X-Ballast Keel

Before finding the true purposes of a keel I have decided to "presume to know all about it" so please do not be influenced by the personality of the enquiry.

I believe that the keel is for the purposes of keeping the botton of the boat weighted down and also stop sideways drift ( I have only ever paddled a row boat but find it difficult to understand sideways drift as any particular concern ).

My only real belief in the worth of a keel is to provide a gauge of how (too?) steep you are making a turn.

Therefore, would it not be better to only submerge a keel on making maneuvers. I have attached a diagram, now presuming I am going to tack to port, the boat will rise out of the water on the starboard side, If I was to kick the ballast off the starboard side of the boat whilst maneuvering would this not hold the balance of my boat. On completing the maneuver I would reel it back in and carry on sailing straight with little to no drag of a keel?

EDIT: ok so it's when your going straight that the keel takes effect to balance the wind on top, nevertheless, my question remains similar. Can one just not submerge hydrodynamic ballast when the craft is heeling to balance the ship.

Also if the ballast were just one ballast and chain to the centre of the boat, would this not work better than a keel attached to the hull

Here.

http://www.real-world-physics-problems.com/physics-of-sailing.html

-Ryan

royalties not necessary

Ok, there is quite some depth ( excuse the pun ) , to the thoughts behind a Keel.

X-Ballast is a very cool name though, feel free to use it for X shaped things. The X could be in red.

You need to get in a boat.
Your solution is to a problem that does not exist.

A keel on a rowboat is not typically large enough for anyone to notice if it was removed for straight line movement.

If you want less resistance get a smaller, skinnier boat that weighs less.

Boats just don't turn fast enough to need a weight to cause them to lean.

Row boat keels are generally to keep the boat going straight (if they even exist as something sticking out of the bottom). So removing it while going straight is exactly wrong.

upchurchmr said:

You need to get in a boat.

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Precisely so.

tembero said:

.....now presuming I am going to tack to port, the boat will rise out of the water on the starboard side, ....

Click to expand...

One more clue to the many that you need - there is a huge sideways push on the keel of a boat when tacking or reaching.

Keels provide the resistance to that force.

rwatson said:

One more clue to the many that you need - there is a huge sideways push on the keel of a boat when tacking or reaching.

Keels provide the resistance to that force.

Click to expand...

SX-Ballast Keel? S for Super? Anyone?

Then how about SUX-Ballast Keel.

Where S stands for Super and U for Ultra, of course.

All hands abandon ship