Lesson 12

Evolution of the hull - part I

The construction of a sailboat's hull is a result of an overall development of the vessel construction and progress. The little sailing boats were very popular to take short offshore or coastal trips, and pretty soon the owners were beginning to compare their boats with those of others. Thus, sailboat racing was born... The very first mention of a race heads back to the XIIth century, when races around the islands were organized on Balearic Islands, in Spain on the 24th of June. The first mention of a rowing race occurs in XIVth century, in Venice, Italy. The gondoliers took part in these races, calling them "regatta". Thus the name.

The very first documented regatta took place in England, on Thames River, on October 1, 1661. Two ships took part: King Charles II's "Catherine" and the Duke of York's (his brother's) "Anna". Ever since, regattas grew in popularity, and building a fast yacht became a competition in itself. A definite breakthrough came with a yacht built by George Steers in 1848, called "America". He built it differently from all other yachts built until then: his had a pointed bow, and a full stern. It also had flat sails, which allowed for sailing against the wind. When the boat won the regatta around Wight island, in 1851, the boat construction industry changed its rules in the hull and sail development (they were now all built with pointed bows and fuller sterns). Below is an outline of the "America's" hull.

hull1.jpg (8614 bytes)

At the end of XIXth century, yacht builders began suspecting that water friction on the hull might have a negative effect on the speed of the boat. Thus, they began decreasing the draft as well as beam. In 1875, F.M. Bentall has constructed "Jullanar" - a boat with a much shorter LWL (length on the waterline), than its LOA (overall length). This has allowed for a larger sail area, and less friction. Below is an outline of "Jullanar's" hull.

hull2.jpg (8932 bytes)

Next step in the evolution was a yacht built by G.L. Watson, "Thistle". The aft part of the keel of this boat was elongated, and this has again reduced friction. The outline below is that of "Thistle".

hull3.jpg (8773 bytes)

Taking all this into consideration, as well as all new scientific discoveries, W. Fife built "Minerva" in 1888. The yacht had a low draft, and a low placed ballast, which allowed him to use an even larger sail area than ever before. Have a look below.

hull4.jpg (9642 bytes)

All of the yachts described above had a ballast inside the hull - for the reasons of good balance and safety.

Lesson 13: "Evolution of the hull - part II"