Bilge keel offshore?

[witzgall]

Hi all;

Does anyone out there sail a twin keeled boat offshore? How about a Moody?

My wife found a Moody 343 and liked the boat, but we know next to nothing about twin keelers. Any insight would be appriciated.

Chris

[Squeaks]

Hi Chris:
I don’t know about the Moodys but have sailed my twin-keeled 23-foot Westerly Pageant since 1976. Most experience has been mostly coastal, and there might be better feedback from others on ultimate stability for offshore, etc, but I do have some good things to say about the sailing benefits of twin keels. In a substantial tidal range, such as England or Maine, they will set upright on both keels at low water. But even in moderate tide ranges they can be run up on a beach at high tide, cleaned and painted, then off you go at the next high tide (we did this in Florida and Rhode Island as well as here on San Francisco Bay). In the case of a trailerable boat, the center of gravity is much lower on the trailer than a fixed-keel boat and is easier to launch at a ramp. When sailing, one keel is lifted, creating good stability while the lower keel is closer to perpendicular to the water surface, giving good lateral stability. That lower keel, of course, would touch bottom first if run aground but when the boat stops, comes upright, and draft decreases, it should allow you to get clear. And lastly, if running aground under power, my Westerly had the nice habit of pivoting off on one keel (not sure why but I’m not going to fight the blessing). The racers would point out that the “extra” keel adds more wetted surface area and might decrease pointing ability but with an 8-foot beam on a 19-foot waterline it’s hard for me to throw blame at anything specific about my Pageant’s speed – besides I’m-a-cruisin. Hope that helps.

I have done a little bay sailing on a bilge keeled 25 footer. Sailed OK. If you read Tristan Jones, you would think bilge keels are the best thing since sliced bread.

[DeepFrz]

Pat Bray or Bray Yacht Design and Research did some research on twin keeled boats and has an article on his website. He would be a good person to contact if you wanted questions answered.

BRAY YACHT DESIGN AND RESEARCH LTD.,- Yacht design and research providing plans for trawlers, motorsailers, powerboats, super yachts, and dinghies. Custom designs from qualified Naval Architects, Project Managers, Interior Designers, and Marine Consu

[Efraim]

Here is a link to another article on bilge keels, which btw are pretty popular in the UK.

the boatbuilding.community - The Advantages of Twin Keels

[unbusted67]

Bilge keeled boats are mostly used for coastal sailing and are not generally known for there offshore capabilities, just ask Ken Barnes.

[DeepFrz]

Ken Barnes cut his bilge keels off. Not a good example.

Besides, the southern ocean can get anybody.

[unbusted67]

Fine then, ask Chay Blyth and John Ridgeway. Retired in their bilge keel boats off of the Cape of good hope and Brazil respectively.

[delmarrey]

They don't go to weather well in a blow. But for down wind and gunkholing, their great........................._/)

[Alan Wheeler]

I think the question would be better asked, what is the Moody 343 like? Asking about a keel is a rather broad question. Moody has a fine reputation of boat design. It's the reputation of design that will set a boat apart. Look at it this way, there are single Keel boats that sail great and single keels that sail like pigs. The same can be said about twin Keel. The main point of a twin keel boat is, what was the designer intending at the time. Was it a small boat designed to meet the needs like in some replies above.ie. Trailering, ability to dry out, ability to get into shallows and so on, or was the design to meet other needs. I would suggest a Moody of that size was not built just for Gunkholing. I imagine she was designed to meet a need, like shallow draft, but would still have some performance in mind.