View source for Monohull

{{Short description|Type of boat or ship having only one hull}}

[[File:Monohull.svg|thumb|150px|The relationship between monohulls & multihulls]]

A '''monohull''' is a type of boat having only one [[hull (watercraft)|hull]], unlike [[multihull]]ed boats which can have two or more individual hulls connected to one another.

==Fundamental concept==
Among the earliest hulls were simple logs, but these were generally unstable and tended to roll over easily.   Hollowing out the logs into a dugout canoe doesn't help much unless the hollow section penetrates below the log's center of buoyancy, then a load carried low in the cavity actually stabilizes the craft.  Adding weight or [[Sailing ballast|ballast]] to the bottom of the hull or as low as possible within the hull adds stability.

Naval architects place the center of gravity substantially below the center of [[buoyancy]]; in most cases this can only be achieved by adding weight or ballast.  The use of stones and other weights as ballast can be traced back to the [[Ancient Rome|Romans]], [[Phoenicians]] and [[Vikings]].  Modern ships carry tons of ballast in order to maintain their stability; even heavily laden cargo ships use ballast to optimize the distribution of weight.

==Uses==
This is the most prevalent form of waterborne vessel.

==Variations==
*[[Keel]]s - Most [[sailing ships]] and larger [[sailboats]] have deep [[keel]]s containing [[Sailing ballast|ballast]] which adds horizontal stabilility.
*[[Hull (watercraft)|Displacement hulls]] - Monohull boats frequently ride deeply in the water, this is known as a displacement hull.
*[[Planing (sailing)|Planing hulls]]  - Hulls that ride on top of the water are called planing hulls, because when they reach speed, the hulls are substantially lifted above the water; this is known as planing (to plane).

==References and bibliography==
{{Reflist}}
*{{cite book
|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NB4uFQuUlnEC|title= Handbook of offshore cruising: The Dream and Reality of Modern Ocean Cruising
|isbn=1-57409-093-3
|author=Jim Howard, Charles J. Doane
|year= 2000
|publisher=Sheridan House, Inc.
|pages=280 
}}
*{{cite book
|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KYUDAAAACAAJ&q=Aero-hydrodynamics+of+Sailing|title=Aero-Hydrodynamics of Sailing 
|isbn=1-888671-18-1
|author=C. A. Marchaj
|year=2000 
|publisher=Tiller Publishing
|pages=
}}
*{{cite book
|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Z7JIAAAACAAJ&q=Sail+Performance
|title=Sail Performance
|isbn=0-07-141310-3
|author=C. A. Marchaj
|publisher=McGraw Hill
|pages=400
}}{{Dead link|date=April 2020 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}
*{{cite book
|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uLz2IAAACAAJ&q=seaworthiness
|title=Seaworthiness:The Forgotten Factor
|isbn=1-888671-09-2
|author=C. A. Marchaj
|publisher=Tiller Publishing
|pages=372
}}{{Dead link|date=April 2020 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}

==See also==
* [[Sailing]]
* [[Yachts]]
* [[Sailboats]]
* [[Multihull]]
* [[Keel]]
* [[Displacement (fluid)]]
* [[Displacement hull]]
* [[Hydrodynamics]]
* [[Buoyancy]]
* [[Catamaran]]

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Boat types|Monohull]]


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