Clipper 21 Question on Keel Lock

[David Vidler]

Hi Ladies and Gents, I am a first timer so forgive me for my lack of Navigation Ediquette but I have just bought a Clipper 21 and I am not at all familiar with this Trailer sailer, Does the CM 21 have a keel lock at all,it is a CP21 Mk 2 with a swing keel , I know nothing about the winch set up or the keel and if it has a lock, I would appreciate as much information as I can get to Know this little boat. My last boat was a beautiful Folkboat 26 and I have only ever sailed Keel boats. Now looking at sailing in the Great Sandy Straight and being a bit on in my years I am a bit out of my depth with trailer sailors, thank you David.

[GordMay]

Greetings and welcome aboard the CF, David.

The Clipper 21 has a keel-centerboard retraction winch, accessible through a small hatch in the cockpit (companionway).
➥ https://johncrawfordmarine.com.au/cl...-brochure/file
➥ https://johncrawfordmarine.com.au/cl...-sea-test/file

“... The swing keel raises most of the way into the hull with a stout winch located just inside the companionway. The 480 pound keel made the boat very stable. The winch was difficult to release to lower the keel, perhaps we missed something, but we had to hold the keeper away with one hand while lowering with the other ...”
➥ http://www.sailingtexas.com/Movies/C...rine21100.html

[Fore and Aft]

David check out Trailer Sailer Club of QLD on Facebook, there are a few Clipper owners on there.
Cheers

[David Vidler]

Thanks for the information on the winch and Keel, does the keel have a keel lock or something that keeps the keel down so that it cant flick up in a knock down or something that might cause the keel to flick up into the hull, I have heard this is or can be a serious issue with trailer sailers, please help my paranoia, thanks Dave.

[Fore and Aft]

Dave I think you might be overthinking this issue. We have a swing up keel on a 32 foot yacht and would never consider locking it down. If you lock it down then when you hit the bottom (bound to happen in the Sandy Straits) then all the load is on the pivot pin. Most trailer sailers I have surveyed would probably not take the shock load in that area to well.
If you are out getting knocked down in your trailer sailer you might need to reduce sail or check the weather forecast before you go sailing.
I have seen hydraulic rams used to lock keels down, but those systems are a lot more robust than the swing keel casing on a Clipper 21.
Cheers

[David Vidler]

Thanks for your reply, I am feeling a bit better about it now, I was reading an article about a Catalina 22 that has a keel lock of some sort and their thread had some scary scenarios, happy sailing David.