<![CDATA[Planing hulls exhibit complex hydrodynamic characteristics at high speeds due to two-phase flow interactions, variations in wetted surface area, and nonlinear pressure distributions, making resistance prediction challenging. This study evaluates the effect of stern flap angle and span width on the total resistance of a planing hull under calm-water conditions. Numerical simulations were conducted using a Reynolds-Averaged Navier–Stokes (RANS)-based Computational Fluid Dynamics approach with a k–ε turbulence model and the Volume of Fluid (VOF) method in ANSYS Fluent. The numerical model was validated against a benchmark CFD study previously verified with Fridsma's experimental data, showing deviations below 5% across the investigated Froude number range. Parametric simulations were performed for stern flap angles of 2°, 4°, and 6° with span widths of 43%, 48%, and 53% of the hull breadth. The results indicate that stern flap configuration significantly affects resistance, particularly under full planing conditions. The optimal configuration was obtained at a span of 53% of the hull breadth with a 2° flap angle, reducing the non-dimensional resistance (R/Δ) from 0.186 to 0.1699 (9.69%) at Fr = 1.8. Trim analysis shows an average reduction of 1.16°, contributing to the observed decrease in resistance.]]>
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