Science Fair Project Encyclopedia
Draft (nautical)
In nautical parlance, draft is the depth below water's surface of the lowest part of a ship or boat. Draft is usually determined for a fully-laden vessel. It determines the minimum depth of water that the vessel may pass through. Riverboats are often purposely designed with a shallow draft to avoid sandbars and other obstacles.
Also in nautical parlance, the draft of a sail is a degree of curvature in a horizontal cross-section. Any sail experiences a force from the pervailing wind just because it impedes the air's passage. A sail with draft also functions as an airfoil when set at an angle slightly greater than the angle of the wind, producing lift which then propels.
10-26-2009 08:16:03
The contents of this article is licensed from www.wikipedia.org under the GNU Free Documentation License. Click here to see the transparent copy and copyright details
The contents of this article is licensed from www.wikipedia.org under the GNU Free Documentation License. Click here to see the transparent copy and copyright details