam with displacement since excess beam
contributes to capsize and heavy displacement reduces capsize vulnerability. The
formula is the maximum beam divided by the cube root of the displacement in cubic
feet; B/Displ.333. The displacement in cubic feet can be found by dividing the
displacement in pounds by 64, of course.
The boat is acceptable if the result of the calculation is 2.0 or less but, of
course, the lower the better. For example, a 12 meter yacht of 60,000 lbs
displacement and 12 foot beam will have a CSF Number of 1.23, so would be
considered very safe from capsize. A contemporary light displacement yacht, such
as a Beneteau 311 (7716 lbs, 10'7" beam) has a CSF number of 2.14. Based on the
formula, while a fine coastal cruiser, such a yacht may not be the best choice for
ocean passages.
Boat data for boats with LWL > 25 and LWL <35 and Capsize ratio < 1.95
Static data in these columns