The casual observer of workboats and yachts could be forgiven for some confusion as to why some boats have very long overhangs, or ends, while others have virtually none. With the exception of ships specifically designed for ramming into other ships, or nowadays, wave piercing catamarans or warships like the recently-launched ZUMWALT, virtually all vessels have some overhangs; that is, they have topsides that extend beyond their waterlines, either forward or aft, and generally both.
SAILBOATS: Free from artificial influence, bow and stern overhangs tend to be relatively short, but yacht racing and the measurement rules that govern it, turned the normal considerations of safety and sea-kindliness onto their heads. It is difficult to overstate the extent to which measurement rule have influenced boat shape (and still do), and if Charles Darwin had not been more profitably employed, I am sure he would have had some valuable insights on this subject.
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Dave Woodman says:
Now I understand why I ended up on my backside when running in big seas in a flat bottomed, vertical stem work skiff.
Thanks
Charles Zimmermann says:
Doug, please comment on Holger Danske and other designs by Aage Nielsen, where the objective was to build “cruising sailboats intended for passage making.” Surely Holger Danske was designed to handle rough weather. You might also comment on the design of Stormy Weather by Olin Stephens. Many thanks!
Doug Hylan says:
The Aage Nielsen double enders could be considered very refined versions of the Colin Archer redningsskøyte lifeboats — vessels renowned for their sea keeping abilities. The trouble with double enders is that it is difficult to make them fast, as the buttock lines must sweep up abruptly at the stern. Since fast sailing was likely a higher priority in the design of STORMY WEATHER, a transom stern would have been preferable.
From the point of view of down sea handling in the ultimate storm, a boat like HOLGER DANSKE might have an advantage, but in the world of ocean racing, the calculus would be that many races could probably be won before such weather might be encountered. STORMY WEATHER is a superb design and I would not hesitate to take her anywhere.
It is interesting to note that today’s round-the-world racers use boats that would be considered completely unsuitable by the time honored standards. Very wide transoms coupled with low plumb bows would seem to be a recipe for disaster, and yet many of these boats complete their races without the expected result.
I suspect that this can be largely credited to a complete reversal of heavy weather sailing tactics. When Adlard Coles wrote HEAVY WEATHER SAILING, the accepted procedure was to heave to as long as possible, then run off when nothing else would do. Slowing down was a major component of both these tactics. Today’s Southern Ocean racers do just the opposite — the harder it blows, the faster they try to sail. While the thought of such techniques give me the willies, it obviously works — a big wave can’t push on your stern if you are sailing faster than the waves!
Bruce Brown says:
so where does the Friendship Sloop fall along your continuum of reserve buoyancy and visual aesthetic?
Doug Hylan says:
The Friendship sloop could perhaps be considered the ultimate example of the extent to which our forefathers demanded, and were willing to pay for, aesthetics in their working tools– a riot of difficult to build curves, beautiful from every angle — a piece of art used to hauled lobster pots!
But I don’t think that Friendship sloops could be considered to have “balanced ends” from the point of view of reserve buoyancy as they have rather fine forward waterlines and wide buoyant sterns. Developed for lobstering on the Maine coast (essentially an inshore summer fishery at that time) they were not expected to have to duel with Neptune on one of his bad days.
The concept of balanced ends, from the point of view of seaworthiness, is most important in boats that must contend with the worst of weather — Banks fishermen, redningsskøyte type life vessels and pilot boats — vessels that were regularly expected to go out and stay out in all weather with little prospect of rescue if things went badly.
For many people, the question of balanced ends is almost entirely an aesthetic one — dangerous territory, with plenty of exceptions for every rule that can be made. The CCA era boats are often considered the gold standard in this respect, and indeed many of them are lovely things, well balanced by so many standards.
But I happen to love the looks of many boats with patently unbalanced ends. At one end of this spectrum are some of the old French and British working vessels with plumb stems and quite generous stern overhangs. At the other end are some of the N. G. Herreshoff Alerion sisters, particularly the Buzzards Bay 25s, with their long bows and wide, rather chopped sterns. For me the Friendship sloop falls in this category. You just can’t argue with the beauty of these boats, regardless of how the two dimensional profile drawing of them may look.
Will Clarke says:
Great write up Doug! I would love to see a follow up addressing human powered boats.
Geoff Wade says:
A very well written article, looking forward to more from Doug.
Geoff
Ellen Massey Leonard says:
Thanks for a such clear explanations of the advantages and disadvantages of all these hull shapes. I completely agree with your recommendations for offshore sailboats.
This wasn’t your topic, I know, but I’d like to add this little anecdote. Having never sailed a modern production yacht (Hanse, Beneteau, etc.), I can’t generalize, but I found this interesting: one evening in Polynesia, I made a three-hour sail from one island to another. There was a 7-foot swell running with a moderate period, definitely short enough to feel some real motion. We were heading into it on a close reach. Our boat was a copy of the S&S Finisterre–nicely balanced ends, relatively fine entry, and rounded hull shape. We had an enjoyable sail. We reached the anchorage and met a boat we’d seen ahead of us on the same course. She was a modern production boat with a much flatter-bottomed hull than ours. Her sailors complained bitterly of the hard slog they’d had, slamming into every wave. So while the more rounded, narrower, heavier displacement hull shape does roll and heel more and does require overhangs for reserve buoyancy (thereby sacrificing potential cabin room), I’d still prefer to sail aboard my Finisterre copy. (Then again, I’m also a sucker for gorgeous curving lines!)
