Deep vs. shoal keel

Status
Not open for further replies.
I

Ian

Looking at the original brochure for my 1985 31' O'day it looks as though the difference between the deep and shoal keel versions is all in the (steel/lead?) bolted on part of the keel. Is this true? I am considering moving my boat to a local lake for convenience (due to a newborn baby!) but the draft is too deep with the installed deep keel. Is it possible to buy and install a shoal keel, or is there some problem with doing this? Are shoal keels available, if so what is the approximate price?
 
J

J.B. Dyer

Costly

Ian: With the exception of full keel boats, most keel boats have bolt on/off keels. There are companies that make keels to order that will fit your bolt pattern. The question is how much does it mean to you, money wise. I've seen keel companies on the internet and to the best of my memory, it seems like 4000.00 was the cheapest number and I'm not sure what size boat was involved, it was just a casual visit to the web site. You might check with Rudy to see if he has any laying around that will fit and if so, how much he wants for it. Then again, you might find someone with a 31 shoal keel wanting to trade. Even if it was an even trade, you will still have shipping charges and I'm sure that the fees at your maintenance facility would be substantial for the trade out. If you want to look around, just enter keyword "keel" on the internet, there are several companies that have listings. With that new baby to support, you might find if more economical just to leave the boat where it is. Good Luck!
 
R

Rod

Here's another idea

Mars Metals has developed a bulb keel that you can attach to a cut-off deep fin keel. The link is here: http://www.marsmetal.com/html/sail_article.htm
 
Status
Not open for further replies.