Waverider Boat design
Level Flotation
If you want the highest grade flotation, choose level flotation, because it gives you the best chance possible of staying upright and balanced should water get inside your boat.
The further a vessel's flotation is placed away from its centre of gravity, the more stable the boat will be for the crew to stay aboard, if flooded, instead of being capsized.
With this in mind, Waveriders have been designed so that flotation can be placed in the most stabilising location possible: the sides of the hull.
On the other hand, even a small amount of water in a boat with "positive" or "basic" flotation increases instability and the risk of capsizing. Why? Because often it's in areas like under the floor, and air always seeks to be above water. Basic and positive flotation is there to keep a part (like the tip of the bow) of a sinking boat above the surface, for later retrieval. Not for your survival.
Stable at rest
Like buoyant "feet" all around you, your footprint in the water is maximised in a Waverider.
Of course, this is why catamarans are so stable - they're wide at the waterline. However, wide mono-hulls usually have to sacrifice speed and performance to get stability, or get a bigger outboard, because so much more boat has to be pushed through the water which requires a bigger horsepower engine. See below to discover how a Waverider throws this on its head!
The width of a Waverider is so similar to catamarans of the same length that many people have compared the stability to a cat ... or a far bigger craft.
But it's not just it's width that makes Waveriders so stable. It's that big downward facing reverse chine. The deep, flat angles slow the sideways motion as the boat dips to the side, like when crew come aboard. Similar to pulling your cupped hand through deep water, the Waveriders also resist side-ways motion.
Stable on sharp turns
Waveriders resist banking/tilting during turns, because two design features work together to keep you level.
First, each reverse chine creates lift, forcing upward pressure on the side that usually banks, especially at speed.
Second, the wings of the reverse chine act like surfboard fins, encouraging forward motion and resisting sideways slip/slide. This is a great safety benefit as it prevents loss of control and subsequent capsizing.
Remaining level during turns means that the boat's footprint in the water does not alter shape, allowing you to maintain speed. Alternatively, a banking boat tilts, so that the hull behaves like a flat bottom barge, pushing water, requiring more throttle to maintain speed.
Notice in the photos, the curved wake shows the sharpness of the turn, yet the boat is very level.
Hydrodynamic Lift, to soften the ride
The huge reverse chines under each side of your Waverider hull means you have a firehose of resistance against tinnie bang.
Hydrodynamic lift is created from the hydrofoils built into your hull (the huge reverse chines). Unlike other monohulls, water is harnessed and manipulated (pressurised) to create lift and slow downward impact.
The smooth riding of Waveriders have been compared to fibreglass boats, when it comes to comfortable journeys. Quite the irony, given Waveriders ride higher in the water than most tinnies, and a lot higher than most fibreglass boats. A bonus is, the less a boat needs to be pushed through the water, the less throttle and fuel you need.
STABLE WITH CONTROL ON SWELLS
The design technology behind a Waverider's ability to actually "ride waves" makes them safer than any other boat.
- First, the reverse chine is a very specific angle and width which makes them have a similar function to surfboard fins. Without fins, a surfboard slips and slides on waves, allowing no control to the rider. In the same way, without the "wings" of a Waverider hull, a standard boat can do the same thing.
- Second, the beaminess of the hull is such, that the stability is truly trustworthy.
- Third, the reverse chine is carried all the way to the bow and stays just as radically wide as the sides. The distinctive "step" at the bow uses powerful hydrodynamic lift to force the nose out of a trough and prevent nose-diving & broaching.
These three features are an ecosystem, each working together and relying on each other when you find yourself driving towards a swell or with a swell at your back.
Max floor space
The flat deck floor of a Waverider goes right over the wide reverse chine, and the flotation in the sides is raised to make space for your feet (no stubbed toes!). This means you can stand right at the edge, not just because there's room to, but because the boat's stable enough to let you ... and others.
