The pros of having steps in the hull
 

What are the pro's of having steps in the hull?

Usually 10-15% faster with the same power

When Formula "stepped" the 382 they claimed about 5 mph more at the same RPM (cruise and WOT). It was true and some manufacturers saw even bigger gains.

Faster in flat water.

Padraig

Step hulls date way back something like 1920 or so., Hustler did them way back in the 80 s. but it seems that step hulls were hugely marketed around 1998 year models to about 2008 and were called all different names. AVS is one prime example.

With that said it does not seem like current advancement has taken place with stepped hulls and bottom designs. Prob the latest most talked about stepped hull change over from straight bottom was SEA VEE CC boats about 4 years ago. They seem to ride and handle very well.

Seems like other things added to the mix helps as well - current props and modern construction advancements and those materials. . Another good example of a boat that beny from all 3 would be the Cig top guns. -- modern construction / materials, , props and the change over from Straight V hull to steps.

Always wondered how much of the step technology is actual theory/design/testing.
Consider :
Step placement related to longitude C.G.
Step angle to hull bottom
Step angle to hull centerline
Step depth
Step quantity
Step separation in multiple step hull
So how many of these and additional variables did each hull design undergo knowing a new hull bottom is needed to test each and every individual change ? How much is simulation vs actual full scale in water data gathering ?

IMO no one has done anything as of within 10 years for new bottom design and or converting V hull straight bottoms to a new line up of stepped hulls except SEA VEE. I do know they put in alot of time in with it. I even talked to the designer of the bottom Robert K. in an airport waiting for our flights during that time of the build. Anyways here is some info

Fascinating SeeVee flick.
Basically what they're saying is 'We've finally designed a safe stepped bottom hull'

You should google the work that Tres Martin has done with Sunsation on their step bottoms. He assisted with their 36 performance boat, then totally designed the 32/39 CCX. I'd say that guy knows more about going fast in step bottom boats than anyone.

Im really disappointed in you guys !! You have all skipped past the most obvious and beneficial benefit of stepped hulls.

With stepped hulls, the trailer bunks are broken into sections, with each section going towards the rear of the trailer being taller. This well thought out and planned design feature helps prevent the boat sliding backwards off the trailer because you forgot to properly strap it down, When that happens, not only do you look like a complete idot, you cause a major traffic backup resulting in your fellow motorists saluting your pride and joy with one finger. Dont be that guy, get a stepped hull !!!


https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.off...98fe5942f6.jpg
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.off...10972c3971.jpg

Your second pic disputes that theory

No, it doesn't..... it proves you need real steps, manly steps, not some itty bitty super wimpy bump on the bottom of the hull because the manufacture was to lazy to sand the plug smooth when he built the mold step....

First I am talking about V bottom designs only. OSO members 90 percent are V hulls owners up here if I had to guess so I am related to the vast here..

I would have thrown in the Sunny 36 and then their CC boats for Sunny. Mainly I am talking about about brand new totally new bottom designs like what sea vee did and all their testing within say 2009 to current. The one video I posted only shows a small part of it.

Sunny already had stepped hulls so they had a base to start with. outerlimites had stepped hulls way back as well, Im am talking about mainly a boat company or a brand new boat company that brought to market within the last 9 years that was NEVER a stepped hull design ever. . Started from base one, had to do the old school testing and tweaks many times after the fact to get it dialed in completely.

Alot of companies already had steps so they had info and real world facts to go off of beforehand.

The 39 Rockit by hustler and the 29 by them could be thrown into the mix for redoing their stepped hulls but again they had stepped hulls from the 80 s..

I was just saying and have to give Sea Vee alot credit for not throwing steps into their V hulls without doing real world leg work testing and improving on it. If I recall it was over a year of testing.for them.

Well that is an obvious design flaw then , isn't it....

Just pulled out of the water, wet hull, wet trailer.....dry road.

Another 36 got dropped in an intersection. American Muscle 3 took a ride down I95 but that was more of a jackknife = launch!
Shogren had an orange MTI get launched off the trailer too......think that was ice + guardrail = roadside.

Brilliant – the fine art of sarcasm executed with vigor : )


ND1

The "feature" has little to do with keeping the boat on the trailer. Instead, it has to do with properly distributing the weight of the hull over the length of the trailer bunks between each step. A byproduct of this proper weight distribution is a reduced ability / propensity for the boat to come off the trailer. As some with stepped hulls have discovered in shallow launch ramps though, this can work against you.

Boats with multi-step hulls are much more likely to send you swimming than a straight bottom or single step boat...
...so you got that going for you on a hot day; which is nice.

Attachment 575991

Let's not forget that the steps make it easier to climb back on the inverted hull.

How many of these companies are spending the money to build and test a plug with new designs, prior to building the mold and going into production?

How many straight bottom vee's have sent folks swimming........I can't think of any that weren't mechanical/fiberglass failure first.

In good times I'm sure a few do, in down times the original hull is probably sold to customers (whether good or bad design, remember the 4-5 single step Cigarettes or the original 29 OL's).

Near 66 yo as I write this, only been for a swim once, not a step bottom boat, just a straight V, pad bottom Hydrostream with a big azz Merc. Fault to the straight V? Fault to the pad bottom? Fault to the too big big azz Merc? None of the above, Fault to the dumb azz behind the wheel running way too fast into the wind. I have hundreds of hours in a twin step boat, have hundreds of hours in a single step boat, have at least one thousand plus hours in non step vees. The only one that I have ever taken a dump in was 100% my own dumb azz fault. Years of old wives tales about these step bottom boats, people just learn to run what you got, simple as that, you need little more than some common sense, little attention to wtf you be doing and the understanding that you are not superman. Step bottom boats go back decades, have their advantages, and are just as safe as any other design, when used as they are designed to be used.

I moderately skimmed through that. No one has reported on exactly what happened. But it's speculated that the boat was being run at speed with the SeaKeeper turned on. I can't possibly see how the driver, the sea, and the SeaKeeper could all agree on what to do with the hull at the same time.

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nice steps on the DW360

for more pics ==> https://www.performanceboatcenter.co...=xNewInventory



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Heres a question on stepped hulls, i understand all the theory, etc and how its supposed to help. I own a 33 scarab AVS, runs 85 w 500efis, the mpi 502 versions run 76 to 78ish. The boats titled as a 31, if you look at a slightly older 31 or 33 scarab they look identical except the bottom with its agressive steps. So, if it only makes them faster in smooth water, how come the non stepped versions are 6 to 10 mph slower in rough water and smooth water? How come.my boat still runs 84 or 85 in rougher water, how come the non stepped ones DONT go 6 to 10mph FASTER in rougher water. Serious question, thanks, Smitty

^^ Once upon a time in the early days of the development of the deep V hull it was claimed that they were faster than other hulls in rough water because they were designed to run fast in those conditions without smashing the boat and its occupants to pieces .
Now ignoring that for a minute , if you have 2 nearly identical V bottomed boats in terms of size and power but one is a slower straight V and the other is a faster (by virtue of its bottom) stepped hull then as far as I see it the slower boat will always be slower . It's not suddenly going to pick up 6-10 mph simply because it's rough . Wouldn't the step bottom also pick up the same 6-10mph ? Am I missing something here , or maybe over simplifying ?