I need to know how deep the water channel should be for a cleveland class cruiser and if anyone can let me know how i figure out where to begin and end it. I know the who;e ship has to be floodable just asking where the channel should stop and start.
you should not use water channel in a cruiser. It will raise the CG of your batteries and other equipment, making your ship unstable.
Lots of people seem to have the same misunderstanding... "Water channeling" is not raising the floor of your hull so you have nifty places to mount stuff. It is designing the interior of your hull to channel water to where your pump is. Usually that is accomplished by putting foam rubber or wood or some other substance along the sides of the interior of your hull, sloped from the bottom of the cutout windows toward the middle, and with a slot down the middle of the hull to the pump sump. To use it correctly without (as specialist points out) raising your CG, figure out where your batteries will sit. Put something under the batteries just tall enough to allow water to run under them (don't want water trapped outboard of the battery or you may capsize!) to the slot. Build up the rest of your water channel around the batteries. Repeat for any other heavy items. Your electronics, etc are too light to worry about, put them on top of channel if room. Drive motor(s) are usually mounted aft of the pump, where channel is not usually needed as the hull form slopes up to stern anyway. Hope this helps
Agreed with the explaination . 1/4 inch is plenty. Any more and your raising your CG which will affect stability.
