KEEL off

[KORINA]

My keel is 1.8m and I wish to do shoal draft canals in France...How do I remove the keel and what do I do then with the bolt holes...?

[neilpride]

L.O.L for real!!! Are you serious??

[neilpride]

No reply, i guess is a serious question, ok, without keel your gib sea can make a 180 roll with you inside and turn turtle , the cost to drop the keel and put the keel later on is expensive, crane or travelift plus labour and the keel shipping , just figurate,
the bolt holes can be pluged with epoxy or wooden plugs Lol, anyway if you still consider the rivers try to figurate a way to put ballast in the boat or!!.......

[boatman61]

Forget the canals.. leave your keel on and use the rivers...
Or... buy another boat..

[Kenomac]

Don't take your keel off... your boat will roll over without the ballast.

[boatman61]

You could always cut off 0.4 metres...

[Ypake]

I am 1,85 and going just now from netherlands to the med via france and you no need to cut or remove your keel.
Just check for main canals.

[bbowers2004]

Get a bigger boat and just haul yours; maybe you could meet it at the other end.

[Hydra]

Without the mast, I think a Gib'sea 302 has enough form stability to stay upright even without the keel attached. But the keel is 1100kg. How would you stow it on board without crushing the deck?

Anyway, as a 302 owner, I would be interested in the result of this experiment but I don't want to perform it on MY boat!

Alain

[Pete7]

Originally Posted by Hydra

But the keel is 1100kg. How would you stow it on board without crushing the deck? Alain

Simples, buy one of those big white water rafts and tow it behind. Seem to remember Volvo had one at a boatshow showing off their new Volvo 740 estate car, something about the raft fitting inside and then the volvo fitting inside the raft.

There is of course the slightly problem of the rudder

Pete

[Richard_W]

Do not forget to remove the rudder as well ... it will also impede your shallow canal adventures. Good luck!

[Cheechako]

take the keel ballast off and the rig also.... maybe a charter is cheaper!

[bobconnie]

Park the boat and take a Cruise!! Be a heck of a lot cheaper!! and a lot less work !!! And with my luck something will goof up and cost me a ton of money!! just my 2 cents