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ABEAM
(uh-BEEM)
A
direction at right angles to the centerline of the boat
Common
clues: At
right angles to the keel; Crosswise, nautically; Across the keel;
Nautical direction
Crossword
puzzle frequency:
2 times a year
Frequency
in English language:
70644 / 86800
45
degrees and abeam
The
beam of a ship is its width at the widest point. Generally
speaking, the wider the beam of a ship (or boat), the more
initial stability it has, at expense of reserve stability in the
event of a capsize, where more energy is required to right the
vessel from its inverted position. Typical length-to-beam ratios
for small sailboats are from 2:1 (dinghies to trailerable
sailboats around 20 ft/6 m) to 5:1 (racing sailboats over 30
ft/10 m). Large ships have widely varying beam ratios, some as
large as 20:1. Rowing shells designed for flatwater racing may
have length to beam ratios as high as 30:1 [1], while a coracle
has a ratio of almost 1:1 - it is nearly circular.
The
beam of many monohulls can be calculated using the following
formula:
Beam
= LOA (Length Overall) in feet to the power of 2/3 + 1
Some
examples
-
For a standard 27' (8.23m) yacht: the cube root of 27 is 3, 3
squared is 9 plus 1 = 10. The beam of many 27' monohulls is 10'
(3.05m).
-
For a Volvo Open 70 yacht: 70.5 to the power of 2/3 = 17 plus 1 =
18. The beam is often around 18' (5.5m).
-
For a 741' (226m) long ship: the cube root is 9, and 9 squared is
81, plus 1. The beam will usually be around 82' (25m) e.g.
Seawaymax.
This
article is licensed under the GNU
Free Documentation License.
It uses material from the Wikipedia
article "Beam".
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