Hull form, one engine or two, and hull material

Choosing a type of boat · Power & sail

Displacement hulls are efficient but slow; planing hulls go fast but need power. Single engines are simpler and thriftier; twins add redundancy and easier docking. Fiberglass dominates this era, while wood and steel boats need specialist surveys and can be harder to insure.

Displacement, semi-displacement and planing

• A displacement hull pushes through the water. Its practical top speed in knots is about 1.34 times the square root of its waterline length in feet: roughly 8 knots at 36 feet, 10.7 knots at 64 feet.
• Planing hulls rise and run on top of the water at speed. Flatter bottoms plane more easily but handle rough water poorly; a V-shaped bottom rides better.
• Many trawlers of the era are semi-displacement designs, with a deep forefoot, long keel and hard chines, cruising at around 7 to 8 knots.

One engine or two

• A single engine means one set of maintenance, more room in the engine room and better fuel economy. Some singles carry a small wing engine as a get-home backup.
• Twins keep you moving if one engine fails and make close-quarters handling easier, but double the maintenance, crowd the engine room and burn more fuel.
• Match the choice to where you'll go. Long passages favor one well-kept engine; tight marinas and strong currents favor twins or a single with a bow thruster.

Fiberglass, wood or steel

• Most production boats from 1975-2010 are fiberglass, which BoatUS says has a nearly unlimited life; the weak points are wood cores and stringers that rot when wet.
• Wood and metal boats fail in different ways, rot for wood and corrosion for steel, and BoatUS advises a surveyor who specializes in them.
• Insurers look harder at wood and steel boats and some won't cover them; an agency's 2026 guide says fiberglass is generally easier to insure.

General guidance for recreational boaters, researched from the sources listed and written in our own words. Your equipment manuals, local knowledge, the Navigation Rules and a qualified instructor come first.