ColdFusion
New member
...is there any such thing?
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Bilge keel ocean-going yacht...
- Thread starter ColdFusion
- Start date
Mirelle
N/A
The original bilge keelers
were, unless I am much mistaken, Robert Clark's "Buttercup", which crossed the Atlantic, and Lord Riverdale's "Bluebird of Thorne", which circumnavigated.
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were, unless I am much mistaken, Robert Clark's "Buttercup", which crossed the Atlantic, and Lord Riverdale's "Bluebird of Thorne", which circumnavigated.
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ColdFusion
New member
Re: The original bilge keelers
What about more modern bilge keelers?
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What about more modern bilge keelers?
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webcraft
Well-known member
A guy I know crossed the Atlantic in a 28ft bilge keeled Westerley Merlin a couple of years ago. It can be done in anything if you've a mind to.
- Nick
<font size=1><A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.bluemoment.com>http://www.bluemoment.com</A></font size=1>
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- Nick
<font size=1><A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.bluemoment.com>http://www.bluemoment.com</A></font size=1>
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pkb
New member
I seem to recall that Chay Blyth originally set out on his quest for a wrong way around circumnavigation in a bilge keeler but had to turn back and "swapped" for a fin.
Am I right in thinking that bilge keelers seem to be a particularly British design approach to shoal draught?
Peter
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Am I right in thinking that bilge keelers seem to be a particularly British design approach to shoal draught?
Peter
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Jacket
New member
I'd quite happily go ocean sailing in any of the British Hunter designs (if only they didn't look quite so much like rubber ducks).
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Mirelle
N/A
Re: The original bilge keelers
The Golden Hind, a Maurice Griffiths bilge keeler, had more Atlantic crossings to its credit than any other single design, not so long ago.
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The Golden Hind, a Maurice Griffiths bilge keeler, had more Atlantic crossings to its credit than any other single design, not so long ago.
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Sybarite
Well-known member
There has been a lot of interest in France recently in bilge keelers but ones which are profiled and maintain high performance.
A few years ago the RM 10m50 was boat of the year in France and was a bilge keeler.
Michel Joubert is one of France's leading naval architects. His own boat is bilge keeled and he is planning high altitude cruising in it.
http://www.sysba-yachts.com/detail_gamme.cfm?id_gamme=6
http://www.reducostall.com/HTML/pages/Margrita_jpg.htm
John
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A few years ago the RM 10m50 was boat of the year in France and was a bilge keeler.
Michel Joubert is one of France's leading naval architects. His own boat is bilge keeled and he is planning high altitude cruising in it.
http://www.sysba-yachts.com/detail_gamme.cfm?id_gamme=6
http://www.reducostall.com/HTML/pages/Margrita_jpg.htm
John
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Twister_Ken
Well-known member
Golden hind\'s undercarriage?
Memory's a funny thing, but isn't the Golden Hind more of a long (but shallow) keeler, with bilge plates - effectively making it a triple keeler?
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Memory's a funny thing, but isn't the Golden Hind more of a long (but shallow) keeler, with bilge plates - effectively making it a triple keeler?
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Peppermint
New member
Re: Why not
I've been into Biscay in a Centaur, and my accountant went to the Azores in one, and they were quite unsophisticated. Something like Westerly Fulmar can cope with most weather conditions.
The reason people like them is for the drying out which I don't think they're that good at.
Of course there are plenty of shallow draft options that perform well offshore. Scheel and Winged come to mind or even a lifting option.
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I've been into Biscay in a Centaur, and my accountant went to the Azores in one, and they were quite unsophisticated. Something like Westerly Fulmar can cope with most weather conditions.
The reason people like them is for the drying out which I don't think they're that good at.
Of course there are plenty of shallow draft options that perform well offshore. Scheel and Winged come to mind or even a lifting option.
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Mirelle
N/A
Absolutely so
A friend who owns one distinguishes sharply, just as the late Lord Riverdale did, between a bilge keeler, that is to say a boat with a long centreline keel and bilge keels, and a twin keeler, that is to say a boat with no centreline keel but twin fins, with either a single centreline rudder or twin rudders.
I failed to make this distinction earlier - Buttercup was a twin keeler, as were Lord Riverdale's various Bluebirds, the last of which is a steel 50 footer. I remember him giving a lecture about her at the Little Ship Club in the 1970's. I think he really invented the type, his first Bluebird was built in 1922. He was not interested in grounding upright, save as a side effect; what he was after was better cruising performance.
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A friend who owns one distinguishes sharply, just as the late Lord Riverdale did, between a bilge keeler, that is to say a boat with a long centreline keel and bilge keels, and a twin keeler, that is to say a boat with no centreline keel but twin fins, with either a single centreline rudder or twin rudders.
I failed to make this distinction earlier - Buttercup was a twin keeler, as were Lord Riverdale's various Bluebirds, the last of which is a steel 50 footer. I remember him giving a lecture about her at the Little Ship Club in the 1970's. I think he really invented the type, his first Bluebird was built in 1922. He was not interested in grounding upright, save as a side effect; what he was after was better cruising performance.
