Leeway

[poter]

As I am now starting to sail in the Exe it would seem from the info that I have had that I should really look at a shallow draft boat and I have had discouraging reports on lifting keelboats.
So:

Is there really a big difference in the leeway on a bilge keel boat compared to a fin?
Also are bilge keelers as "seaworthy" as a fin keel?
And last but not least, for the odd race I assume that the bilge keelers will not be as competitive?


ta in anticipation


poter.

 

[ToMo]

Excuse me jumping on your thread but I've also pondered about this, and I've been wondering whether it is possible to have a lifting keel boat with bilge plates added and what effects this would have other than the obvious.
TôMö
P.S. those famous round the world "give out stick'ers" HLB & LJS are excluded from this ;-)

 

[billmacfarlane]

There are some good lifting keel designs around that are happy to take the ground in a shallow harbour and will not make significant leeway compared to a fin keeler. A couple of degrees maybe but no more. Firstly there's the Southerly range , they're all designed to take the ground and have a well engineered lifting keel mechanism. They're not the brightest performers around and you might miss pub shutting time taking one round the cans. Then there's the Parker range of lifting keel boats. The Parker 31 , 325 , and 275 , the latter being a redesign of the Super Seal 26 , all take the ground. The Parker 275/Super Seal 26 has a lifting centre board and moulded ballast in the hull , the Parker 31 has a lifting wing keel and certainly will not make any more leeway than a fin keeler. Hunters , the UK company , do a range of bilge keel boats that Hunters call twin fin keelers. I don't really know how they perform but if you race PYS , have a look at the RYA site and look at their handicap. There are also a range of French boats that have a lifting keel and twin rudders that aren't designed to take the ground every tide but will take the occasional grounding. Again they'll keep you happy round the cans. Don't really understand what factor of seaworthiness you mean , but you can take all the boats above cruising and they'll be fine . Hope this helps.

 

[trevor]

Not really the answer to your question but if you are looking for a boat to sail out of the Exe make sure she has a good egine etc. It can be very difficult against the tide/river flow here.
PS I can confirm that a bilge keel boat will make considerable leeway, again that engine can come in useful if you are off a lee shore!

Trevor

 

[Grehan]

Lift keels

Grehan is a lift keel Southerly 115. Highly recommended - well made, well designed.
Keel is fully variable between 1.6m and 0m downstand. She'll float in about 0.75m and sit on the beach easy as anything. 35hp Yanmar engine.

Possibly not a racing design of yacht, but what's supposed to be wrong with them?

 

[LadyInBed]

Not much to do with Leeway

More what do you want to be - a cruiser, a racer or a cruiser who will go round the cans once in a while, as those factors point you at one type of boat more than another.
If you are keeping a boat up the Exe, does your mooring dry or not and how much draft can you carry to get to/from the mooring at low or nearly low water. As they say on TV it's location, location, location, look around the Exe and find out what keels predominate. My bet is that it's bilge, but lifting would also be good there.
As to leeway, it's only really important to a racer. A cruiser will either put in another tack, or motor sail to enable him to point a bit higher. For me, it's more a navigational issue on a longer run whether my leeway is 4, 10 or 15 degrees.

 

[duke]

Hi,

I had a bilge keeler some years ago.

It was a Vivacity 650.
It was very seaworthy but it had a lot of leeway compared to fin keeled boats.

Unless it was necessary because of the need to take the ground or sailing in shallow water I would not buy another bilge keeler.

Regards,

Duke.

 

[poter]

Re: Leeway, thanks

Thankyou for all the reply's

lots to ponder.



poter