Understanding what keeps ships floating upright, so that you don’t have a bad day on the water!
Keep floating! This course is for recreational boaters, sailors, or professional mariners looking to increase their understanding of ship stability principles and how to keep a boat or ship safely stable on the water.
What you’ll learn
- Understand the relationship between the center of gravity and the center of buoyancy..
- Understand the righting moment and its impacts on stability..
- Define traits that make stability better or worse..
- Be prepared for maritime regulatory exams regarding stability..
Course Content
- Introduction –> 1 lecture • 1min.
- Stability Terminology and Key Points on a Vessel –> 3 lectures • 11min.
- Why Ships Tilt Over and Why They (Usually) Right Themselves –> 4 lectures • 18min.
- Example Math Problems from Coast Guard Stability Exams (Optional Section) –> 6 lectures • 47min.
- Course Conclusion and Where to Go Next –> 1 lecture • 2min.
Requirements
Keep floating! This course is for recreational boaters, sailors, or professional mariners looking to increase their understanding of ship stability principles and how to keep a boat or ship safely stable on the water.
In the course we will discuss the key points on a vessel such as the center of gravity and the center of buoyancy, as well as the relationship of righting arm to stability of a vessel. We’ll discuss the metacenter and common stability indicators such as GM. In addition, we’ll learn about common actions that make stability better or worse on boats. We’ll also review certain key elements which often appear on professional examinations including several practice problems and solutions.
Using video and whiteboard lectures, this course will give you a better understanding of why ships remain upright in the water, and how they are impacted by shifting weights, wind, and seas. As an end result, you will better understand heeling, listing, and rolling period of vessels as indicators of stability.
This course is produced by Practical Navigator Training, an approved Coast Guard maritime training provider in the United States, and the instructor is Capt. Chris Nolan, a licensed mariner and tall ship captain with over 20 years of seagoing experience.