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Jeremy_W
New member
Not quite
Chay set out - without knowing how to sail - on the Sunday Times "Golden Globe" challenge to be the first person to circumnavigate solo in "Dytiscus III" a 30-foot bilge keeler, but retired near Cape Town. Later he chose Robert Clark to design a fin keeler for the East - West solo circumnavigation because Clark's designs - GM3 & Sir Thomas Lipton - had dominated the first three OSTARs (First - Second - First) which is a predominantly upwind race and virtually the only single handed race at the time.
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Chay set out - without knowing how to sail - on the Sunday Times "Golden Globe" challenge to be the first person to circumnavigate solo in "Dytiscus III" a 30-foot bilge keeler, but retired near Cape Town. Later he chose Robert Clark to design a fin keeler for the East - West solo circumnavigation because Clark's designs - GM3 & Sir Thomas Lipton - had dominated the first three OSTARs (First - Second - First) which is a predominantly upwind race and virtually the only single handed race at the time.
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gpe2003
New member
Re: Golden hind\'s undercarriage?
Yes! I spent all last weekend under mine scrubbing away. She has a long keel, stem to stern of 3' 6" draught, with two bilge plates which means that once the sails are trimmed she will hold a course for hours. Also her 6.5 tonnes gives good stabilty with everthing up compared to lighter boats.
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Yes! I spent all last weekend under mine scrubbing away. She has a long keel, stem to stern of 3' 6" draught, with two bilge plates which means that once the sails are trimmed she will hold a course for hours. Also her 6.5 tonnes gives good stabilty with everthing up compared to lighter boats.
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davidhand
New member
I saw a Moody 346 bilge keel for sale in Florida, it had been sailed over. They called it a twin keeler, and they are not to unknown on the US east coast but I never heard of a twin keeler on the west coast.
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AndrewB
Well-known member
No! Because ...
... the peculiar advantage that a bilge keel offers, of being shallow draft and able to dry out, is particularly suited to sailing conditions in the English Channel and southern North Sea. That is, large tidal ranges, shallow flat mud/sand seas, and many drying harbours.
Such conditions are found in few parts of the world and elsewhere bilge (twin) keels offer no advantage, while of course they have some well-known disadvantages. So there is little point in designing one for long-distance cruising.
Even if not designed for the purpose, nevertheless bilge keelers have made some pretty impressive voyages, and have demonstrated their capability.
Incidentally, Chay Blythe attempted to circumnavigate singlehanded in an early GRP bilge-keeler, a Kingfisher 30. Without proper self-steering, the yacht lacked the directional stability of a long-keeler and once in the big seas of the southern ocean off South Africa, proved unmanageable for single-handing. However in other respects its seaworthiness was not questioned.
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... the peculiar advantage that a bilge keel offers, of being shallow draft and able to dry out, is particularly suited to sailing conditions in the English Channel and southern North Sea. That is, large tidal ranges, shallow flat mud/sand seas, and many drying harbours.
Such conditions are found in few parts of the world and elsewhere bilge (twin) keels offer no advantage, while of course they have some well-known disadvantages. So there is little point in designing one for long-distance cruising.
Even if not designed for the purpose, nevertheless bilge keelers have made some pretty impressive voyages, and have demonstrated their capability.
Incidentally, Chay Blythe attempted to circumnavigate singlehanded in an early GRP bilge-keeler, a Kingfisher 30. Without proper self-steering, the yacht lacked the directional stability of a long-keeler and once in the big seas of the southern ocean off South Africa, proved unmanageable for single-handing. However in other respects its seaworthiness was not questioned.
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rex_seadog
New member
What about Shane Acton who circumnavigated in "Shrimpy", an 18ft bilge keel Caprice for which he paid £400.
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Neal
New member
Loads.....eg
Golden Hinds, Tidewaters, Waterwitches, Eventides, Westerly Fulmars (apparently more bilge keeleres have circumnavigated than fin keelers), Westerly 33s, Kingfisher 30 (Chay Blyth), Caprice (Shane Acton), Ballerinas.....
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Golden Hinds, Tidewaters, Waterwitches, Eventides, Westerly Fulmars (apparently more bilge keeleres have circumnavigated than fin keelers), Westerly 33s, Kingfisher 30 (Chay Blyth), Caprice (Shane Acton), Ballerinas.....
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oldharry
Well-known member
Re: Loads.....eg
The there's the old Seadog Ketch, and its fellow the Deep Seadog - bilge keelers specifically designed for long offshore trips.
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The there's the old Seadog Ketch, and its fellow the Deep Seadog - bilge keelers specifically designed for long offshore trips.
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kingfisher
Well-known member
Ovni\'s
http://www.alubat.com/
They were featured in YM a few months ago.
<hr width=100% size=1>Group of people on the pontoon: skipper is the one with the toolbox.
http://sirocco31.tripod.com
http://www.alubat.com/
They were featured in YM a few months ago.
<hr width=100% size=1>Group of people on the pontoon: skipper is the one with the toolbox.
http://sirocco31.tripod.com
Twister_Ken
Well-known member
Re: Ovni\'s
Thought they were lift keelers, rather than bilge keelers?
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Thought they were lift keelers, rather than bilge keelers?
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