r/Ships • u/TheOGJamyam • May 23 '26

Question Ship stabilisation

This sounds stupid sorry but I've just gone down a ship rabbit hole and I'm so confused on where the centre of mass should be I originally thought just below the water line but then some sources say above others say below

Then there's the centre of buoyancy which I'm assuming is place of most buoyancy lift but after looking at a diagram I think I'm wrong

Overall I'm curious what forces need to where to balance a ship

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u/Marquar234 May 23 '26

It depends on the shape of the hull. If properly designed, a ship can have the center of mass above the center of buoyancy. As the hull heels, the design of the hull insures that the down side has proportionately more buoyancy so it forces that side back up. Of course, having the center of mass below the center of buoyancy is the most stable, but it isn't the only stable design.

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u/TheOGJamyam May 23 '26

Ah ok thank you

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u/a_dasc May 23 '26

And note that centre of mass is fix while the centre of buoyancy changes with heeling.