I would like to change to a deep draft keel on my Hunter 33. Anyone have any ideas on how I could accomplish this?
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Terry Arnold
changing keels on H33
Best, easiest and cheapest way would be to sell your boat, buy another with a deep keel. By the way, why do you want to do this? About the only difference is a slight advantage in upwind ability
Best, easiest and cheapest way would be to sell your boat, buy another with a deep keel. By the way, why do you want to do this? About the only difference is a slight advantage in upwind ability
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Don
Swap forum
There have been a number of posts (check archives) about owners wanting to change keels. Since you want to go from shallow to deep, I will bet there is an owner here at HOW that wants to go the other way. Let us know how this goes. You might try calling Hunter to see if keels are interchangable. Discussion here goes both ways, clearly no one knows for sure. Let us know how your search goes. Phil: Maybe you need to set up a swap forum?
There have been a number of posts (check archives) about owners wanting to change keels. Since you want to go from shallow to deep, I will bet there is an owner here at HOW that wants to go the other way. Let us know how this goes. You might try calling Hunter to see if keels are interchangable. Discussion here goes both ways, clearly no one knows for sure. Let us know how your search goes. Phil: Maybe you need to set up a swap forum?
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Ed Schenck
Mars Metal.
You should contact the people who make the keels at Mars Metal. If the H33 is like my H37C the hulls are different for the two keels. If this is true then you would have to pay for a custom keel or lots of glass work to fair the replacement. My keel(shoal) is longer(fore to aft) to compensate for lack of depth. Therefore the keel stub molded as part of the hull is longer and, I think, a little wider. The shoal keel is several hundred pounds heavier than the fin keel. I agree with Terry, swap boats not keels.
You should contact the people who make the keels at Mars Metal. If the H33 is like my H37C the hulls are different for the two keels. If this is true then you would have to pay for a custom keel or lots of glass work to fair the replacement. My keel(shoal) is longer(fore to aft) to compensate for lack of depth. Therefore the keel stub molded as part of the hull is longer and, I think, a little wider. The shoal keel is several hundred pounds heavier than the fin keel. I agree with Terry, swap boats not keels.
Mars Metal II
Ann: I agree that you should check with Mars Metal. Not knowing why you want to do this make it more difficult to discuss the issue. Most boaters in Fl. want shoal keels. Mars can make you a torpedo that will bolt on the bottom of your keel. If you check out the article in Cruising World this month, there is an article about a fellow cutting off his keel and adding a bulb. This would be similar to what you want to do. You don't need to do the cutting!
Ann: I agree that you should check with Mars Metal. Not knowing why you want to do this make it more difficult to discuss the issue. Most boaters in Fl. want shoal keels. Mars can make you a torpedo that will bolt on the bottom of your keel. If you check out the article in Cruising World this month, there is an article about a fellow cutting off his keel and adding a bulb. This would be similar to what you want to do. You don't need to do the cutting!
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Tim Schaaf
More than meets the eye to a bulb keel
Steve, did the guy in CW say how his mod worked out? There is a lot to changing keel designs effectively. Sure, putting a bulb down below can make the boat "stiffer", but it may ruin the flow over the "foil" so that the boat will not point as high. Additionally, if a tender boat is made stiffer, there are greater loads on the structure that supports the keel, keel bolts, etc. More than one boat owner (including at least one very famous one - who worked for Hunter at the time, by the way!) has messed up his calcs and lost the keel. Be careful!
Steve, did the guy in CW say how his mod worked out? There is a lot to changing keel designs effectively. Sure, putting a bulb down below can make the boat "stiffer", but it may ruin the flow over the "foil" so that the boat will not point as high. Additionally, if a tender boat is made stiffer, there are greater loads on the structure that supports the keel, keel bolts, etc. More than one boat owner (including at least one very famous one - who worked for Hunter at the time, by the way!) has messed up his calcs and lost the keel. Be careful!
I'd have to agree.
Tim: I have to agree. Without someone doing some calc's on a the loads induced by modifying a keel who know what you are going to end up with. I cannot imagine that adding 500-600 lbs to most of these boats is going to screw up the sailing ability that much. These keel guys can product just about any type of an appendage that one may want. I would think that they may even be able to provide additional lift. My suggestion to anyone that wants to do these type of mods is to look at buying the boat that you really wanted. I cannot conceive that this job can be done for less than $2500-3000 and then what do you have when you are done? And to answer your question, NO (did not reveal it's new charateristics)!
Tim: I have to agree. Without someone doing some calc's on a the loads induced by modifying a keel who know what you are going to end up with. I cannot imagine that adding 500-600 lbs to most of these boats is going to screw up the sailing ability that much. These keel guys can product just about any type of an appendage that one may want. I would think that they may even be able to provide additional lift. My suggestion to anyone that wants to do these type of mods is to look at buying the boat that you really wanted. I cannot conceive that this job can be done for less than $2500-3000 and then what do you have when you are done? And to answer your question, NO (did not reveal it's new charateristics)!
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