The hydrodynamic resistance of stepped planing hulls under different geometrical and physical conditions

In this paper, the hydrodynamic resistance of one-step planing craft has been experimentally investigated under different geometrical and physical conditions. For this to be accomplished, a Fridsma body model with different deadrise angles was considered. Moreover, the effect of the longitudinal distance of the step from the transom and the step height on the hydrodynamic resistance of a stepped planing craft has been evaluated at different hull velocities. According to the experimental results, frictional resistance can be enhanced by decreasing the height of the step. However, a greater total resistance can be obtained by increasing the longitudinal distance of the step from the transom. Moreover, it was found that the proportionality of the longitudinal distance of the step from the transom to the step height has a remarkable effect on the hydrodynamic efficiency of the step in stepped planing craft.