Wetted surface area is determined solely by how much surface is wet. While there is a some relationship between how much weight the boat carries and wetted surface, it is not a direct correlation. Weight determines how much water is "displaced" and this is a volume. Some shapes enclose more volume with less surface area than others. The lowest wetted surface are for a given volume would be a hemisphere, in other words - a short, fat kayak. Long narrow shapes generally have more surface area for a given volume than short wide shapes. So longer boat will often have more wetted surface area than short ones. At 4:10 PM -0400 5/14/01, KiAyker_at_aol.com wrote: >In a message dated 5/14/2001 9:59:53 AM Eastern Daylight Time, >schade_at_guillemot-kayaks.com writes: > > >> However shorter boats can have less drag at a given speed because >> most of the time the primary source of drag is the skin friction of >> water molecules moving against the hull of the boat. This drag is >> related to the wetted surface area of the boat. More wet surface, >> more drag. Shorter boats typically have less wetted surface and are >> > > I really do try to follow these discussions on boat and paddle physics, >even though a lot of it is clearly over my head. I always though the wetted >area of a boat was the result of the weight of the boat and how much water it >displaced -- not the length. Is that not correct? > >Just wondering, > >Scott >So.Cal. > >*************************************************************************** >PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed >here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire >responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. >Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net >Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net >Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ >*************************************************************************** -- Nick Schade Guillemot Kayaks 824 Thompson St Glastonbury, CT 06033 (860) 659-8847 *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************Received on Tue May 15 2001 - 10:21:02 PDT
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