Wing keel

[higgs]

I chartered a Hunter 38.5 - it may not be your design - but was very puzzled by its design. It had a wing keel drawing 3.5 ft and a rudder that needed 4 ft. This boat did not perform well upwind in a blow - no surprise. It seems to me, that if the boat needs 4 ft of water for the rudder, what is the point of not extending the keel to at least 4 ft?

 

[Franklin]

My guess is that the charter company didn't know what they were talking about. That keel is no less than 5'

There is a possibility that they did a modification but I doubt it.

 

[Ed Schenck]

Then there is the question of the boat itself. When did Hunter build a 38.5? Possibly a typo?

 

[ghen]

It does sound like sketchy data to me. Hunter would never allow a design that had the rudder deeper than the keel.

 

[Ken13559]

could it be that the keel draws 3.5ft from hull bottom but is 4.5 - 5 ft draft ?

 

[ghen]

That sounds more like it.

 

[higgs]

I tried to find the 38.5 on line and had no luck. I also went back to the TMM website, but they no longer have the boat in their fleet. One thing I do know is that when i snorkled and looked at the the boat the rudder was definitely deeper than the keel.

 

[ghen]

There is an anomoly somewhere in there. Maybe someone changed rudders form a deep fin keel?