Keel Replacement

Is it possible (or practical) to replace a 7-foot fin keel on a 1983 C&C 40 (or any boat for that matter) with a shallower draft keel? Need to take a couple of feet off - or the boat has limited value where it's located.

Put to the local boatyard, the question is met with a shoulder shrug. Given that I don't own the boat (yet), cost doesn't really matter - that's a problem for the poor soul who's trying to unload it. I'm just looking for the laugh test on whether it's possible/practical.

 

Lets start to say that it certainly can be done. without goin into the extremes.
I know a number of racing yachts that have two sets of keels, one for the more moderate cruising waters that are often not that deep, and one for the pure racing, where a deep keel is an asset.
The keel with the lower profile will give of course not hat performance as the racing one will, but that might als not be required.

A winged finkeel might do the job or maybe another configuration will work as well. In any case, according to my knowledge it won't be a hazard to carry it out. it will cost the design, the casting and the application under the boat.
The old keel can be guarded for deeper waters.

 

Sure you can, but get a real navel artichoke to design it.

Yoke.

 

Yoke,

be careful when talking about 'bellybutton vegetables' in here, you might get the odd Naval Architect in here a little ticked off! We don't all go through 4+ years of university education plus a lot of personal development work only to be likened to an obscure green vegie!

Tassie

 

Wabow,

Keels are replaced or modified all the time. For your interest, see my article "Keels and Rudders: Engineering and Construction" in Professional Boatbuilder magazine, issue #96, Aug/Sept 2005, page 72. The entire issue is on line at www.proboat.com. I discuss some examples of keel replacement.

Eric Sponberg

 

Don't take it to heart, Yoke - he's from Tasmania... Odd people down there

 

I might be wrong about this, but Devil doesn't sound like any of the native Australians I've ever known. Kiwi expat perhaps?

Yoke.

 

No, Yoke. The devils from Tasmania are small, furry, bad tempered, noisy and smell pretty awful. It's possible some may have studied naval architecture...but I may be wrong.