How does draft affect a boats performance?
 

How will a shallow draft (say 16 inches) affect a boat's performance /handling compared to one with a deeper draft (say 3 ft)? Thanks

Draft isnt the issue--its transom deadrise. The flatter the transom (ie 16 or 17 degrees) the easier it is to get on plane with less power however, the ride quality will suffer. Alot of family boats are built with this in mind (and a 3.0 litre 4 cylinder motor)...Its cheaper for people to get into and will be great for tubing and water skiing and these types of boats are topping out at 45 mph.

Most offshore boats are 23-24 degrees with very sharp V's which help them get thru rough seas but they are harder to get on plane BUT they will be much more comfortable at speed.

So the draft has no affect on the ride? I was looking at the 30 concept sport deck and it only had a a 16 inch draft while other performance boats had more than 3 feet of draft. Why is this if there are no benefits? Pardon my ignorance

Maximum draft is a static thing - where the boat is either not moving or moving very slowly. A very heavy boat will draft more than a lighter boat.

Deadrise is more of a dynamic thing. It doesn't come into play at all when stopped or at very low speeds.

Deadrise affects performance by altering how well a boat cuts through the water while on plane. Draft is simply a meaure of how much water depth is needed to keep a boat from scraping the bottom. Most high performance boats draft virtually nothing at top speed because of hydrodynamic and aerodynamic lift. So the draft numbers you see mentioned are "maximum draft" - while moving very slowly or sitting at a dock. I don't think I've ever seen a "minimum draft" number advertised.

Does that help?

Okay I get it now. Thanks for taking the time to explain!