Keels! Advantages and disadvantages

[M]

Can anyone give me some advice of keels? For deep water is a bilge keel suitable and if so what parameters does it have to meet? Looking at boats locally, many cruisers seem to be bilge keeled as opposed to anything else. What advantages and disadvantages are there to bilge and long keel and for cruising and sailing both coastal and deep water which would be more appropreate? Hope some one may be able to lend us their knowledge on this one!Thanks

 

[Miles]

As long as possible...

Generally high aspect ratio (i.e. long, thin) keels are more efficient which is why you find them on the high tech race boats. The big issue is water depths where you'll be sailing. Shoal draft keels aren't too common on the West coast of the US but you might want one if you cruise in shallower areas like Florida. Bilge keels seem to be popular in Europe but pretty rare in the U.S. If you're in an area with drying mudflats it might be handy to have two smaller bilge keels to rest on but it won't help your sailing performance especially to weather. On the other hand a 6 foot deep keel won't do you much good in 3 feet of water either!

 

[Paul]

Just a fad...

Bilge keels disappeared off the face of the earth for about 40 years until they showed up on the Open 50s and 60s (Ellen MacArthur's Kingfisher, et al) in the form of dual retractable daggerboards. Now they're on the new Hunters. It reminds me of all the wing keels that we saw in the decade after Australia II.