Hull Surface Roughness – How much sanding is worthwhile?
A smooth underwater finish will reduce friction drag and increase the speed of a boat. So, is the bottom of your boat smooth enough? If there is a group of five sailors sitting around the table with a jug of beer trying to decide on how smooth the underwater part of their yacht should be, you can be confident of hearing at least six different answers. How important is smoothness? What is happening to the water as it flows over the hull? What about the latest non-stick technology, or whether to wax the surface? Aren’t dolphin skins supposed to be the best surface of all? This presentation will provide some answers to those questions, using a bit of science and a few facts.
About our esteemed presenter…
Kim Klaka is a naval architect who established his first yacht design consultancy more than 50 years ago. He has sailed over 30,000 miles and competed in state, national and world yachting championships. He holds a Masters degree and a Doctorate in sailing yacht performance. He was the Director of a university marine research centre and was the leader of Australia’s national yacht research program. He has lectured on yacht design and naval architecture at university level for over 40 years.
Kim is the author of the e-book “Sailing Yacht Design: a guide for boat owners, crew and buyers” His seminar presentations, scientific publications, books and magazine articles can be viewed at https://klakamarine.org/