Michael Warr says:
Hi Doug,
really liked this article, but I totally disagree with your choice of Agnes as an example of a short ended boat with issues in bad weather. This boat, designed and built by Luke Powell is an accurate reproduction of a Scilly Isles pilot boat. These island located in the Western Approaches lie a short distance to the SW of Land’s End at the west end of the English Channel. These are some of the most difficult and treacherous waters in the world and were negotiated year round by these fine boats which were sailed shorthanded, sometimes just a man and a boy. Agnes has carefully distributed internal ballast, a deep forefoot and very well balanced waterlines and has proven herself to be a very able boat in all weather. In addition, like all British pilot cutters she has a reefing bowsprit and therefore has no hardware abaft the cranse iron, as the ‘sprit must run in through the gammon iron and onto the deck. Therefore no anchors or heavy chain were ever carried on the bowsprits of these boats, but rather catted to the forward bulwark in the same manner as the American working schooner. The Falmouth Quay Punt, another short-ended working vessel has also been interpreted in modern times as a fine cruising yacht ………..Lyle Hess and William Atkin both producing exceptional boats with Taleisin and Tally Ho and no one should forget Tim and Pauline Carr and their beautiful 19th century punt Curlew which circumnavigated and explored extensively in the South Georgia island area.
Doug Hylan says:
Hi Michael,
Thank you for coming to the defense of lovely vessels like AGNES. There is no denying the impressive cruising and sea keeping record of some of these short ended vessels you mention. I was thinking more of the old British cutter racing types with low and relatively fine bows. To have to go out on the bowsprit of such a vessel in heavy weather to bring in sail was a dangerous job indeed. With a full and fairly high bow and her reefing bowsprit, AGNES would be a much safer vessel.
It is interesting to speculate on the extent to which crowded harbors have influenced boat ends. Packed British harbors tended to foster short ends and reefing bowsprits. Spacious American harbors allowed permanent bowsprits and more generous overhangs. With such short ends, the necessity for reserve buoyancy may account for the persistence of the cods-head-mackerel-tail designs in England. The longer ends typical of American vessels allowed the finer waterlines that helped these vessels gain their reputation for speed.
Even today, the fact that marina space is charged by the linear foot tends to foster short ends, especially among thrifty cruisers. And waterline length is a much better indicator of the volume of a vessel than it’s overall length (short ended boats tend to be “bigger” for their overall length than a long ended sister of the same overall length). Roller furling jibs have reduced the necessity for going out on the ends of long bowsprits.
Still, the large amounts of gear and stores required for comfortable cruising means that cruising boats tend to be heavy, and heavy boats require a lot of sail to keep them going well. It is hard to get sufficient sail area on a short ended boat without resorting to bowsprits and boomkins. The more astute marina and boatyard operators have noticed that these appurtenances take up room, and charge accordingly. Lastly, to a very large extent boats cost by the pound, not the foot. A 10 ton 36 foot boat is going to cost about the same as a 10 ton 42 footer. So, from a disappointingly practical point of view, for the same amount of money (both construction and maintenance) you could have a longer boat with a bit more deck and storage space, and some extra reserve buoyancy to boot.
There are many factors that affect the seaworthiness of a vessel, and the end profile is only one. My intention was not so much to make pronouncements about how a boat should look as to try to open a window on why boats look the way they do.
Doug Hylan says:
A note for anyone following this thread: You may be puzzled by the fact that AGNES has disappeared from the illustrations for this blog. Instead, we have substituted drawings of MADGE, a much better example of the point I was trying to make.
Rich Morrow says:
Good sea-boats as these stem bowed pilot vessels must has been ( and perhaps their yachting cousins less so) I can’t believe, as Doug’s analysis suggested, that they weren’t prone to take a solid glug of green water over the bow pushing into any kind of a head sea.
Vance Scott says:
Now I have a better comprehension of the dynamics of different hull shapes and why they evolved.
thanks for a good article.
I never liked a lot of overhang aft since watching a yacht with such in heavy following seas. With big seas she nearly broached or yawed servery. Put me off.
Thanks
David Jeffery says:
Clear, well-illustrated answers to many questions. Thank you. Now, about “Lily”: Is she a modern design with traditional appearance? What’s she like under the waterline?
Georg Hinteregger says:
Lily is LF Herreshoff’s Design #43 drawn in 1929. She is a cedar on oak lapstrake keel/centerboarder drawing 2′ with the board up. She was built in Vermont by Jim Pearson and launched in 1986.
David Jeffery says:
Lovely. Thanks for your reply.
William Boulden says:
Thank you! Now I understand a lot more of why Sailboats look the way they do.
Wondered why a boat like the Hanse’s could have such good reviews of their big weather capabilities when their hull shapes appear (from the outside) to be more like many high performance skiffs.
I still prefer the Alerion inspired designs the most. So beautiful to the eye!
Bill
Chris Johnson says:
Hey Doug,
Good examples. I’ve owned a number of “racer-cruiser” boats built for IOR ratings. They feel more like racers. I sail a “rule beater” with a long thin stern now. Once my boat speed hits about 4 knots, the stern promptly drops into the water and I get an extra 3′ of water line. The down side is I have very little reserve buoyancy in my stern. I’ve recently gotten my “retirement boat and a major contributing factor was the shape/size of the stern and the reserve buoyancy.
Chris