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Calculate your boat top speed with this formula

Jul 03, 2020

less than a min

  • Calculate your boat top speed with this formula

    As a boat owner, you are required or at least expected to have a general knowledge of what a boat speed calculator is, or how a boat speed formula works. This information is important in order to know the capacity of your vessel and what it is worth. 

    Whether it is a catamaran that you have, a yacht or a sailboat, it is always safer to figure out how fast you can go on water through a boat top speed calculator. Knowing this information can help you look after your boat better, as well as advertise it properly if you want to sell it. Most importantly, however, by figuring out the top speed of your boat you can travel within the limits and always have a safe voyage. 

    Generally, there are many factors that affect a boat’s top speed. This makes it hard to determine the proper and accurate highest speed. However, different formulas have been generated to help in this task. They allow boat owners to create an idea of how fast their vessel is and how much they can push it on water. One of these formulas is as below:

    Boat Speed = The Square Root of ( Shaft Horsepower /  Weight ) x Constant

    Understanding the boat top speed calculator

    In today’s digitally advanced world it is very easy to calculate how fast your vessel can go through various online boat speed calculators. Using a boat speed formula, however, allows you to be more precise when inserting the factors and the data pertaining to your own boat. It might be a longer and more complex method of calculation but it will give you the best results. 

    When using the above boat speed formula bear in mind that:

    • The weight is the actual running weight, including anything on the boat from the crew to the engine and fuel.
    • The shaft horsepower is determined as the engine horsepower without the losses of the drive train.
    • The constant, on the other hand, are typically calculated from private tests. 

    Another simple way to calculate the boat top speed or also known as the hull speed is by using this boat speed formula:

    Boat Speed = 1.34 x The Square Root of Waterline Length

    The waterline length is measured in feet while the boat speed is calculated in knots. 

    By knowing the top speed of boats, you can then compare different vessels and decide which one is worth buying. In addition, if you are looking to sell your boat, you can negotiate a better price by having all the information in front of you. You can also use TheBoatDB to search and compare boats in order to make an informed decision before making a purchase or a sale. 




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