Swing Keel Fixed & Shortened

[abacioglu]

Hi! I'm planning to buy a Hunter 26 waterballasted swing keel. The current owner had the swing keel shortened (from 6' to 5' 6'') and fixed. Would that cause any problems? Thanks,

Hakan Abacioglu

[SkiprJohn]

I think that 6" shorter would only make a small difference in windward performance. Having it fixed in place means it will be harder to trailer and take out of the water and will not allow you to go in shallower water than 5' 6" deep. If you will be sailing in shallow water areas that is a big disadvantage.
Ask the owner why he made the modifications. If you want to trailer the boat it will be a problem.
kind regards,