Planing

Planing is a method of getting a boat to go faster by using its speed and hull shape to lift the hull out of the water. This means that the boat travels on top of the water, greatly reducing the hydrodynamic drag on the vessel (the increase in aerodynamic drag being trivial by comparison). It is usually a sailing term, but most inflatable boats are designed to plane as a matter of course.

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Planing is also a manufacturing method for shaving off thin slices of a surface using an angled blade set into a planer.