h170 - is there a heavier keel?

[Doug]

Does anyone know if hunter (or JY) offers a heavier keel for the 170? As many have already found out, the boat is fairly tippy, but it provides one heck of a ride. If they don't offer a heavier keel, does anyone know where I can get a used stainless steel keel (perhaps off of a lightning)so I can have it modified to fit in my 170?

 

[Michael Stuart]

Keel ahoy

I have a 1998 170. As originally provided to me, the centerboard (CB) was lighter than those that are on the currently sold 170s, or so I subsequently learned. I am not sure when they switched over to the heavier CB. But 12 months ago, I ordered an even heavier CB than what they normally provide now. I think it has 10 pounds more lead in it than the new standard CB. JY Sailboats, in New Lyme, CT (the manufacturer) custom made it for me for a modest cost. Their concern, however, was with trailering with the heavier CB, that the extra weight would pull the mast step off the deck while trailering. I trailer the boat 1/2 mile each year (so I am not terribly concerned), but when I do, I tie a line from the CB to a bow cleat. The boat seems a bit more stable, but it's still tippy. You should check your deck cup holders for leaks. Water in the hull makes the 170 more unstable. But remember, it's not a 41 foot yacht! (My preferred boat)

 

[Doug]

mast step

How could a heavier keel pull the mast step off the deck?

 

[Michael Stuart]

Pull off mast step

When the CB is pulled up during trailering, a line goes from the CB to a block on the mast step, to a cleat on the cockpit sole. This line is the only thing that keep the CB in the up position. With more weight in the CB than an original design, there is more force on the line. Every time the trailer drives over a pot hole or bump in the road, there is added force on the block from the inertia of the CB which pulls the mast step in a shear direction, i.e., horizontally. The mast step is not made to hand too much of this force. There are only 4 bolts and some glue keeping it affixed to the cockpit sole. That is why I was advised to use an additional line to keep the CB up during trailering. It might be a good idea to do so even if your CB is not extra heavy, but you trailer the boat a lot.

 

[Jeff Wingo]

What do you tie it to?

What do you tie the extra line to while trailering?