Which type of stability helps prevent the boat from rolling over?

• A. Transverse stability
• B. Longitudinal stability
• C. Vertical stability
• D. Dynamic stability

Answer: (A)

Rolling, which is tipping side to side about the boat’s front-to-back axis, is resisted by transverse stability. This type of stability comes from how the hull shape and weight are distributed across the beam and from the way buoyancy shifts when the boat heels. When the boat tilts, a righting moment develops that pushes it back toward upright; a larger transverse metacentric height makes this righting force stronger, helping prevent tipping over.

Longitudinal stability, by contrast, deals with pitching fore and aft (nose up or down), not rolling. Vertical stability isn’t used here in the same sense, and dynamic stability refers to how stability behaves while the boat is in motion.