Wing keel

[Robert 19994]

I am considering buying an '88 Catalina 30' Tall Rig with a wing keel. What are the pros and cons of a wing keel over a fin keel?

 

[John]

I love my wing keel It sails great My C30 is a1988 TR Ive sailed on both and I think for raceing the fin is better and it is 400LB lighter and the boat seems to point highter. The tallrig with the short draft seems to be a little less stable but I can still stay between15 and 20 deg on my tilt gage with a full batten main and my 150% gene rolled out as long as the wind stays around 20 knts and is not gusty.the 3'10" draft lets me get in close to the beach so the kids can swim and I have my choice of slips and moreings becouse most boats are deeper.and all the fin keels are not beting me home on sunday afternoon . If You get stuck in the mud its much harder to get off but you have an extra 14" of water before you are stuck its a great boat Just put a full batten main on and It is great I put a new 150 geney on last year . but with the full batten main I have to reef sooner I think the 135% geney would be a better combo with the full batten main but you can reef .The C 30 is agreat boat

 

[Trevor - SailboatOwners.c]

Compromise

Hi Robert -John makes some good points about the pros and cons of wing keel vs. deep keel. The thing to consider is the depth areas of your cruising grounds. The deep keel will point better than a wing keel (that's why you see most boats in the Pac NW with deep keels). However, the wing keel enables you to cruise into many area in the Chesapeke and Carribean that a deep keel wouldn't. Another thing to consider is resale value: what do most boats in your area have?Best,Trevor

 

[Bob4203]

Its pretty simple

If you going to cruise and plan on anchoring out alot, nothing beats the 3'10" draft. Catalina added 100 pounds of ballast to make up for the shorter keel over the deeper draft model. I can speak from experience as a 2-year ICW cruiser on a Coronado 35 with a 5'6" draft several years ago. My draft kept me from many anchorages whereas a wing keel would have made its way in easily. I ran aground more times then I care to remember in areas that were marked over 6' on the charts! Today as the USCG puts more budget into homeland security and less to dredging waterways, your going to encounter more shoaled in areas, making the wing keel a more attractive choice. I just purchased a 1988 C-30 with a wing keel with the expectations of heading back to the ICW for some extended cruising. That means traveling hundreds of miles of waterways with only a few feet of water between the keel and bottom. That also plays into getting through shallow inlets. The wing keel is my personal choice based on the aforementioned concerns. Things like which keel provides more stability in racing, and how much more can I expect to list in ocean swell conditions are not an issue. For my piece of mind and for my needs the wing keel gets my vote. If you have never seen one up close by the way, that are massive! Out of the water you can easily sit three adults on each wing. My thoughts.RegardsBob"Breezin II"Atlanta