Cutting my 6' keel to 4.5

[hunter bum]

Just find a perfect boat ,1982 36 islander, but it is 6' draft...too much for my needs. I,m thinking in cut 18" from the bottom of the keel and reinforce with fiberglass again ....What the folks think about it??? Will be any change in balance or safety ??? Please give me ideas..thanks.

 

[Joe]

Just find a perfect boat ,1982 36 islander, but it is 6' draft...too much for my needs. I,m thinking in cut 18" from the bottom of the keel and reinforce with fiberglass again ....What the folks think about it??? Will be any change in balance or safety ??? Please give me ideas..thanks.

I wouldn't even consider that without consulting a professional... i.e. some one you pay who is an expert in marine design and will stand behind his recommendations.

 

[Tori Taylor]

NOT

 

[zeehag]

it will affect balance and safety. consult with a naval architect before you do anything-- mebbe he will recommend some modifications for you to do to go along with shortening keel-- but only do it with a designer to advise.

 

[hunter bum]

I heard that but they no longer produce islander any more, will be verry hard to find the people from the factory, What I,m thinking the amount of weight will come off the bottom of the keel, I just replace on the side of the keel . What you folks think about this idea???

 

[Kevin3447]

Didn't you learn about leverage in elementary school? If you could get the same stability with a 12" keel, why would they make a 6' keel? Listen to everybody's advice, consult a professional. It doesn't have to be the original designer. Look at Good Old Boat magazine - I remember someone re-doing their keel a couple of years ago.

 

[Ted]

Contact Mars Keels a division of Mars Metals in Canada. They can advise you about shorting your keel with a split bulb addition to your keel after shorting it. I believe that they will recommend adding 20% more weight over what you remove. I would suggest that you also check the integrity of your keel bolts before doing this work. If your keel is cast iron, you're in for a lot of work cutting it. Someone in my boatyard cut his keel a few years ago and didn't add weight. Big mistake.

 

[alexco38]

The question is how much closer to shore 18 inches get you? May be better off get another boat designed for Shoal.

 

[hunter bum]

Yep! in the keys,and bahamas it make diference you sailing with 4.4 insted 6' draft. I just send a request for the peple from mars keels I think they are familiar with this changes Thanks TED. I'll keep you posted

 

[Barnacle Bill]

You would be bastardizing the boat, for one thing, which will make it difficult to sell down the road. Secondly, you would compromise the righting moment of the boat, which is designed in factors between the center of buoyancy and the center of the combined effort of the sails and the center of gravity. Boats that are designed with shoal draft keels have heavier keels than deep keels, which go deeper (that is one reason why the price of an optional shoal keel on a new boat is an upcharge). I have sailed all over the bahamas in a boat with 6.5' draft and got around just fine. There might be some places you want to go where you have to wait for high tide, but they are fewer and far between. The Islander 36 is considered to be a pretty decent cruising vessel that sails very well and it has a good reputation. I wouldn't cut the keel off. Keep it original. You won't regret it.

 

[hunter bum]

Yep you all right!! hard to admit but could be a nice project but after I spoke with the peaple from mars keel, It can be done cutting the bottom of the keel and inplant a wing on it but the cost benefit ......just forget it. will be too much troble and spending is better loocking for another boat....Thanks for all I'll be looking for the next project.

 

[Rule62va]

Islander made a shoal draft for the 36's. Look for one of those. As a former owner of a 1982 Islander 36, I would suggest that a better focus of time and money would be on the chain plates and checking for blisters. The Islander 36 won't go over but the draft is part of that equation. good luck!

 

[Sinbad5358]

Keel Alterations

Just find a perfect boat ,1982 36 islander, but it is 6' draft...too much for my needs. I,m thinking in cut 18" from the bottom of the keel and reinforce with fiberglass again ....What the folks think about it??? Will be any change in balance or safety ??? Please give me ideas..thanks.

I cut 1' off my 87 Hunter 40 cast iron keel, but before I did I hired Mars Metal Co, Canada to calculate and build lead replacement pieces. They calculated that I would remove 750 lbs and needed to replace that with 1,000 lbs higher up to achieve the same Righting Moment for the boat. The pieces were shaped like a torpedo and were thru bolted to the keel in 4 places with 1" stainless steel. Once installed I fairred the joint with thickened epoxy and IBM 4200. We ran into GREAT difficulty cutting the keel off and drilling the 4 holes. It took 14 carborenmum blades on a chop saw to cut the keel and a magnetic drill with tungsten bits to pierce the keel. The keel must have been cast with junk steel because it was unbelievable hard. The boat sails as if I never cut the keel easily pointing to 35 degrees or less in 10 or more knots of wind. This is no small task and I spent over $6,000 to get the job done - about half for labor and half to Mars Metal Co. That was 5 years ago and lead is more expensive now.
Tim Davis
"Gale Force" on Lake Pepin, MN