Cruise Talk: Square ships, why?

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»	Cruise Talk » Ocean Liners and Classic Cruise Ships » Square ships, why?

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Topic: Square ships, why?

Malcolm @ cruisepage
Cruise Director
Member # 301

posted 06-04-2000 02:24 PM

Did you wonder why today's ships are so square? Of course, the answer is to enable them to fit more cabins onboard and make more profit. However, the other day I stumbled across the maths for this:

"A 2 per cent increase in accommodation on a 1400-berth ship, will lead to an $1-1.5 million increase in income, over the average life of a ship".

So, it looks like we are stuck with square ships forever.

Posts: 19210 | From: Essex (Just Outside London) | Registered: A Long Time Ago! | IP: Logged

gohaze
First Class Passenger
Member # 586

posted 06-04-2000 05:05 PM

It's actually because they are more of a modular construction where many parts are no longer made in the shipyard but merely assembled in large blocks.ie. all the cabins come from a factory in blocks already completed. It costs much much more to bend and fit a curved plate than just cut a flat one...thus you have square for speed and hence savings....peter

Posts: 1909 | From: Vancouver.BC | Registered: Sep 99 | IP: Logged

Malcolm @ cruisepage
Cruise Director
Member # 301

posted 06-06-2000 02:43 PM

Gohaze, yes you are right too! It's hard to imagine a modern ship with a large curved stern, like the Titanic...you can't fit more cabins on it!

Posts: 19210 | From: Essex (Just Outside London) | Registered: A Long Time Ago! | IP: Logged

Cambodge
First Class Passenger
Member # 906

posted 06-06-2000 05:13 PM

I believe there is also something to do with marine engineering, an expert on which I am not! Note the designs of new naval vessels and you will see a significant "Squaring off" at the waterline. Naval vessels are interested in speed per fuel fraction consumer, and I suspect, the squaring off of the ships has something to do with that.

Opinions?

Posts: 2149 | From: St. Michaels MD USA , the town that fooled the British! | Registered: Nov 1999 | IP: Logged

Joe at PwC
First Class Passenger
Member # 225

posted 06-07-2000 12:44 PM

All of which leads me to question, is there any reason for the shear to have left hull design, or is it all part of the same issue - economics? Certainly, a hull with a shear would present some problems from the standpoint of cabin placement. I think there's some good pictures out on queenmary.org that illustrate the problem, at least from the standpoint of the stateroom door.

Posts: 385 | Registered: A Long Time Ago! | IP: Logged

gohaze
First Class Passenger
Member # 586

posted 06-07-2000 01:32 PM

Hi...you won't find camber either for the same reason. Both were necessary years ago for strength and flexibility, but with today's materials and design changes both have disappeared. There is more concern now with things like water flow through the azipod systems and the fancy design wheels, plus hull coatings that last a lot longer, are eco=friendly, and actually get smoother the longer they stay on.
Have a look at the wake behind one of the new ships...it's flat, and there's very little bow wave either, both show how much more efficient the propulsion system/hull shape combination have become....peter

Posts: 1909 | From: Vancouver.BC | Registered: Sep 99 | IP: Logged

Vaccaro
First Class Passenger
Member # 465

posted 06-07-2000 01:38 PM

I'm thinking about this square box look, considering many angles of the "problem" for several years now.
My conclusion is I'm sure a big effort will be made soon to design beautiful cruise ships, when the cruise mass market will be mature and banal, maybe in about ten years.
For customers, this aspect will soon be more important than today and companies will concede a much bigger part of money for that (however a little part compared to all the other costs and incomes).
I think many past and actual signs (not only in cruise market) already show this direction today.
Only my opinion and conviction of course, but I hope future will make me right.

[This message has been edited by Vaccaro (edited 06-07-2000).]

Posts: 1193 | From: France ...where the greatest liners ever are born, ...by far! | Registered: Feb 99 | IP: Logged

Malcolm @ cruisepage
Cruise Director
Member # 301

posted 06-07-2000 05:21 PM

Vaccaro, in the UK for a decade or so many cars have looked rather boring and sameish. In my opinion we are now seeing some stylish designs again.

I agree about ship too - eventually everything comes full circle. Disney could have saved some money if they only gave their ships one funnel, but they choose to give them two!

Posts: 19210 | From: Essex (Just Outside London) | Registered: A Long Time Ago! | IP: Logged

Vaccaro
First Class Passenger
Member # 465

posted 06-07-2000 06:13 PM

This was exactly what I meant Malcolm, you fully understood my reply.
Indeed cars, but buildings, towns, ustencils, glasses, helmets, shoes, telephones...etc...etc... Various things for which the primary functionality is now very well established and very banal. Once this step is reached, then this is not only the functionality or the purpose which are important but now the design, shape, confort...
Look at all these square, ugly and quite primitive building and cars built in the 60s, 70s (in the 80s, this was mainly because of the economic crisis too). Everybody needed to be housed and to have a car, so the primary founction of these objects was the priority. Now, every firm, architect, designer, company, manufactory is agree to tell design and aspect is an important element of the choice of the customers. Not the only one of course, but an important one. Everyone is agree to think it's usefull to spend monney to study and build caring with that element.
I think we will have a quite similar phenomeon in the mass cruise market when cruiseing will be as banal as other holidays, other products. That's why, cruise companies, at least in the first time the ones who will try to have a top product, will, in my opinion, make efforts to propose an attractive product in the design way, when all the other things they propose (service, activities, package rate) will become banal for everyone, even for the new vague of cruise customers who are arriving now in the market.
Anyway, it will always have the war between companies and each additional 1% money spent will be appreciate if it give back 2% of additional incomes.
SO, lets cruise, lets this step be reached...and rendey-vous in few years for being able to see beautiful ships!

...and I'll be happy if few companies/shipyards/designers decide to "knock" things and provoke customers before the natural phenomenon arrives. So, if the possibility to have few beautiful ships (if the rest of the product is comparable of course) exists, customers themselves will demand them!
Now a beautiful car is even cheaper than an ugly one of the 70s, and now ugly ones have no chance.
Cruisers: lets go for the revolt...

[This message has been edited by Vaccaro (edited 06-07-2000).]

Posts: 1193 | From: France ...where the greatest liners ever are born, ...by far! | Registered: Feb 99 | IP: Logged

Malcolm @ cruisepage
Cruise Director
Member # 301

posted 06-08-2000 08:24 AM

I'm not really 'into' cars, I just drive em! However, I think that the new VW Beetle design is fantastic.

People will probably love or hate it?

Posts: 19210 | From: Essex (Just Outside London) | Registered: A Long Time Ago! | IP: Logged

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