D/L (Displacement Length Ratio)
What is the displacement/length (D/L) ratio?
The D/L ratio is the ratio between the displacement and the length of a boat.
The calculation is very popular because its simplicity and the fact that the values of the displacement and the length are easily available.
The article relates the D/L Ratio to thousands of sailboats.
How to calculate the D/L ratio?
First we must decide what we mean with the "displacement" of a boat.
The ISO 8666[1] has some definitions:
But the real world is different. E.g.The displacement in a brochure is often the weight estimated by the naval architect before the boat is built. Other boats are sold with and without an inboard motor and fuel tank. So,... in reality you will find different (more or less specified) displacements for a given boattype.
We must also decide what we mean with the "length" of a boat. Many formulas refers to loa (length over all), but this term is not well defined either. In the good old days, the loa was just the length of the hull (loh). The loa did not include the pulpit, bathing ladder, and the like. When you look in sales brochures nowadays, the loa includes these exterior items because the boat will appear longer. Since the loa is not well defined we cannot recommend this value. Therefore, we use the length of the hull as specified in ISO 8666[1]
1 long ton = 1 displacement ton = 35 cubic ft of sea water = 1.01605 metric ton = 2240 lb
- displacement: mass of water displaced by the craft including appendages
- loaded displacement: mass of water displaced by the craft including appendages, when in fully loaded ready-for-use condition.
But the real world is different. E.g.The displacement in a brochure is often the weight estimated by the naval architect before the boat is built. Other boats are sold with and without an inboard motor and fuel tank. So,... in reality you will find different (more or less specified) displacements for a given boattype.
We must also decide what we mean with the "length" of a boat. Many formulas refers to loa (length over all), but this term is not well defined either. In the good old days, the loa was just the length of the hull (loh). The loa did not include the pulpit, bathing ladder, and the like. When you look in sales brochures nowadays, the loa includes these exterior items because the boat will appear longer. Since the loa is not well defined we cannot recommend this value. Therefore, we use the length of the hull as specified in ISO 8666[1]
| Abrev. | Unit | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Disp. | long ton | Displacement |
| Length | ft | Length of the hull. |
1 long ton = 1 displacement ton = 35 cubic ft of sea water = 1.01605 metric ton = 2240 lb
Common interpretation of the D/L ratio
Ranges for D/L have been slowly re‐defined over the years, tending toward lighter displacements within each range.
| D/L range | category | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 100 | - | 150 | Ultra light racers |
| 150 | - | 200 | Light racers |
| 200 | - | 275 | Light cruisers & offshore racers |
| 275 | - | 325 | Medium weight cruisers |
| 325 | - | 400 | Heavy cruisers |
Heavier displacement requires more sail area, and is more comfortable.
Heavier displacement combined with smaller water plane area results in lower accelerations.
Lighter displacement requires less sail area, and is less comfortable.
Lighter displacement combined with larger water plane area results in higher accelerations.
D/L scattering
D/L for the average boats
Conclusion
The D/L ratio is not well defined and you will see different values for the same boat.
Therefore, the effect of different D/L ratio is vague.
The best interpretation is the one above "ultra light", "light", "medium weight", etc.
Not as useful as many other ratios.
References
[Ref 1]: ISO 8666:2020