Bilge to fin

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Paddy_OReally

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I've a corribee bilge keel. a friend of mine on the lake has the same boat but wth a fin keel. now seeing as i've no tides to contend with a rarely venture down the river could i get the thing converted to a fin keel.
i've noticed that he can sail closer to the wind than my bilge keeler and is also faster on the down wind legs.
what do you tink the chances of doing this are. i could take a pattern from his boat while it out of the water and have a workshop that will take the boat.
do you think its a viable option or am i wasting time and effort.

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Just swap 'em over Mick'll never notice.

<hr width=100% size=1>.. whit way roon should it be again ..
 
now i can see your not taking me that seriously which is fine. i thought there may be one or two people on here that knew what they were on about. like is the hull for both of them the same or has one got strenghtening where the other hasn't.
i've seen a bopat round here converted to a swing keel so i'd thought i'd ask to see if anyone knew if it was possible, but if all you can do is take the piss then don't bother answering

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Sorry Paddy, no harm meant, it might just be a bit expensive in relative terms though to do the conversion, try the owners association.

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Achsully its quite easy lay the Corribee on its side, smear some tar between its keels and run a road roller over the keels .. Job done!

<hr width=100% size=1>.. whit way roon should it be again ..
 
Have seen it done the other way around with a Tomahawk fin keeler. The owner found a dead bilgekeel Tomahawk and made identical cut-outs in each boat, and glassed the bilgekeel section in where the fin keel used to be. That boat is still sailing in the Solent 30 years on. All you need is a dead Corribee....

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not worth it

it will cost more than selling your boat and trading up to a fin keel model
anyway it certainly aint worth the comparative speed difference
best attaching some concrete filled traffic cones to your friend's keel that will slow him down

<hr width=100% size=1>my wife wants to dance on my grave. I aim to be buried at sea
 
The Corribee is a great little boat and the conversion is definitely possible but whether its worth it is another matter. Early Corribees had the fin keel bolted to the hull but later ones had a fully encapsulated fin keel. The bilge keels were always, as far as I know, bolted on. If your friend's fin keel is encapsulated it may not be easy (indeed it would be impossible) to get a patern off it for your boat.

It is possible that Newbridge, the builders of the Corribee, put different strengtening into the bilges depending on which version it was building. However, knowing a little about the company, I suspect they may have saved cost and made both hulls the same. Look inside your friend's boat to see how the floors and stringers compare and whether there is evidence of extra thickness in teh moulding along the centreline. For safety's sake I would be very tempted to build this area up anyway before drilling for the keelbolts. Check, also, how the outside of the hul has been treated along the centreline. It may be that the fin keeled version has a small stub moulded in to take the iron keel. I can't remember exactly how it was done and don't have a picture or drawing to hand. If there is a stub this will have to be replicated and may make the job too complex and expensive.

I would doubt the value of the exercise, anyway. It will be quite expensive. The fin keel does have a performance edge, but it is not huge, and you will lose the ability to dry out or sit upright ashore without a cradle.

If you really want a fin keeled Corribee, I would suggest selling your present boat to someone who wants two keels (it is a popular option) and buy yourself a fin keeler. Corribees in good condition only cost around £3,000 to £4,000

<hr width=100% size=1>JJ
 
The suspicion must be that the moulding is different in way of the keel attachment points, but that would be no great problem once you've got access to the inside of the hull at that point - just glass in some suitable reinforcement (take a look at your pal's boat to work out what's needed). This'll probably leave you a smidge heavier because she'll then be reinforced for three keels, but if anyone ever wants to swap her back to a bipod that'd be handy.

If there's an owners association (and there is for most things) you'll probably get chapter and verse.

<hr width=100% size=1><A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.writeforweb.com/twister1>Let's Twist Again</A>
 
Oh I do'nt know .. I can see definite advantages in a lifting deep angled bilge keeler -- off the wind with the keels almost up it would be a rocket ship ... on the wind ... whit a concept!

<hr width=100% size=1>.. whit way roon should it be again ..
 
actually they cost be bugger all to buy you could have a play with one

i had a mirror with a five foot centre board
we used to sail up the straits in it
centreboard casing gave way eventually but boy could we point
*sighs* aah those were the days

<hr width=100% size=1>my wife wants to dance on my grave. I aim to be buried at sea
 
ah look, just the sort of info i was looking for. my friends one has, as you say, a bolted on keel. I've looked under the floor in his boat and my boat. on his he has 4 large bolt heads which i tink hold on the keel. so it looks like its possible. thats good to know.
i was hoping to be able to beat the tyke this coming season so with a fin i'll be able to point that little bit higher and be a fraction faster on the downwind legs. the other question that i have regards trapeezes. on a broad reach with the number 2 up i can quite easily get the lee rail under. i'm thinking that the corribee not being a big boat might benefit from one being fitted. that way me and my crew can get our weight outboard to keep things a bit more level. what do you think of the idea.

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probably not a good idea to fit a trapese
i know you lot love the circus and travelling shows
but i really cannot see O' Really and Co swinging from one end of the boat to the other will really benefit your upwind ability
i think best leave that to the land
and for the record its 'oi tink' not 'i tink'

<hr width=100% size=1>my wife wants to dance on my grave. I aim to be buried at sea
 
Bloody Hell!!!...

Trapeses on a Corribee?

Not what it was designed for; probably woudn't make much difference other than providing a very quick way of shortening sail - totally.

Better to reef or ease the main to keep her more upright when she will sail faster.

<hr width=100% size=1>JJ
 
and where do you come from. just because i miss out an 'h' in think you think im taking the piss. if i typed the way we talk over here you would not be able to understand it. so come on then mr hollier than thou where do you hail from. lets have a dig at your accent.
if you doubt my credentials then have a look at my sailing club site. "oi tink" you will find a picture of my boat added very soon. as for the questions i am only in my second season of cruiser racing. you can read about it and the club at www.lryc.ie.

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New mast

What you achully want mah leetle tattie lepprecorn is the newly patented multi angled folding mast. At high angles of heel it goes into horizontal swing wing mode enhancing speed and stability.

<hr width=100% size=1>.. whit way roon should it be again ..
 
mm i still smell a troll

i could easily understand you i spent two years in munster on and off
i am not telling you my accent cos it varies too much
lets just say it is Leon Brittan meets Lily Savage

i think you are taking the piss because you want to fin keel a bilge keel corribee then add a trapeze
it would be a bit like me logging on to your loch ree website and asking that i have a pony and trap but do i realy have to put the pony in front

you are either a troll or a nutcase
which is it



<hr width=100% size=1>my wife wants to dance on my grave. I aim to be buried at sea
 
why would i be welsh. i have already stated that i come from ireland and proud of it to. trolls are welsh. if you vave an accent between those towo peoplw your more welsh than i will ever be. i cant see the point you are trying to make.
this board is not for the discussion of peoples roots. its for sailing. if you want geneology there are a lot of resorces on the web.

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