Heavy steering long keelers

[doug748]

Further to my comment #9.

I think there may be two issues here:

* One is the force required to turn a boat on the tiller. Lets say when it is being towed along, in a straight line, by a notional invisible force.

* The second is the Helm - the pressure on the tiller exerted by the forces on the boat under sail.

I aimed my point at Number 1. It seems to me that the nature of a boat with good directional stability means that it will always be more resistant to turning. Boats with keels of the fin type will then turn in a light, quick and responsive manner. (or be flightly, demanding of attention and unstable if you prefer to be pejorative)

On the matter of Helm. I have not had experience of problems with long keelers, as long as they are balanced fairly. Even overpressed they tend to remain manageable.
On the other hand, when caught with too much canvas, some fin keel boats can struggle to point within 90 degrees of their destination, tho they may be lighter on the tiller when doing it.

My longish keel boat is heavy on the helm under power, all it naturally wants to do is track straight. The reasons have already been mulled over above.

 

[Goldie]

But why on earth do you want a keel design that was forced on early boatbuilders because of the limitations of the material then commonly used - wood. Its hydrodynamically highly inefficient and it has high drag. We've progressed since those days.

'Cos we like 'em? Not to mention the motion and - important for a cruising boat - the storage. Not for us the underbunk areas full of tanks, all the liquid stuff (140 gallons on our 36 footer) is down in the keel where the weight is best placed and leaving loads of volume for stores.

 

[Blueboatman]

A short answer is that whatever the OP decides to buy, try to get one with a good windvane already fitted!

Many longkeelers, including mine( though it isn't really a long, long keel) were offered with tiller or wheel and depending on the quality of the installation, one might be better than t'other- read the owners assiciation blurb, there will be valuable stuff and lessons learnt therein.

And thirdly, any boat will feel heavier on the helm as it surges off down a wave. At the risk of stating the obvious the trick is to not overcorrect and fight the surges, do your course corrections to coincide with the natural weaving and yaw of the boat as it makes it's way downwind. A bungee fed to windward of a tiller can help, as per the pilot boat relieving tackles.
Strapping the main down ( using a preventer) and over reefing it and using more headsail, or indeed poleing out the foresail might help. These are just things you play with as you learn the boat.

For what it is worth, my R36 has a reputation for heavier helm in quartering seas, which I was wary of before buying, but with fullbatten main, mast raked to dead vertical, trimmed right with my ton of clobber on board,properly stowed and trimmed, and the best wheel steering set up I have ever used, it is light and responsive and stable( and f- quick) in such conditions so I would say from personal experience that sometimes such claims of heavy-handedness are just not true and can be tweaked away.

 

[mikemonty]

A rudder built onto the end of a long keel has little or no balance area and so will be heavy.

But why on earth do you want a keel design that was forced on early boatbuilders because of the limitations of the material then commonly used - wood. Its hydrodynamically highly inefficient and it has high drag. We've progressed since those days.

But it is "human/machine interface" highly efficient - my contessa 26 is light on the tiller even in steady F6, and takes as little mental concentration as it does physical to sail a straight course (or any course)

 

[E39mad]

Not all long keelers act the same way - you should try a Vancouver 32 or 34 for superb balance - then again the rudder is balanced and the prop has a large appeture.

Some long keelers have an offset prop shaft which can make them more difficult to steer on a direct course.

Steering systems - never been a fan of hydraulic due to lack of feel, short linked rod systems are probably my favoured overall as cable one's can stretch and require more maintenance.