Thoughts on Keel/Centerboard combos?

[shmorrell]

Hi - As I search for boat to buy I have come across quite a few with a shallow keel (4.5 ft or so) with a centerboard which of course can be raised or lowered as conditions dictate.

Generally speaking, the fewer moving parts the better. So I'm wary of such a setup.

Do these work well, or are they more trouble than they're worth? The idea of a shallow draft is appealing as I plan to sail the Caribbean.

Thoughts?

Steve

[Cheechako]

I have no problem with them and would have liked to have one of my larger boats to have one. As you mention you want to be sure the system is in good shape.
People have complained about the centerboard rattling a bit at anchor on some.
Most well planned trips avoid going to weather so having the board down may be rare anyway, but available if you do .
This setup would be great for the Bahamas and a few parts of the Caribe, but frankly, most of the well traveled E Caribe other than the Bahamas has good depth.

[Frankly]

Suspect a lot of " how much trouble " depends on the original design. Had a friend with a Grampian and he was forever fooling with the CB. Now having owned/sailed an IP 32 CB for over 15 years it has just not been a big deal. Don't often put it down, but when I do it goes and comes with little effort. In 15 years I have removed it once for a good going over and paint, replaced the SS pendant once. The 10" less draft is the difference of behind my house vs slip fees, so a happy tradeoff.


Frankly

[AiniA]

If you are going to the Caribbean I see little advantage to choose a CB. If you are going to the Bahamas it might make more sense depending on the draft of a standard boat - ie 6' not much of a problem, 8' becomes a problem. Did many miles with a Bristol 45.5 CB (5'/12'). Rarely needed thee CB down but handy when needed.

[tkeithlu]

Hey, it's only got one moving part. Not exactly rocket science.

A centerboard is not going to have the ideal weight distribution or shape. But for a cruising boat going to the Bahamas? Yeah. Miles and miles of water seven feet deep. It would be worthwhile on the back side of the Florida Keys, and any time in the ICW. Actually, if I were doing any of the above, I'd leave the board at least partially down, and lift it when I hit bottom.

[shmorrell]

Originally Posted by tkeithlu

Hey, it's only got one moving part. Not exactly rocket science.

Yes, I realize that the mechanism is pretty simple. I was also wondering about water ingress, and if the board can get fouled with marine life.

Thanks for the tips all

Steve

[floydmiami1]

Had two of them a Soverel 30 and a Pearson 35 loved them especially in South Florida and the Bahamas, but not necessary here in the Caribbean although wouldn’t hurt.

[Ken Pole]

Check out Distant Shores on YouTube. I think they're on their third or second CB boat.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-R...xpXx96KsNVCrDw

[jewt]

Had a '69 Morgan 41K/CB for 30 years and love it. Fast and would would balance well with or without a wind vane, just adjust the board position. Twelve winters in the Bahamas and Keys bounced the board a few times but nothing serious. Collected a closet full of club racing trophies also

jewt
bifrost 7 & 8

[Peconiceast]

Hello
Have Beneteau311 swing keel 20yrs old
Has a long screw use a winch handle to raise and lower.
The board is cast iron has developed rust blister's that need to sanded out from
time to time. The advantage out weighs the work for me. For I trailer it and low water
where I sail.

[tweitz]

I have a Beneteau 323 with the lifting keel, which I bought new in 2006. Where I sail the shallow draft is critical. I have not experienced any noise or vibration, either underway or at anchor. The maintenance has been pretty trivial. I'm glad I have it.

[Fatboypaul]

Draft on my Ovni 56 is 0.8 meters with the board up, 2.8 meters board down.
Absolutely love bringing the board up when depth is suspect.
So far no problems, fingers crossed, although I did buy a new French Hydroem manual pump recently which wasn't cheap, it was 30 years old.

[adjo]

My boat has 1.2m draft with ballasted centreboard (1000kgs) up and 2.4m with it down.

It was designed to take full advantage of the changing CLR when adjusting the board and shows no tendency to broach when running fast downwind (or coming over breaking bars). So far so good (30 years).

Going to windward with the board fully down it has great lateral resistance and, as it is relatively far forward, it prevents the bow getting pushed to leeward.

Being a daggerboard it has a good profile regardless of position.

Be aware that shallow draft can tempt you into anchoring in waters that are not safe. With the board fully retracted my boat sheers about at anchor in high winds. Not good.

[Hoodsail]

5 yrs and counting with my current keel/cb...draft is 3' 10" up and about 7' 10" down, which comes in handy at low tide as our channel shoals in over the yrs between dredges..It has rattled rarely when down, seems to help alittle to windward, 50 cranks to raise/lower. Never an issue with raising/lowering. Bottom paint it about every 2-3 yrs. Potential issue is determining condition: as a good portion of the wire is never seen and pivot point out-of-sight. Got me thinking I should give it a look at end of this season when she's in the slings.

[Shanachie]

The biggest issue is how the centerboard system was designed. Imagine the cable breaks or a sheave binds. How difficult will it be to repair?


My old Bristol had two sheaves and a cable running through a hard to reach fiberglass tube. The looped end was a nicropress (sp?) fitting that would deteriorate every few years.


If a sheave went, it was a nightmare. You had to cut into the tube and figure out how to install a new sheave.



If the cable went, it was even worse. People would use a shop vac to try to suck a light line through the tube so they could run a new cable through the tube.


The centerboard itself was held by a thick bronze/naval brass rod that you couldn't see. Was it losing its zinc? You couldn't tell. At what point do you pull the board to see?


That said, the keel/centerboard design is good. I drew 3 feet, 3 inches, which allowed me to run aground in shallower water. Lowering the board could ease weather helm and allow me to point higher.


My solution was to use Amsteel Blue line instead of an SS cable and to deploy the centerboard sparingly. That was a good strategy. The line I replaced after eight years had no wear.


I assume that, today, designers would be better at making a keel/centerboard design owner friendly. Old-time designers seemed to take great joy in making it difficult to work on your boat.