Inclining test
The weight of a vessel can be readily determined by reading draughts and comparing with the known hydrostatic properties.The metacentric height (GM), which dominates stability, can be estimated from the design, but an accurate value must be determined by an inclining test.The inclining test is usually done inshore in calm weather, in still water, and free of mooring restraints to achieve accuracy.The GM position is determined by moving weights transversely to produce a known overturning moment in the range of 1-4 degrees if possible.A series of weight (ballast) movements are used to obtain an average and variance for GM.