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All other things being equal (which they never are) a boat with a higher deadrise will be slower and roll more on the drift or at anchor than an equivalently equipped boat with a lower deadrise. In turn the ride of the higher deadrise boat is much smoother in rough water than the lower deadrise boat.
To compensate for speed boats with higher deadrise are usually equipped with a more powerful engine so that the same speeds can be acheived. Takes more gas to run at the same speed as the lower deadrise boat.
People that have to take long, long runs to the fishing grounds and want to do so with the smoothest ride in adverse conditions generally go with the boats with the highest deadrise available.
As with other boat features, many owners are very opinionated. Oftentimes their theme is that whatever style of boat they personally own is the only style worth owning and all other boats are worthless.
You sure do - it's called stability at rest - and of course finding that 1 in 1000 angler who can ride a 24 degree hull all day drift fishing in any sort of a sea and swell without losing his lunch!
It's not just the degree of deadrise either - its usually "variable" along the length of the boat - the oft quoted degree of deadrise is usually the transom end...where it finnishes which diesnt sat a lot about the pointy end which could be anything from a knife edge to a barge.
You want something that suits the sort of fishing you like to do in the worst possible conditions you expect to encounter, if it all goes to crap, that will ride, handle and steer straight to get you home safe.
No two are the same because regardless of what the actual "design is - it's what the individual skipper puts into his boat in terms of weight and how it's distributed that determines how that boat handles.
Theres some good descriptions on vessels metacentric height (righting lever) and the effect of weight (load) upon the vessels handling ride on the net if you google search.
What you experience of a boats ride / performance, has likely 50% to do with it's inherrant design features and the other 50% IMHO is down to the knowledge / skill of the skipper at the helm...
You might go out in a boat for a test ride with a boat dealer, and decide it rides crap - and yet a different skipper might ballast it different - distribute the load differently or operate it differently that would completely change your mind about the boat.
I bet I could set up any top tier boat (no names) to perform like a dog if the load, & weight distribution were all wrong for that boat, not to mention trim etc..
Sure having a capable design hull is a helpfull start at the outset but knowing how to get it to perform as intended is the other part..
Less stable at drift and anchor.
Burns more gas.
Smother ride in rough water.
Generally most of my fishing will be in the Chesapeake Bay. But the wife wants to do some overnights at different places along the bay. Will probably do some limited offshore fishing out of Ocean City, MD and NC. Oh what to do. I think I’m gonna over analyze my way out of a new boat.
Trouty I hear a lot of people say trim tabs are for "big boats" over 24' etc. It seems like Center Consoles "need" them more than WA etc as there is not as much weight up front. For the money they cost (not much in relation to a boat) it seems to me they make the ride a lot better on 19-24' center consoles too. Would you agree they can't hurt and for the money can make the ride a lot better?
Here are the specs for my buddies boat:
Centerline: 21' 0"
Maximum Beam: 102"
Maximum Engine: 225 hp
Fuel Capacity: 100 gal.
Deadrise: 18°
Draft w/ engine up 16"
Draft w/ engine down 30"
Weight w/o engines (approx.): 3100 lb.
Outboard Shaft Length: 25"
He's running the 200hp Yamaha. Based on the above, the boat should indeed ride a little rough but be smoother when not moving? 18' deadrise is on the low side I think.
You live right around the corner from me, so I know first hand the sea conditions in the BB area where you will be boating.
Take an afternoon and go to Sandy Point. Take a note pad with you and sit at the launch ramp and take some notes of the type of boat(s) that you think you want. Most owners are willing to chat with a prospective owner, so ask questions about their rigs. Some folks might even invite you along for a ride. Take them up on the offer...
When you have a list of boats you think you could live with, then go check the specifications... keeping in mind that deadrise is only a single aspect to consider.
If you plan on trailering your new ride, balance the trailered weight against your tow vehicle so you know if you need to buy a boat and a new truck.
Once you've done those things, come back here and use the search feature to answer your questions. If you cannot find an answer to a particular item, post a question. There are knowledgeable folks here...
Trouty, I base this on the fact that the smoother riding boats I've been on have trim tabs..including a 22' bay boat that handled 3' seas at 50 miles an hour.
I installed a set of tabs on my 21 Regulator which has a 20 degree deadrise and sharp entry. It's also very heavy. I can say that those tabs made a 100 percent difference in the way the boat handles and rides and anything but flat water. I wouldn't own another boat without them. Also, my boat is very very stable at rest. It does have a tendency to roll a bit while underway in heavy seas. However, the ride and performance is superb, and I'm used to the roll now.
Since this is a deadrise topic, My opinion is that the deadrise depends on lots of otehr things, as you will find if you do a search on deadrise in the forum. What you want is a good balance between deadrise, weight, entry, and hull design. Ride the boat in seas your going to be using it in.
