rascalfair wrote:
Does anyone know about where from bow to stern the center of rotation
is on a full keel power cruiser or sailboat?

I've heard it's as far forward as 1/3 from the bow....my boat behaves
differently. I'm interested in what the architects think, particularly.


At first I thought you meant the center of rotation when rolling or
pitching, but you probably mean turning.

Sailboats rotate around their Center of Lateral Resistance (CLR), an
imaginary point which the boat would balance on if shoved directly
sideways thru the water. Generally figured to be the geometrical center
of lateral plane.

Motorboats are a bit more complicated. Because of the directed thrust of
the prop wash coming off the rudder, motorboats rotate around a point
well forward of their CLR. It's usually figured at between 1/4 and 1/3
of the way from the stem. Light or fast boats tend to rotate around a
point more forward. It gets even more complicated when maneuvering in a
crosswind, because the boat's rudder will try to turn the boat around a
different point that it would rotate around if pivoting due to windage.

So, how does your boat behave differently?

Fresh Breezes- Doug King