OrlandoNative wrote:
That would depend on how the drive train was implemented. It's certainly possible to design for minimum drag, or, for that matter, hydrodynamic housings for propellers and screws that could minimize drag when not in use, but, given exactly *how* progress tends to be made on Safehold, it's not likely that would happen in the first design.
n7axw wrote:You do make a good point. However what I'm saying is that the Haarahlds, as currently represented in the books, do have the problem with drag as described. You are undoubtedly know better than I how to design a way around the issue, but that is not what we have with the Haarahlds.
Don
phillies wrote:Someplace there was a reference to being able to do something to the propellers to obviate this difficulty, something about raising them or casing them. However, that may have been a different class of ship.
That was something that was considered, but decided not to implement for whatever reason - possibly being too finnicky in its requirements for reliable operation.
The Charisian steam powered ships are designed to be functionally exclusively steam powered, and only have sails as an emergency contingency, not a regular form of secondary propulsion.