One of the coolest, and often one of the most challenging things about learning to boat (apart from writing that boat insurance check) is understanding all of the jargon. Whether you’re talking about something basic like “hard to port,” or something more complex, there’s plenty of vocabulary involved. One of the terms that you need to be concerned about is deadrise.

What it is

So, what is deadrise, and why does it matter? Deadrise refers to the angle that forms between the water’s horizon and your boat’s hull. The deadrise is usually measured and compared at the transom.

Deadrise will vary greatly from one boat to the next. A flat-bottomed boat has no deadrise. A racing boat, with it’s deep “V” design, might have as much as 50 degrees deadrise at the stem and around 20 degrees deadrise at the transom.

Why it matters

Comparing the deadrise angles of boats will, in general, tell you which boat will have the softest ride. The more deadrise a boat has, the more likely the boat is to be able to run at higher speeds without the pounding of the water becoming excessive.

In other words, a sharper hull is going to ride softer than one that’s not as sharp. It seems basic, but many people don’t really think about it when they’re involved in the boat buying process.

Other factors

There are a number of other things that will go into determining how smooth a boat rides on the water, in addition to a sharper hull. The width of the chine matters, too, for example. On a boat with wide chines, you’re more likely to slap when it’s choppy. The angle of the chines matters too. If they come out horizontally and are “flat,” you’ll have less deadrise than reversed chines.

Beam is important, too. A wider boat will pound sooner than a narrow boat, mainly because there is more surface area hitting the water. Section lines matter, as well. You want your section lines to be slightly convex, rather than flat.

Photo via Tidewater Muse