Basic Boat Designing

Moving on, I'm going to cover the basics for designing watercraft. The first model I built from scratch was a boat, and it worked rather well. The 4 essential things to keep in mind when designing a boat are:

1. Balance: Make sure the center of gravity is just right; this can take a while, and I still haven't gotten it completely right, achieving a perfect balance. A shortcut that I have seen in most successful boat designs is the use of jets or air balloons to let the boat float on the water; this results in a perfectly level boat. Just be sure to place the balloons or jets in the proper places.
2. Stability: A problem that may arise when using a propeller for boats is the rolling of the boat to one side or another when turning. I have seen boats that use propellers for propulsion, and the rolling is almost nonexistent, but I still haven't figured out how the designers tackled the problem. I have reason to believe that the size of the boat determines this. A big boat will not roll as much with a propeller as a small boat with a propeller. If you do not feel like fiddling with propellers, incorporate jets for turning and propulsion, as it saves weight, which helps the balance. It also makes the design less cluttered. The boat will still roll a bit when turning, but not nearly as much as when using propellers that cause the boat to roll.
3. Buoyancy: A nice looking boat isn't worth diddly squat if it sinks into the murky depths! If your boat is small enough, you can get it to float without jets or balloons. However, if you are designing a large boat, balloons or jets can help resolve this problem.
4. Keep it Grounded: If you're going to use jets for propulsion in your boat, proceed with caution. The power to weight ratio of the boat is something to keep an eye on. Too much power, and your boat may begin to lift off. Finding the right amount of jets or the right amount of power for each jet is key. If you want to design a boat for maximum speed, try to find the right balance between power and weight (remember, things can be unequal and still be balanced!), where the power is at the maximum for the boat's weight, without becoming airborne. Otherwise, you can always reduce the power a bit to be safe.