The evolution of hull and keel forms – Part 1

Until the 19th century, the art of yacht design had been mainly influenced by tradition, economic and commercial motivations, understanding of materials and their availability, and genuine or semi-scientific developments in hydro and aerodynamics. Boats had been evolved through a long but reliable process of trial and error. But now, rating rules, which most of them had nothing to do with real scientific knowledge, started to play a significant role in hull design on both sides of the Atlantic.