On the Stability of Sailboats - Softcover

Craggs, A.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1412040094 ISBN 13: 9781412040099

Publisher: Trafford, 2005

Synopsis

The conventional method of measuring the stability of a yacht using the moment resistance curve, of necessity involves assumptions which are not true under many of the critical conditions that may cause a vessel to capsize. In heavy seas, there is considerable vertical and rotational movement, and inertia forces not considered in deriving the curve, come into effect. The dynamics are governed by Newton's laws of motion and when these laws are applied, the response of the vessel can be related to the sea state. The ability of a vessel to react to the sea varies with time and there are situations where it is minimised resulting in a full knockdown. The main thrust presented in this text views the problem of stability in small vessels as one of dynamics and not one which can be completely resolved or understood, by the solitary viewpoint of the "static" moment resistance curve.

The book has four broad divisions: the derivation of the static properties; the dynamics of ships where all the relevant equations are expressed in a standard form to enable a direct solution; the physics of simple waveforms of both large and small amplitude and how these can be combined to give a description of the ocean under various wind conditions. The final part looks at combining a vessel's characteristics and the sea state to predict its motion and stability. In every case a comparison is drawn between the static and dynamic responses. All of the material necessary to form a quantitative evaluation of a yacht's stability is provided in the text. The book concludes with a chapter giving the results of calculations based on the theory.

It is assumed that the reader has some knowledge of elementary calculus and is familiar with the basic physics of motion such as would be covered in the first two years of an engineering or science degree. However, in each chapter the conclusions are discussed in a non mathematical way and important results are clearly illustrated with diagrams.

About this edition

• Publisher: Trafford
• Publication date: 2005
• ISBN 10: 1412040094
• ISBN 13: 9781412040099
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 248