rudder vs. wing keel - which is lower?

[Bill P.]

I don't have a drawing that shows whether in fact the bottom of the rudder or the winged keel is the lowest point on a 270. Eyeballing what I see, it appears that they are both about the same at 3.5 ft. Anyone have the true scoop?Thanks - and happy if cool sailing!!Bill

 

[RonD]

On my C320

The wing keel is is about the same depth as the rudder, maybe an inch or so deeper. Judging from the spec sheet picture (link), the same applies for the C270.In general, it would be a bad marine design to have the rudder deeper than the keel since the keel could absorb impact energy from a grounding much better than a rudder.With a wing keel in particular, remember that any pitching due to waves while traveling (or stationary) over a bottom that's barely under the draft could cause the rudder to hit bottom. I like to keep a minimum of 3-4 feet under the keel for safety.--Ron

 

[Jack]

Grounding Hazard

My C36MKII has essentially the same draft at the keel and the rudder. This provides for a lot of motivation to avoid grounding as rudder damage is a probability rather than a possibility. I have a friend with a San Juan 28 who converted to a wing keel and at the same time converted to a wing rudder. I have sailed the boat and it sails very well. He has almost a foot less rudder draft than keel draft. By the way his boat is for sale.