Planing Craft

As the speed of a craft in water increases, it first tends to go down in the water and trim by
stern, and it is necessary to make the bottom of the craft flat towards the aft to limit the sinkage
and trim. It is also necessary to provide a fine entrance and narrow sections at the bow to keep the
resistance low and improve wave-going performance. As the speed of the craft is increased further,
the hydrodynamic pressures on the wetted surface result in a vertical force that lifts the hull partly
out of water so that it tends to skim over the surface of water, i.e. to plane. The water also tends to
break away from the hull surface in the form of a spray. The lifting of the hull and the reduction
in the wetted surface as the speed increases cause the resistance to increase with speed at a much
slower rate than would have been the case if the hull had not risen with respect to the undisturbed
water surface.

The generation of hydrodynamic lift and the breaking away of the water from the hull
surface are promoted by either providing a hard chine, i.e. a sharp discontinuity in hull surface
slope around which water cannot climb or by spray rails which are longitudinal wedge shaped
discontinuities, on round bilge craft. Hard chine craft generally have higher hydrodynamic lift
forces and a lower resistance, but greater vertical acceleration in waves. The round bilge forms
have lower hydrodynamic lift forces (and hence need more buoyancy to support the weight) and
may therefore be termed semi-displacement or semi-planing craft; they have a higher resistance
but a more comfortable ride. The choice between hard chine (planing) forms and round bilge (semi-
planing) forms depends upon the relationship between the speed, the length and the weight of the
craft. Studies appear to show that for large high speed craft at speeds upto 50 knots, round bilge
craft are better, but hard chine craft are often preferred because they are easier and cheaper to
build. The double chine hull is a compromise solution.

High speed semi-displacement and planing craft are found in a large number of roles for
military, security and commercial purposes worldwide. It is estimated that there are more than
3000 craft of this type under 60 m overall length and speeds between 25 and 40 knots in the worlds
navies alone. Patrol boats for policing in harbours, for fisheries protection and for customs and
excise duties are also in wide use. Commercial uses of high speed planing craft not only include
recreation vessels in the 5-30 m range but also offshore crew transportation, survey vessels and
pilot vessels. The adoption of the 320 km Exclusive Economic Zone has increased further the need
for high speed planing craft.

The design of planing craft is not made solely on the basis of calm water resistance. The
ride quality and the manoeuvrability and control of the vessel in expected sea conditions are also
significant factors. In fact, economics often becomes the controlling factor in developing a
successful project and must include all vessel development costs, the shore facilities, the number
and size of the vessels dedicated to the operation, the operational expenses and long term
maintenance costs.

The emphasis on speed for such vessels has resulted in a large portion of the projects cost
being dedicated to propulsion machinery and the development of hydrodynamically efficient and
light weight structural hull forms. The planing hull is designed specifically to achieve relatively
high speed on the surface of the water. Although it is not essential to the concept of planing, rough
water operation has become an important capability for most useful planing hulls.

Speed on the water surface is closely related to the size of the vessel and the installed
power. Length is the principal dimension used to define speed-size relationships at low speeds
because the resistance of the hull to motion through water is dependent to some extent upon the
surface waves generated by the ship. These waves move at the speed of ship. Surface waves have
a fixed relationship between their velocity and their length. The non-dimensional ratio of the
velocity of surface waves to the square root of length (Froude number) in deep water is equal to
about 0.4. Therefore, when a vessel moves at a Froude number of 0.4 it creates waves whose
wavelength is equal to the waterline length of the vessel. Vessels which move at Froude numbers
below 0.4 are designed as displacement hulls, whereas vessels that are designed for Froude
numbers above 0.4 will normally have a part of their all-up-weight supported by dynamic forces.
The reasons for this are as follows :
 Below a Froude number of 0.3, as shown in Fig. 4, a marine craft spans two or more
waves of its own bow wave train. At such speeds, the changes in draught and trim are
small and power requirements modest. Also in this speed regime, the hull weight is
supported entirely by buoyancy forces.

Upto a Froude number of 0.268 the drag is predominantly frictional. The hull is tapered
at the stern and curved upward towards the waterline to minimise flow separation as
the latter is a source of drag.

Above a Froude number of 0.268, the wave making drag becomes increasingly
important and at a Froude number of about 0.357 the wave making drag begins to
increase at a very high rate.

Above a Froude number of 0.4, wave making becomes a virtual barrier to further
increase in speed for true displacement hull forms. This is because the increased local
velocities caused by the rounded hull form result in negative pressures which cause
the vessel to settle down deeply and trim down by the stern. At such speeds the
displacement vessel is literally climbing the back of its own bow wave. Therefore, at a
Froude number above 0.4 it is necessary to depart from the counter stern or canoe stern
of the low speed types and to make the buttock lines flatter terminating in a transom
stern. This type of hull form avoids the build up of negative pressures that occur when
a true displacement hull is driven at high speed and causes the flow to separate cleanly
at the stern, thus keeping the separation drag to a minimum. At higher design speeds
even straighter buttock lines are required and the transom must be broader and more
deeply immersed (although round bilge sections may still be employed). The high-
speed semi-displacement or semi-planing regime Froude numbers generally range from
0.387 to about 0.892.
Fig. 4 Bow wave profiles for different Froude numbers