What modern twin/bilge keelers are there?

[jenku]

Just re-read the fairly recent thread on twin-keelers and started to wonder what makes of twin-keelers are there today? The RM-series has been mentioned, also have some others but is there a chance of coming up with some sort of list? If we work together? After all it's Friday night and no sailing weather..

 

[MoodySabre]

Legend

 

[rwoofer]

Wrighton yachts are modern bilge keelers, although they don't look it...

http://www.wrightonyachts.com/

Don't know how they sail, but they look quite voluminous.

 

[Tranona]

And if it ever gets back into production Sadler 290 and possibly the old (British) Hunters. Both now with new builders.

 

[PeterGibbs]

If you've read the earlier posts you will have seen a few comments on the Fulmar(1980-1994). Not bettered by the few yards that have tried to introduce later twin keel models - seems to me.

PWG

 

[Refueler]

I think the reduction in BK / TK boats has to do with more and more people are using marinas instead of traditional drying moorings. Families want walk on walk off locations instead of the creeks and little hbrs ....

Sadly I think a lot of the adventure has gone out of sailing / boating and too many I now see are from berth to berth, same set-up each end ...

Jens - you have the best cruising ground in N. Europe and the BK boat is excellent for it - same for my old tub when we get together each year ... and it amazes me that Sweden doesn't produce a version. Maybe that's good for us though !! means many boats cannot get into those little havens we can !

There is also a fundamental misconception that is held by many about the BK / TK boat - it's a bad sail boat. Not strictly true - yes there are many older examples that are not race pedigree - but cruise well enough. Later TK boats I think have suffered from some of them being by builders that get 'knocked' by many as poor quality / budget boats etc. Whether true or not is not the point - the design has had it's opponents and will affect others appreciation if it.

 

[rwoofer]

One of the reasons I changed from a large marina bound fin keeler (Moody 44) was that the adventure only happened in the summer cruise (down to southern brittany, la rochelle etc). With my smaller 29ft twin keeler my adventure happens at weekends as I discover new places I can get into and stay in, in what are familiar waters.

The downside is that the UK weather means summer cruises will be a charter or non-sailing holiday as the boat does not have enough creature comforts for SWMBO to stay on board for a week or two.

 

[jenku]

[ QUOTE ]

The downside is that the UK weather means summer cruises will be a charter or non-sailing holiday as the boat does not have enough creature comforts for SWMBO to stay on board for a week or two.

[/ QUOTE ]

Let her read my cruise reports. If I can get my wife into an Alacrity for two weeks you should be able to get yours into your RM!

Nigel: Swedes are very traditional when it comes to boats. It took quite some time even to get plasic boats accepted here, many people thought they would not stand the cold and wooden boats would be better. Fact is quite the opposite but prejudice is hard to beat! Same with keels. OK, long keel boats with big overhangs like the original Swedish archipelago-cruisers are OK, but deep fin keels are worthless here, yet people buy almost only those! There are a few lifting- or swing-keelers though, most of them introduced quite lately. Twin-keeler never sold very well here although a few got imported. Sweden bein non-tidal one of the biggest advantages - drying out - isn't an issue, however as our boat do spend 6 months a year on dry land a boat that can stand by itself and cannot tip over should be popular. Makes me sleep well during winter gales anyway.

 

[jenku]

[ QUOTE ]
Wrighton yachts are modern bilge keelers, although they don't look it...

http://www.wrightonyachts.com/

Don't know how they sail, but they look quite voluminous.

[/ QUOTE ]

Thanks, interesting boat, although I don't like the lines very much, looks a bit clumsy?

 

[rwoofer]

My thoughts entirely, almost as if they are out of another design era - the 70s.

Interestingly they offer kit built boats and part built boats, like many boat builders in the 70s!

 

[Refueler]

One of the advantages of BK was the reduced draft .. for same area of resistance in water. The forefoot of a BK yacht was also less ....

Both make it ideal for Archipelago use being able to creep up to rocks and moor.

Twin Keels have negated some of that though - as later designs can have as deep draft on a twin keel boat as a fin / long keeler. Designers have gone for high aspect ratio, dynamic keels instead of the previous ballast keels as we enjoy.

I don't think Bilge Keelers as we know them will be designers drawings now ... Twin dynamic keels though will be.

 

[matelot]

Thats right. Even the keels - shallow draft encapsulated types are out of the 70s bilge keelers that didnt sail well.

I've just spld a Moody 336 bilge keeler which I guess is probably the newest aft cockpit bilge keeler you could go to apart from Hunter and maybe a small number of Sadlers. Wouldnt consider Legend myself. Anyway, the Moody was a really excellent sailing boat with a performance on the water that was really quite good. I would reckon on maybe 5 deg less pointing angle than (say) a J24 and with as good speed through the water as a Sigma 33.

The drying out advantage is less clear than you might think. Bilge keelers can tip over and if they do they are worse than fins. So you need to know the bottom before you dry, and you need to be in a sheltered location - something I learned the hard way. TBH for drying you cant beat a cat.