That's okay Cat, I wasn't suggesting you'd get on plane...I was just trying to point out the fact that there are issues with using displacement hull theory on a planing hull... The hull lifts as a matter of total force distributed underneath the projection of the area facing straight down...there is a vertical component to the forces of the water on even the pointy part of the front of the boat... As the boat moves, the bottom surfaces of the boat impinge on the water - they are designed so that the back of the boat sits a little lower than the front - it's a ramp or wedge before you even start - the planing part of the hull is relatively straight/level/flat, but the part leading into it is not - kinda like driving your boat onto the trailer.
But the transition you are talking about is not technically required - it has to do with getting the boat bottom at a higher angle of attack and is more a phenomenonenomonenon that occurs than it is a design thing - but I'd have to get really specific about it and I just got done trying to explain displacement in another thread, so I'm gonna just ask for a bye on this one for now...

please? Maybe later?
However, I WAS thinking about it last night, and remembered that Mr. MacGregor said in his M video that flying the big spinnaker you could actually get the M up to planing speeds...anyone on here ever done it? I'm curious, because that represents a lot of horsepower! Woo hooo!!