What is Planing?
A. All hulls have a maximum speed at which they push through the water, dependent on hull aspect ratio. Container ships, Keel yachts etc will just churn up the water more, but cannot go faster when the power is increased. Lightweight hulls such as dinghies and surfboards lift out of the water and exceed the natural hull speed, travelling on a crest of white water. With even more power, the board (or a speedboat) will appear to skim lightly over the water and this level of planing gives windsurfers a huge thrill.
