Plumb Bows

Well, people mostly buy a yacht based on it's appearance. Then the other situation is, how do most yacht/boat buyers compare the boat they're buying to another boat. Most have not ridden on many boats/yachts. SO how do they know if the ride on this boat/yacht is much better than that boat/yacht. They have nothing to compare it to. They don't know if a boat should be wet or not. I have the luxury and run 100-150 different boats/yachts a year......so I have a library of experiences to compare each boat to and from type to type. Very few owners and even Captains have this luxury.

Some of the down eastr's seem to have somewhat of a plumb bow. Aren't they good sea boats?

My 80-footer is not so wet I think, here she is at around 27 knots in a moderate sea;

Our experience is that we let the Humphree interceptors trim the bow down in bigger seas where it cuts through instead of bumping, and the spray is still not too bad. It is all about finding the right equation of all angles, weight, COG, length/beam and not least the speed, but I think the plumb bow is beneficial on this design.

I figured so after seeing that video. There is very little radius before the transition to what I'll call the fore keel?

I don't know exactly what you mean, but here is the waterline at rest on this hull, so it is pretty sharp...

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You guys are way more advanced than I so my vocabulary is limited. But looking from the side on the video, the bow comes down perpendicular to the water very straight then transitions to the fore to aft portion of the boat (the fore keel?) with a very tight radius. The down-easter's as I now compare them to your the video, have more of that sweeping transition/radius of a traditional sport fisher even if the bow is a little more perpendicular. Ignore my comments because my first comment really have very little relevancy as I see from the video.

Being involved with a mid 50' plumb bow express, I can tell you from experience that its extremely frustrating in a head sea as the boat gets totally soaked.

I've been fortunate to run quite a few plumb bow boats this year, and Im slowly beginning to be a fan of them, but follow on AMG's comments in that you have to really play with the trim angle, speed when running into a head sea. I actually ran a 70' Plumb Bow in a 2 ' head sea this spring that actually rode a little wetter and harder than a 50' Plumb Bow that I had to plow across Lake Erie from the Welland down to Erie in 4 to 5's to get into the lee. That 50' handled it much better with the interceptors buried than the 70' did with a 2 ' head sea.

Good friend owns a Fjord 40. To the points above... one of the reasons he picked the boat is the aesthetics, reminiscent of a racing sailboat. And, based on his description of his ride is seas I was also in in my Ocean, sounds like the boat is pretty wet.

The 50' plumb bow that I've ran quite a bit did very well in a following sea and tracked nicely. I had a 4' following swell from Atlantic City to Sandy Hook a few weeks ago and was still able to run 24 knots pretty easily

Wow! Very nice boat.
I see some of the older designs in the Plumb bow / hull design , going way back to Elco, Matthews etc pre 1950 ... Which I think is/was awesome .
Yours being of modern times , design and construction . But the narrow beam Elcos , Matthews cut through the water so well. Like your boat .
No pounding .
It's really impressive.

Aren't all boats , and Captains , reduced to displacement speeds in heavy weather, unless you want to start busting up bulk heads and such...

I think we are confusing the newer plumb bows that run with the stem out & above the water and a planing hull is under the ship with the stem of the older displacement hulls that were always well in the water.

Either way, I'll always lean to a lifting bow. I've stuffed enough junk into inlet waves.

NO, it depends on how heavy the seas are, the spacing of the seas and the angle. I've had a lot of seas where I could run cruise speed or 28 knots in a 62' with seas on the beam or stern....but if the seas are on the bow slowing down to 22-24 knots or more...….in say 4-6'. Generally a planning hull runs best in a heavy sea when it is just barely on plane......20-24 knots in a lot of boats...…..Of course if things get REALLY big, you're slowing down to hull speed or somewhere between hull speed and on plane..........unless you're in a 2000's era Bertram, it takes a hell of a lot to break bulkheads. Your more concerned about breaking things on the interior and getting cabinet doors and things like that out of adjustment.