It's always about the trade-offs. I fish 11 months out of the year and will fish when it's rough or calm...also like to run offshore which means 50-70 miles one way. I need a boat that can maintain 23-25 knots when it gets choppy. Went out on Sunday, 4ft following sea, 23-24 knots no sweat. Coming home, 4 foot dead on head sea, 18-20 knots. It was bumpy and a bit wet but we were able to make a decent speed and not get our fillings pounded out. If I could have run beam to or quartered them a bit more, I could have pushed the throttle up a bit.
Anyway, rock and roll at rest is OK by me if I can have this kind of rough water performance. Whoever said to narrow your list of needs then ride a couple of boats was right on. Sea trial will tell you what you like and don't like.
Personally, I believe tabs belong on all boats 16' and longer. If not for trimming up or down then at least for taking the list out of your boat while running due to unbalanced weight distribution. Without tabs, engine trim is only capable of doing so much. Also, with the bow tabbed down, when a wave does "launch" your boat, the tabs will help force the bow back down quicker and permit less "air time"
Don't know about any bay boat running through true 3' seas at 50mph. I guess what I call 3's some people call 4-5's.
Anyway, I don't know much about the fishing you like to do, but another thing to consider with higher deadrise boats is draft, there are tons of boats out there which will comfortably handle a 2' chop and many have lower deadrise angles. Heavier boats have less tendency to leave the water and thus can ride better with lower deadrise. Therefore, true bluewater boats weigh a ton and generally have high deadrise and bay boats are generally lighter with shallower deadrise. If you are only fishing bays then a bay boat will probably serve you well. If you leave the bay once in a while, you probably want something in between, a good, moderately heavy boat, with medium(13-18 degrees) deadrise will probably be the boat which will give you the most flexibility between bay and close offshore.
Parker I'm thinking you are right, especially if its a flats boat or Center Console. WA etc seem to have enough beef up front to pound through the waves.
For the money they cost on most new boats, it seems I'd definately go with them.
The problem with the ride I mention is the bow "bounces" all over the place. I believe trim tabs would help hold it down, allowing it to take more a hit rather than the people in the boat. Right now it kind of "surfs" over the waves at the bow leaving the riders bouncing.
aqusport17, any problems having them installed? I imagine it isn't that bad for a mechanic/pro to do it. Probably about 1000-1500 bucks I would think?
Another person from Arnold, MD. Great!
I grew up there and now live in Severna Park. You might want to consider a Chesapeake Bay deadrise type hull. It is basically no deadrise in the stern with a sharp entry at the bow. Warped plane type hull. The most stable powerboat hull form at rest while offering a sharp bow entry for that Chesapeake Bay chop. What you give up is the high top end speed, but on the Bay you never really do that in a 24 footer anyway. Look at Judge Yachts as an example. Just my 2 cents
I fish the Sandy Hook NJ bay shore area and will never own anything but a deep vee hull. I trade off a comfortable ride for rocking and rolling any day of the week. I can get out and run while a lot of boat stay tide up at the dock or get thier fillings knocked out when they run.
Trim tabs make all the difference in the world on deep V hulls for the very same reason deep vees rock so much. Since their bottoms are not as flat the boats have a tendancy to list more easily when weight or passengers shift around.
A click of the tabs straighten this right out.
They are also important when running into seas so you can keep you bow down so it doesn't
slam when coming off a wave...
Don't let deadrise be your determining factor. Deadrise is only measured at the transom. There are too many different variaties of hull design to say that a 24 degree deadrise will ride better than a 22 degree variable deadrise hull.
Every design has it's pros and cons. Variable deadrise hull utilize a very sharp deadrise at the entry point and taper to a less steep deadrise at the transom. Other manufacturers utilize a full deadrise design of which they bring the deadrise straight back to the transom.
Unless you launch off of every wave the straight deardrise design may not offer any benefits to ride. The variable in this case could provide a good smooth entry while providing you a quicker to plane time, since it requires less HP to drive it on plane, and will also offer a little more stability on those rolling seas when at rest. Then you have the other variables that consist of turned down chines, and lifting strakes etc. etc.. My only point is take the boat for a sea trial before making any judgements on which is better than the other. Each manufacturer provides too many variables to judge a boat solely on deadrise!
quote:Originally posted by Scottwx:
Is there an article out there that explains all the differences to a layman like me? I.e, what to look for, different type of hulls etc?
Better than that. Read the online articles contained at David Pascoes "Yachtsurvey" site @ http://www.yachtsurvey.com/.
Many of the questions you've asked are explained there.
"Deadrise" The higher degree the better? 
