wot

"During the course of his hydroaeroplane and flying boat development, Glenn Curtiss incorporated design innovations
that made the seaplane a practical reality, beginning with the enclose hull, covered with fabric for strength and
water tightness. Curtiss, with assistance from Royal Navy engineer Lt. John Cyril Porte, further enhanced the ability
of waterborne aircraft to get off the water by constructing a mid-way "step" on the bottom of the float or hull.
Water has adhesive qualities, especially when running over a curved surface, and early seaplanes had difficulty
getting "unstuck" from the water, especially in calm seas. The addition of the step helped break up the water flow
under the hull enabling the flying boat to get airborne more easily. Curtiss also added breather tubes to the flying
boat hull. These were small copper tubes that ran from the inside of the hull to the undersurface step to relieve
the low pressure under the hull and assisted the aircraft in becoming airborne."

http://www.nasm.si.edu/collections/a...d=A19490022000


I recommend contacting:

The editor and user groups @ http://earlyaviators.com/eporte.htm
The Library of Congress @ http://www.loc.gov/index.html
Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum http://www.nasm.si.edu

To further assist your research.

Best regards

kap328

RLJ676:

Why don't you elaborate on which current production offshore boats do not have a step in the bottom----uhhh Fountain, Hustler, Baja, Laveycraft, Phantom, Donzi, Cigarette all stepped V-Bottoms--- this list is not inclusive you could get more names in the builders forum section.

Oh they put them in because they are gimmicks flippin give me a break---Payaso.

KAP

vette131

Steps on a baja?

JaayTeee

Yes....mine has a step going down into the cabin

scarabman

iTrader: (1)

Thats just funny!

rlj676

Speed does not equal ride. Guess which one they are for.

Give me a break.

Also, are you the same KAP from PB, why the attitude here? Only like West Coast people?

kap328

You are so right my duh!

Only in the cabin... love it my bad.

Rlj676

Relax Michigan man the comment is about steps being gimmicks---not you.

FYI---are you saying you prefer a non stepped boat over a stepped hull? If that is the case just say so I will sharpen my keyboard!

Yes! and are you the same Rlj676 from OSO.

Best Regards,

KAP

rlj676

Got it, I am.

I think he means "speed gimmick". You give up some handling ability (maybe a lot on some boats) for top end. You don't use top end that much really (or I sure don't see too many people who do).

My boat is not stepped, and I like it a lot! It rides great in the rough, and is very easy to drive, I can let my friends drive with little fear they will tuck the drives in a turn, etc. I'd like to go faster, but honestly the lake is usually kind of rough so I don't want to go full out all the time. I think I'd like a step boat someday (TS Gun sounds nice), but more for the efficiency than speed. But at that point it won't be something you can let someone drive like they would a runabout, etc.

Steps seem to serve their purpose well, but their purpose isn't improved ride. I was asking if you think they do improve ride, how?

sr73z

i was checking that out at harrisions last summer. ITS BAD, the seats are crazy. had to be hard to run that boat

wot

That's Awesome; picture please!


"The concept was originally proposed by Rev. Ramus of Sussex England in 1872. He proposed both a single stop with tandem planing surfaces, and a combination of three pontoons with one forward and two aft. Indications are that these shapes were derived from model tests. Unfortunately, the heavy steam power plants of that day could not push a hull fast enough to plane, and take advantage of the new concept.

As early as 1906 there were published drawings for small stepped hulls with hard chines. William Henry Fauber [8] obtained a U.S. patent for hulls with multiple steps in 1908, (1) but could find few people in the U.S.A. interested, so he moved to Europe."
http://www.lesliefield.com/other_his...the_future.htm


(1) Ironic; still that way w/Offshore racing today.

Invented, discovered, implemented and produced are not synonymous.

more stuff @ http://www.thunderboats.org/history/history0157.html