flat pad vs. concave

[wetdreams]

my 15' skeeter has a concaved pad, its not flat, what are the differences? i would think the flat one would be harder to balance on, right???

[Dave Strong]

Flat is faster but read think it was Gambler did it for cornering and rough water handling.

[Wizard]

Not really. Triton bass boats have concave pads and they are the hardest to drive of all of them. It also is one of the faster "tournament" style boats because of the pad design.

I'm not a hydrodynamic expert so I could not tell you the physics but I can tell you from owning an older style Triton that it runs fast and is very difficult to drive.

[Jimboat]

wetdreams - A "shaped" pad (concave or convex), like a vee or upside-down vee, can track more easily, but will not perform the function of "lift" as efficiently as a flat pad.

In general, a flat pad is more hydrodynamically efficient than one with any amount of deadrise, and certainly more efficient than a concave shaped pad. But as with any compromise in design, the deadrise pads will provide better stability while riding on the pad, and some will provide better handling in turns. A flat pad is also a rougher ride.

There are several other threads on this site with detailed discussions of pad design and flat versus shaped pads, like this one here (http://forums.screamandfly.com/forums/showpost.php?p=1330568&postcount=16).

Also, check out the article on vee-pad design (http://www.aeromarineresearch.com/vee%20pad%20design.html) for interest.

[wetdreams]

well thanks, yall pretty much answered my question, ill give up some speed for better turning