Why don't boats made of metal sink?

Question

Why don't boats made of metal sink?

Answer 1

They don't sink due to all the air in the boat. Even the large containerships if there are tons of containers on them don't sink because of the air. If water gets inside, then the ship will sink.

Answer 2

Heck, it doesnt make sense does it. Err ... because the surface tension of the water holds them up?  Because there is air inside the boat and air floats?

Answer 3

it's a trick

p.s it's all done whit mirrors   if we tell you then everything will want to float

Answer 4

Water displacement.

Answer 5

Displacement!! As long as an object displaces more water than its own weight it will float. Archimedes principles

I am always surprised at the lack of general scientific knowledge displayed by people on Y-A

Do they not teach basic science in school these days?

Answer 6

Because the hull is full of air.

Answer 7

water displacement and hull design

Answer 8

they do, TITANIC

Answer 9

their is one made of concrete in Plymouth

Answer 10

It's because of the Archimedes principle. The buoyancy force on a body is equal to the weight of the fluid it displaces. So, if the boat weights 10 tons, it needs to displace more than 10 tons of water to float. The density of the material is not (directly) important.

Answer 11

The water that they displace would be heavier than the boat and it's cargo.

Answer 12

The density of the boat is less than that of the water.  The entire boat, including all the empty space in it.

Answer 13

why don't you use the yahoo answers search?

TIP: search for marine displacement

Answer 14

Physics.

Answer 15

Buoyancy & water displacement. It has to do with the air inside of the boat/ship

Answer 16

If the boat was a solid lump of metal, it would sink.

But boats are not solid lumps of metal - they are a metal box, mostly filled only with air. Air is less dense than water - and because of this the boat as a whole (including the air and any cargo inside it) is less dense than the water, so it floats.

Answer 17

Mostly they don't, but get them on rocks, in storms, or fire and they go down to Davey Jones locker with all the other garbage down there.

Why does this question keep getting ask, day by day?