Shoal pointing penalty
A winged shoal draft keel should do better than the Cherubinis without wings. But there will always be a penalty working a shoal draft keel into the wind. First, they won't point as well, and second, they will make more leeway. Our '77 h27 shoal draft tacks through 110 degrees (on the GPS) with the jib barberhauled to about 12 degrees off the centerline. On the other hand, pointing is overrated for a cruiser. Most of our time is spent reaching around Lake Erie. Well, there were a couple of passages this summer where being able to make 45 degrees off the true wind would have saved an hour or more. Finally, the shoal draft keel is a big plus in our cruising grounds, especially at current water levels. Drawing only 3 1/4 feet means we can go most anywhere. But since the "deep" keel on our model was only a 4 foot draft, I do wish that's what we had. David Lady Lillie David Lady Lillie
