Swing Keels

[mobeydick]

As a southerly owner (and former windsurfer racer who used raceborads with retracting dagger boards) I have some experience of this

I have experimented with different keel positions on the boat, and pretty much always now just leave the keel fully down (except when navigating shallow water and harbour sills - and believe me we use the keel switch a lot! )

In a dead run the boat sails fine with no keel, (other than it does tend to roll more - hardly surprising ) and get a little bit more speed, but as soon as you are on a very broad reach you seem to get too much leeway

I have tried partially retracted on broad reaches and no seen no significant speed increase

If we raced it, I might have spent more time trying to eke out an extra .1 and experimenting but it doesn’t seem to make much difference.

The difference with a board is massive, but it think it’s because a board is planing and the grip /lateral resistance is coming from the rails (the edges )

I just love the flexibility the swing keel gives me in the tidal waters round the CI and Normandy/Brittany

I agree with all that , having sailed a Southerly 42 RST a number of times, and played around with the variables.

 

[LONG_KEELER]

Just wondering if folks with lifters also experiment with rudder height too.

 

[Daverw]

Rudder not adjustable on ours

 

[alahol2]

Just wondering if folks with lifters also experiment with rudder height too.

Only when it starts getting (very) shallow.
The Stag has a ballast keel with a steel swing centreplate. I do adjust it depending on the point of sail. Going downwind with the board up is relatively stable but wetted area is reduced and the slot in the keel is smaller. I've convinced myself that it makes a difference and, as it's easy to do, I do it.

 

[LiftyK]

Just wondering if folks with lifters also experiment with rudder height too.

No. For boats where the rudder does not raise and lower vertically, but pivots instead, if the rudder is not fully down then balance is lost and it requires huge effort to steer. There is an exception. To get going in shallow water it is OK to let the rudder float horizontally and proceed very slowly.