advantages/disadvantages...v hull vs. flat jon

[michael barnes]

a v hull cuts waves better, and gives a smoother ride, but you loose space. flat jon has more room, but a rougher ride. thats about all i know. what boat is more seaworthy and safe, should it start blowing and the chop pics up? what other advantages do each have over the other?
http://directboats.com/wac14jonboat.html
http://directboats.com/pro14.html

 

[Ray]

I kind of already answered the question there in your first sentence. V-hull cuts into the water better. In rough water that is what you want.

Also there is the whole boat design considerations that rely on terms named Initial stability, secondary stabililty, tumblehome, and there are a couple more I think.

Flat bottom boats have a lot of initial stability, but not much secondary stability. This means they sit on the water well, but when tilted a little onto a side they pop right over on top of you.

A hull with a more rounded underwater profile has good initial and secondary stability. This allows it to handle rougher water better than a flat bottomed skiff.

Both of these types of stability are very reliant on the shape of the hull including the sheers above water. At some point those sheers will be underwater when it is rough so they factor into the equation.