What does a step actually do??
 

I'm trying to figure out what stepped bottoms do for performance and how it works, can anyone explain how this step or multiple steps works?

Essentially the steps introduce air bubbles under the hull, decreasing friction and making it stick to the water less by decreasing the surface tension. Kind of like lots of little ball bearings between the hull and the water.

Okay I get it, hence the problem of stepped boats not being so safe on hard corners at high speed?
Actually let me rephrase that; taking corners much differently with a stepped boat.

Steps were actually designed to change the "angle of attack" and give the boat natural trim. All of the after effects of air under the hull, less running surface touching the water, more efficiency, etc. etc.; are all by-products that have been tuned better since they were found to be advantageous.

There are at least 3 threads on this subject over the past couple years. Do a search.

http://www.offshoreonly.com/forums/s...d.php?t=175826

http://www.offshoreonly.com/forums/s...d.php?t=167920

http://www.offshoreonly.com/forums/s...ad.php?t=37856

Apparently it creates state funded jobs in North Carolina and sh!tcans a bunch of people in Ohio....

GENERALLY SPEAKING, often one trims the drives IN on a straight V-bottom for turns.

Do that in any step V-bottom and you are beginning to lift the aft end of the boat out of the water, increasing the potential for the aft end breaking loose, and increasing the chance for something to happen that you have not planned for.

GENERALLY SPEAKING, you leave the step V-bottom trimmed out when turning, and need to know how to turn the boat.

Tres Martin's class teaches all of this.

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http://www.offshoreonly.com/forums/s...d.php?t=191764