I am new to larger boat sailing and have been considering a purchase. My question is about deeper keel, 8 feet; vs. shoal keel 5 feet. I figure the deeper keel will provide more stability but reduce your speed and limit the area that can be entered. Would a deep keel be useful in lake Ontario? Are there any other advantages or disadvantages?
- Status
- Not open for further replies.
shoal keels don't point as well
Our Pearson 323 has a 4.5' keel which comes in real handy on the gulf coast. But it doesn't point as well as I would like. With equal wetted area a deeper keel will point better and be stiffer due to the lower weight on a longer arm. A deeper keel might be slower going down wind because it would present more area on it's leading edge.
Our Pearson 323 has a 4.5' keel which comes in real handy on the gulf coast. But it doesn't point as well as I would like. With equal wetted area a deeper keel will point better and be stiffer due to the lower weight on a longer arm. A deeper keel might be slower going down wind because it would present more area on it's leading edge.
S
Steve
Great Lakes Keel Depth
I would answer the question more by asking you the use of the boat. If you are a racer, and/or a person that sails on the edge with performance being a key then you may want to consider the deeper keel. But if on the other hand you want to travel and have more flexibility on anchorages and more importantly transit dockage, I would stick with the shoal draft of 5' as there are many marinas that only control depth to 6' or at a minimum, have limited docking at depths over 6 feet.
I would answer the question more by asking you the use of the boat. If you are a racer, and/or a person that sails on the edge with performance being a key then you may want to consider the deeper keel. But if on the other hand you want to travel and have more flexibility on anchorages and more importantly transit dockage, I would stick with the shoal draft of 5' as there are many marinas that only control depth to 6' or at a minimum, have limited docking at depths over 6 feet.
same old story!
if you have a 6' draft you want to get into 5'6". deeper drafts usually sail faster and are able to carry more sail before reefing. however there are a lot of places you can't go with them. I personally like my o'day 30 with its center board. 7'2" down 3'6" up. this gives us a lot of lee way on what shortcuts we can take and where we can anchor. with the board down we point as well as any j24 we used to race against. just remember that everything in a sail boat is a compromise.
if you have a 6' draft you want to get into 5'6". deeper drafts usually sail faster and are able to carry more sail before reefing. however there are a lot of places you can't go with them. I personally like my o'day 30 with its center board. 7'2" down 3'6" up. this gives us a lot of lee way on what shortcuts we can take and where we can anchor. with the board down we point as well as any j24 we used to race against. just remember that everything in a sail boat is a compromise.
Check the destinations on Lake Ontario
Buy "Lakeland Boating Ports O' Call Lake Ontario," or a similar guide book to ports. They reproduce detailed maps of all the ports you may want to visit, and the write-ups often have useful info. For instance the entry for Oakville, Ontario, says that the "Harbor depth is maintained at 7 feet, but is reduced to three feet farther up the channel." The chart shows a number of 6's at the entry to several marinas or clubs you may want to visit. While the chart datum is below the average for the Lake, seasonal variations in Lake level and shorter term sietches cause by weather systems mean that you will see these depths over time. I know of several deep water ports on Lake Ontario, especially in the Thousand Islands. But 5 1/2 feet is about a maximum for Lake Erie where we do most of our sailing, and I have seen boats with that keel depth pirouetting in the wind and waves at several port entrances with their keel stuck on a newly deposited sandbar. So our 3 1/4 foot draft means we can sail most anywhere (although we did "find" the one 3 foot depth rock off Put-in-Bay) on the Lake while others are restricted from some destinations. If you want to race, you have to consider a full keel, because going to weather is a feature of every race around the buoys. Otherwise, let your analysis of the restrictions you would face with a 7 foot keel drive your decision. David Lady Lillie
Buy "Lakeland Boating Ports O' Call Lake Ontario," or a similar guide book to ports. They reproduce detailed maps of all the ports you may want to visit, and the write-ups often have useful info. For instance the entry for Oakville, Ontario, says that the "Harbor depth is maintained at 7 feet, but is reduced to three feet farther up the channel." The chart shows a number of 6's at the entry to several marinas or clubs you may want to visit. While the chart datum is below the average for the Lake, seasonal variations in Lake level and shorter term sietches cause by weather systems mean that you will see these depths over time. I know of several deep water ports on Lake Ontario, especially in the Thousand Islands. But 5 1/2 feet is about a maximum for Lake Erie where we do most of our sailing, and I have seen boats with that keel depth pirouetting in the wind and waves at several port entrances with their keel stuck on a newly deposited sandbar. So our 3 1/4 foot draft means we can sail most anywhere (although we did "find" the one 3 foot depth rock off Put-in-Bay) on the Lake while others are restricted from some destinations. If you want to race, you have to consider a full keel, because going to weather is a feature of every race around the buoys. Otherwise, let your analysis of the restrictions you would face with a 7 foot keel drive your decision. David Lady Lillie
- Status
- Not open for further replies.