View Full Version : Adding A Keel


AAAAPPPP
05-25-2004, 12:07 PM
I Own A 22ft Cris Craft Dory Performs Great In The Rough As Long As Your Moving The Bottom Is Rounded Design .i Would Like To Add A Full Keel (shamrock Design).the Boat Rolls In A Ripple When Stopped It's Rock-a-bye-baby I've Been Searching For Info On This Project Nothing Is Avalable
How Do I Calculate The Sizing? .what Are The Pro's & Con's On Adding A Keel?
.is It Worth Doing?
I Already Have Money & Time Invested Into The Boat I Converted The Gas Inboard To Diesel About 2 Yrs Ago And Love The Performance I Really Like The Boat It's A Center Console But Would Like To Add A Pilot House Someday
I Need Some Input On Adding The Keel
Thanks For Any Help

PAR
05-26-2004, 01:47 AM
The nature of that design is what we call "tender" meaning she's a bit tippy. Under power she squats down and is quite a bit firmer, but at rest or low speeds a roller.

The keel you talked about is called a skeg (I think this is what you want) and it will help a marginal amount in the rolling action, but will not do too much as it's real role is to help the "tracking" or ability to move in a straight line, without wandering around, requiring continuous course adjustments.

Anything attached under the water of a boat will affect it's performance. In power craft, skegs can disturb the water flow to the prop, causing a loss of efficiency, extra drag, etc. though it can protect the prop if you go bumping into things.

Frankly, the rolling thing is the nature of this design and though a bunch of money and effort could be tossed at the issue, few of the reasonable efforts will do much to dampen the motion. A "keel" large enough to really add form stability will be quite large and severely detract from performance, draft, weight and other elements that are key to the design's success.

View Full Version : Adding A Keel