waterline length

The waterline length (originally Load Waterline Length, abbreviated to LWL) is the length of a ship or boat at the point where it sits in the water. It excludes the total length of the boat, such as features that are out of the water. Most boats rise outwards at the bow and stern, so a boat may be quite a bit longer than its waterline length. In a ship with such raked stems, naturally the waterline length changes as the draft of the ship changes, therefore it is measured from a defined loaded condition.