I have a few simple questions that I would love to have answered.

What is a step hull, or something like that, and what does it do?

Why don't boats have some type of gear system? Wouldn't need a clutch, the drive could have 2 or 3 gears. Always wanted to know this.

Thanks for the info. Just a couple questions I have thought of.

I sorry, Eric. But, I believed that you have confused this site with a boating information site.

All we talk about here is: Politics, Religion, recent "bolt-ons", jokes, and the occasional jab at Travis.

Sorry

step hull

yeah this is not offshoreonly.. its OFF TOPIC only...


jabs.... yeah my ribs have been hurtin for almost a year now

I knew I would be taking a chance to:

1. Ask a question that was actually about boats and,

2. Ask a question that did not involve me having to choose between a 37' Outerlimit or a 42' Cig.



Yes, you are right, I am jealous. If I could get rid of my wife and 2 kids I could maybe have those issues. But as the sole income provider, I am stuck with a smaller boat that my wife won't think is a waste of $$$$.

I see the difference, but what diff. does it make with performance?

thanks

less drag = more speed

Larson, that's a bad example of a stepped hull!!!! I'm sure someone has better pic's of a step hull bottom. The theory is to put the hull at different hieghts, progressing front to rear, with each step rearward a bit higher providing a gap that air can travel under the hull, providing less drag or less wetted surface and keeping more of the boat out of the water. Everyone has a different way of doing it, and they all act differently allowing us to argue here on oso about who has the best step hull, and your other question about transmissions, they have them, but you need lots of power and torque to use them effectively, just another thing to break in your boat, I think it could be refined to match a trans to a torgue curve of a motor and improve fuel economy on boats, but packaging constraints, as well as limited budgets, and lack of market "need" for this has not gotten this subject to be where it could be at this time. It can all be done, just takes $$ and nobody gonna invest in something like this till theres a profitable market for it.

that makes sense about the step hull. thanks.

However, I guess since you can get a $10,000 Honda Civic with "gears", a boat may be possible to. Motorcycles and even little scooters have gears with no clutch. Just curious.

Big surprise, I am not mechanically inclined. But trying to be educated.

I think I even learned something just now. Obviously, I'm not much into the mechanical aspects of this board, but I'm surprised at how much I've picked up just reading bits and pieces here and there. Thanks!