Bilge Keel on a hunter 22
- Thread starter Darwinless
- Start date
Sounds ambitious. I think it would take a lot of work to reinforce both sides of the hull to handle the lateral and vertical loads. For a boat that isn’t designed for it a lot of re-engineering would be needed.
I think what has happened is that the previous owner deleted the swing keel that the boat originally had and glassed over the opening. I'm at a loss, I can't imagine the boat sailing worth a dam without a keel, but the guy I bought it from says it does just fine downwind... sigh... I like the idea of having a boat I can beach but will look at what I have to do to add a swing keel back. I was thinking if I did some very short bilge keels I would just through bolt some on and run a wood ledger on the inside of the hull then fully glass the outside. I even thought about some thick aluminum plate keels on a flat curved belly flange, through bolt to a wood ledger board on the inside of the bilge and then completely glass it all in. Damnit Jim, I'm only an building Architect, not a marine Architect.
The PO removed the keel? We’ve read about some interesting PO shenanigans here before but that’s next level. 
According to sailboatdata the Hunter 22 should have 1300 pounds of ballast. If the swing keel and its ballast are gone you’ll be missing the lateral resistance the keel provides going upwind, but more importantly the stability that weight provides. When keelboats lose their keels they can turtle pretty easily.
The problem with adding the bilge keels the way you’re thinking is that the glass in those areas is probably quite thin, as it’s not meant to carry any real load. There was a poster here a few days ago with a boat showing how he could deflect part of the hull just by pushing on it. I can’t remember what model boat that was but they’re generally all similar - the glass outside of the point of the bow and the keel support structure is just thick enough to keep water out, and not many pounds more. Even if you add backing boards you’ll have hard points wherever they end. I suppose there’d be a way to add the strength necessary but it’d take real load calculations and work to tie everything together.
According to sailboatdata the Hunter 22 should have 1300 pounds of ballast. If the swing keel and its ballast are gone you’ll be missing the lateral resistance the keel provides going upwind, but more importantly the stability that weight provides. When keelboats lose their keels they can turtle pretty easily.
The problem with adding the bilge keels the way you’re thinking is that the glass in those areas is probably quite thin, as it’s not meant to carry any real load. There was a poster here a few days ago with a boat showing how he could deflect part of the hull just by pushing on it. I can’t remember what model boat that was but they’re generally all similar - the glass outside of the point of the bow and the keel support structure is just thick enough to keep water out, and not many pounds more. Even if you add backing boards you’ll have hard points wherever they end. I suppose there’d be a way to add the strength necessary but it’d take real load calculations and work to tie everything together.
So, is the swing keel still in the boat and glassed over or is it completely gone? If it is glassed over, remove the glass and re-rig the swing keel. If it is gone, the boat is pretty worthless and dangerous to sail as @Davidasailor26 has pointed out.
As for beaching a 3,200 lb boat, it will be a bear to get off the beach, you would be totally dependent on the tide. The other issue is the rudder which is generally about the same depth as the keel. Shortening the keel would require shortening the rudder which will also affect sailing performance.
As for beaching a 3,200 lb boat, it will be a bear to get off the beach, you would be totally dependent on the tide. The other issue is the rudder which is generally about the same depth as the keel. Shortening the keel would require shortening the rudder which will also affect sailing performance.
jssailem
SBO Weather and Forecasting Forum Jim & John
- Oct 22, 2014
- 21,422
I am hoping this was a free boat you acquired and are now trying to figure out how to make it usable. Without the keel and ballast, what you got acts pretty much like a building without a foundation.
As @Davidasailor26 shares, the hull will act like a canoe. Not foundation to stop it from rocking. Lean on the side and the canoe flips spilling the contents into the water.
Your bilge keel idea is out of the box thinking. You would need to create an internal structure that allows you to build your keels. It would test your architect skills and likely improve your fiberglass building technique. You would end up with a boat that might sail down wind or off the wind, but struggle to go to windward.
There is an upper crust saying.. "Gentlemen never sail to windward"
As @Davidasailor26 shares, the hull will act like a canoe. Not foundation to stop it from rocking. Lean on the side and the canoe flips spilling the contents into the water.
Your bilge keel idea is out of the box thinking. You would need to create an internal structure that allows you to build your keels. It would test your architect skills and likely improve your fiberglass building technique. You would end up with a boat that might sail down wind or off the wind, but struggle to go to windward.
There is an upper crust saying.. "Gentlemen never sail to windward"