Waterline length

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article does not cite any references or sources. (May 2008) Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed.

Waterline length, length at the waterline or length, waterline (abbreviated to LWL) is measurement of ships and boats. The term denotes the length of the vessel at the point where it sits in the water. It excludes the total length of the boat, such as features that are out of the water. Most boats rise outwards at the bow and stern, so a boat maybe quite a bit longer than its waterline length.

This measure is essential in determining a lot of properties of a vessel, such as how much water it displaces, where the bow and stern waves are, how much bottom-paint you need, etc.

[edit] References

• Hayler, William B.; Keever, John M. (2003). American Merchant Seaman's Manual. Cornell Maritime Pr. ISBN 0-87033-549-9. 
• Turpin, Edward A.; McEwen, William A. (1980). Merchant Marine Officers' Handbook, 4th, Centreville, MD: Cornell Maritime Press. ISBN 0-87038-056-X. 

v • d • e Ship measurements Length Length overall  · Length between perpendiculars  · Length at the waterline Breadth Beam Depth Draft  · Moulded depth  · Freeboard Volume Worldwide Gross tonnage  · Net tonnage Specialized Panama Canal/Universal Measurement System  · Thames measurement tonnage Archaic Gross register tonnage  · Net register tonnage Capacity Deadweight tonnage  · Twenty-foot equivalent unit Weight Displacement  · Loaded displacement  · Standard displacement  · Light displacement  · Normal displacement