Mythbusters: Seakeeper Doesn’t Work Underway

If you never read farther than this first line, the takeaway here is that Seakeeper does, indeed, work underway. We never turn ours off! 

Now that we’ve got that out of the way, let’s dig into why and how.

Boat roll is a rotational motion, as opposed to a translational motion. Seakeeper eliminates that boat roll, which is one of three rotational motions, among pitch and yaw. Encyclopedia Britannica defines boat roll as, “the angular rotation from side to side about a fore-and-aft axis.” More simply put, it’s the side to side motion – the gunwales going up and down.

Boat roll is greatest while a vessel is at rest. As soon as it begins moving, you’ve added another force into the equation. A moving boat is inherently more stable than a boat at rest. So naturally, Seakeeper has less work to do on a boat in motion, than one at rest, given all other factors remain the same.

AT REST – WHERE SEAKEEPER SHINES

You spend a lot of time on your boat at anchor, or otherwise at rest. Whether it’s a family cookout at your favorite island or an overnight trip, teaching the kids to cast or reeling in a tournament-winning catch – the boat isn’t propelling forward, and if so, definitely not fast. This is when you feel the boat roll. Your drink spills, the kids stumble, your tackle box hits the deck, and you expend a lot of energy fighting the fish and the motion of the ocean.

Enter: Seakeeper

At rest is where Seakeeper shines. It makes everyone on board comfortable and eliminates all aforementioned woes. But that’s not what we’re here for.

UNDERWAY – WHERE SEAKEEPER SURPRISES

Depending on the size of your boat, the shape of the hull, whether you’re running on a plane or at displacement speeds, boat roll affects every boat a little differently. What remains, is that your boat is more stable the faster it’s going. You might not see 95% roll reduction from your Seakeeper, but that’s because you don’t need it. 

The best way to understand how Seakeeper works underway is to explain its application in an experience every boater has felt. Picture this: you’re behind another boat that’s putting out a pretty big wake and you want to exit that wake, so you turn the wheel to port. The first thing you feel as you approach the wake, is the port side of the boat rises, starting at the bow, working back. At the peak of the wake, you feel your port gunwale drop down, and your starboard side rise up. You just rolled out of that wake. 

Enter: Seakeeper

Seakeeper will surprise you in situations just like this. It will take the ordinary feelings you know and show you a solution you didn’t know you’d love so much. In this example, a Seakeeper-equipped boat wouldn’t roll out of that wake, but simply pop over it as if you’d taken it bow-on. You want to feel that now, don’t you? Sign up and take a ride. We’d love to show you.