Which Sailboat Keel is the WORST? Ep 233 - Lady K Sailing

Today we're looking at which sailboat keel to chose for caribbean sailing, lake sailing, liveaboard sailboats, and sailboat racing. We talk about Beneteau, Hunter, Jeanneau, and Hunter sailboats and sailing bahamas and Caribbean. We take a look at full keel sailboats, fin keel sailboats, and modified fin keel sailboats.

[Kayaz]

I just discovered your channel a few days ago while looking up some obscure facts about boats, and now I am binging. I learn something interesting from every video, even though I’ve been sailing since 1964. You’re a GREAT teacher.

[ArtietheArchon]

Shoutout to the Bilge Keel, the only keel you intentionally run aground because they are often designed to sit on their keels on the ground

[richard]

Having owned a number of sailboats with various configurations and not being a die hard racing sailor but rather a cruiser, the best boat for me was a cutaway full keel with a retractable (swing) 8:23 centre board. This configuration gave me the best of all choices, a easy sea manner, shoal draft, good pointing ability all by adjusting the swing keel!

[Daviddickson]

I like my twin keeler because I don't need a cradle to keep it upright on the hard, where she spends her life waiting for me to finish restoring her! 😊

[stevenlarratt]

I have a 26' bilge keel and love sailing her around the uk, she might not be amazing sailing to windward but for comfort and abilty to shallow out and dry out she is perfect. Cleaning the hull costs me nothing apart from a day out on a beach. I can go into islands and not worry about depths too much at all. 3' draft is nothing.

[spidermoose]

A bathtub full of VW Beatles is my favorite 😄

[WojciechP]

I have a 1978 Oday with an encapsulated lead shoal keel with a centerboard. It is perfect for shallow the shallow bay where you run aground on shifting sandy shoals, without losing too much maneuverability on a bay with light wind.

[Monkeywrenchmotorcycles]

I just bought my first boat in February and boy did I have information overload when I first started looking. I chose the safe route of a full keel and had my eyes out for a cape dory 28 or 30, ALMOST bought an Alberg 30 in Florida to sail back to Texas, but ended up with the best boat out of all those with a Perry design, a Baba 30. It’s a solid(non cored) full keel with cutaway forefoot, inboard diesel, cutter rigged boat that weighs 12.5k with a 10.5ft beam and a 4.75ft draft. Older boat so had to do some maintenance and repairs so will be splashing this week and taking her on maiden voyage this weekend!

[JohnEvans-lpdc]

The ending referencing the Delos keel was an excellent addition. Every boat is a balance of specifications. If you run a fin keel it would be wise to have excellent chart plotters and night vision cameras to detect flotsam or fishing gear and keep you off the rocks.

[jolttsp]

This has convinced me that if I ever take up sailing I'll have the fullest keel to ever keel.

[lightbox]

100 years ago, my brother and I had a 22 ft comet and a lighter lightning' Sailing and racing on lakes, a drop centerboard gave us maneuverability, good attack into the wind and SPEED. Pull it up when docking, drop it down when working

[stevewindisch]

For many years I had a '91 MacGregor 26 (not the later motor sailor one). The centerboard was an extreme wing, but with it and the rudder up, she drew about a foot. All the pro's and con's you mentioned applied in spades. But, I could trailer it from Ohio down to the Keys or Miami to cross the Gulf Stream and cruise the near Bahamas, and did several times. Because of the water ballast, it sat on the trailer at about 6, 000 lbs. with the 8 horse Johnson, and a six cylinder mini van could haul it. Yes it was "crank", had lots of leeway, and flew around at anchor like it was trying to escape. But the outboard used only about 6 gallons of gas for an entire season on Lake Erie, it maneuvered great, and could point very high. You are completely correct, in that it is all about your requirements. And also right about WHEN to sail... the only times I ever got into trouble, was when I pushed it.

[CrisHogan-zp]

been following this guy for a couple years and explains matters very simplified...works for me. lol

[theplinkerslodge]

You do a great job of guiding people away from "future-proofing" their decision. I have mellowed out, myself, over the years and learn to appreciate both the highlights and lowlights of anything. Unless one is heck-bent to be a top racer - tomorrow - there is much fun learning along the way, including the temperament of a boat. It is more important to learn your particular boat than buy the best spec'ed boat for your use.

[livingforsail]

I was looking for a boat with world travel potential and I love many of the full keel boats but I was attracted to the added performance and maneuverability benefits of the modified fin keel. Some of my favorite "blue water" boats like the Valiant 40 and passport 40 have that layout.

[robbyoliver]

I really like this channel. I know very little about sailboats. But here I learn something new every time.
Telling me about keels letting me learn from an experience sailor is what I need.
I think my choice would be a full keel or many a modified, I don’t want to need deep water everywhere I want to anchor. 5 ft isn’t bad but any more would be a pain I think. There is a area I want to be able to get into and that is Lake Sabine in Texas. I am not sure what kind of keel I would need for that. But it dose have some pretty shallow areas.

[usdohs]

Don't blame me, you clicked this! 😂😂😂

[fishernut]

Never have sailed but I plan to make sailing my last hobby. These vids are so helpful! Thanks.

[ickster]

Best for what is the real question. Everything in boating is a compromise of one sort or another.

[sumobear]

My little Hurley 22 is a cross between a fin and a longkeel, (a short longkeel) with internal ballast, no keel bolts and 42% ballast, she rides the swell as good as many larger boats and as she carries very little windage.
I've owned a range of sailboats from Contessa 32's to a Samfire 26, but for pottering along the coast single handed, i really rate the Hurley's keel.