This paper defines a numerical procedure for solving the low-aspect-ratio flat ship problem and providesa sample solution using MAPLE, a symbolic manipulation software language, for the class of hulls with slope fx = -(a + bx + cy2 + dxy2 + ex2 + gy4)and parabolic planform y2< xfor 0 < x< 1. The lift and drag are computed as a function of the ship speed and arbitrary hull parameters a through g. To demonstrate the usefulness of these formulas, two simple optimizations are performed for three fixedhull speeds. First, the hull parameters are chosen so as to minimize the drag for the total lift fixed, and second, the hull parameters are chosen so as to minimize the drag for the volume of the hull fixed.