A bonus of the flotation-filled sides is that the vertical lining makes for a comfortable fishing spot, since you can press your knees and shins on it and lean your weight against the side to give you better 'security'. Notice the diagram of the regular monohull -- the sides slope away from you, so you can't use them for steadying yourself against - which is real handy when pulling in a big one!
Drive on/off alloy trailer
Waverider Boats make our own special trailers to perfectly match each Waverider size boat. The alloy construction, nylon beams and low profile make towing and launching a dream as the boat slides on and off with no need to get your feet wet.
The super strong alloy construction, no moving parts & well thought design ensures this trailer is very low maintenance, easy to clean and durable for many, many years.
Design summary
WINGED EDGE
For knife-blade control and handling on bars and through wake, etc.
REVERSE CHINE AT BOW
To resist nosediving dangers.
LEVEL SHARP TURNS
So speed is maintained with greater manoeuvrability.
LEVEL FLOTATION
To resist capsizing if swamped.
WIDER FOOTPRINT
For catamaran-like stability.
WIDE REVERSE CHINE
For the softest of rides, comparable to heavy fibreglass boats.
WAVERIDER RANGE
CHOOSE FROM TWO TOP DECK STYLES THAT SHARE THE SAME BOTTOM HULL DESIGN
<< Classic
Made in Nambour, QLD, by the Waverider team, from start to finish. All work is overseen by the designer of Waverider Boats and hydrofoils.
Available sizes: 450, 475 & 520
Luxe >>
Hulls made in Brisbane, QLD, by AusShips, subcontracted naval architects. The fit-out is managed by the Waverider team on the Sunshine Coast.
Available sizes: 500, 550 & 600
Move the slider below to see the difference.
INSPIRED BY THE AWARD WINNING KAPTEN BOAT COLLAR
Pat Jones
Pat Jones, designer of Waverider Boats, has just been awarded a Gold Tick Trophy by Good Design Awards Australia, for his Kapten Boat Collars. His award was “in recognition for outstanding design and innovation” in the category of Automotive & Transport. Other winners in this category included Mercedes Benz Sprinter, General Motors and Nissan Leaf.
Good Design Awards are the highest honour for design and innovation in Australia, so on Thursday night, 11th July, winners were announced at a gala event at the Star in Sydney.
The hull shape of Waverider Boats is directly inspired by the hull shape a monohull gains with a Boat Collar installed. It’s all about the angle, width and length of the extra wide reverse chine.
Dr. Brandon Gien, CEO of Good Design Australia, came to see the Boat Collar first-hand and meet Mr. Jones as part of the assessment. Dr. Gien said, “Receiving a Good Design Award at this level is a significant achievement given the very high calibre of entries received this year.”
In the early days of the growing popularity of Kapten Boat Collars, Pat kept getting requests to build Collars in aluminium and weld them to large plate boats, to solve their instability problems.
He succeeded in doing this for a 5 metre plate boat, which required far more work than intended. He kept thinking, "Big aluminium boats should be built with the Collar shape already designed into the hull."
This inspired him to use the same proven principles of a Boat Collar to draw plans for the first Waverider, which he built in 2012.
Waveriders are the perfect solution for people who want a bigger trailer boat with all the stability and performance benefits of a Kapten Boat Collar, built in. And they come with Level Floation as standard, to keep you safe as possible on the water.
Pat has even designed retractable hydrofoils for Waveriders as an additional option for those who wish to glide over rough seas.
The Good Design Awards Jury praised Kapten Boat Collar, commenting: “A simple, cost-effective solution to the problem of instability of boats on the water; very simple, yet supremely functional. The integration of the collar on to the hull of a small boat is a winner too, adding a hint of design flair to what is otherwise a very basic structure. This is the essence of good design particularly at a commercial level.”
Link goes to Boat Collar website.
ORDER YOUR WAVERIDER OR ASK QUESTIONS
Discover the Waverider that's right for you.
ABN # 53 141 908 385
AUSTRALIAN REGISTERED HULL DESIGN #344536
Ph: 07) 5481 6133 or 0467 506 131