A sailboat is a small boat that uses the power of wind to propel itself through water. The forces of motion are proportional to the sail area times the square of the apparent wind speed and the resistance is a function of the boat’s shape, wetted surface area and its velocity through the water. In practice, a sailboat’s resistance increases with its speed because turbulence dissipates energy and the pressure differences between sides of the sail decrease.
A good deal of sailboat design and construction is geared to reducing resistance. For example, a modern recreational or cruising sailboat often has a keel that’s a compromise between an old-fashioned deep and wide keel and a narrow, fin-shaped wing. These keel wings are sometimes called vane tips or, on aircraft, winglets. They reduce induced drag by changing the flow angle of the water around the bottom rear of the keel, generating vortices that pull the keel into a lower-pressure side.
Another area of resistance reduction is the hull. A well-designed hull has a smooth surface, which is more laminar than a rough one. Turbulence along a hull increases resistance by about four or five times as much as it does on a smooth surface.
As you begin to consider buying a sailboat, think carefully about your sailing goals. Do you want to just explore sheltered inland waters or do you plan to cross oceans? The size of the boat you choose depends on the answer to that question and the level of complexity you are comfortable with.
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