K. Smith wrote:
sue sanchez wrote:
There's an 18 foot sailboat I am interested in buying but it has a
fixed keel of about 3.5 feet. I've only had boats with a swing keel.
Can a boat with a fixed keel like this be LAUNCHED from the trailer or
does it require a crane to sling it into and out of the water?
Yes!!! @ 18 ft it's still not a "big" boat but might be a little
heavier than the average trailer sailer of the same size.
You will need to have a normal trailer changed a bit; to support if
properly, maybe some guides to ensure the keel ends up where you intend
& some fold down side pipes that will give you 4 pipes to float between
till the trailer comes up under her......any good steel fabrication
place can do it & probably make some good suggestions also.
When you say the keel is 3.5 feet; is that the total draft?? Because
you'll probably need to unhook the trailer for launch & retrieve, using
a length of chain between the whatever & trailer also with most pleasure
boat launching ramps you will probably have to play the high tides so
you don't drop off the end of the ramp chasing enough depth.
I could have a trailer built for this boat.
I would suggest you get a secondhand one modified first, trailer &
mods shouldn't cost much then you haven't spent big dollars only to find
it's all too much trouble. However in my view, if you can organise it,
it's certainly worth it, no marine growth/antifoul, haulout fees or
worry on wind stormy nights & you can take it home with you to tinker with.
A passing thought:
Has anyone else noticed that Krause & Gould seem to have not started
"off topic" political threads in our NG the last day or so??? Hmmm this
is a great improvement it's as if we just pressed the button & flushed
hui & gui (although gui would still be spruiking spam underwater:-)).
All our NG needs now is for the return of some of the old great
knowledgeable posters that they chased away with their OT political
nonsense.
sue
I have a 6600 lb 29 foot Tylercraft bilge keeler I launch from a
trailer and retrieve with the help of my mate.
It draws only 2'-10". I feel it sails well, but that is not the point.
I use an old house trailer flat bed to haul it around. It has not
got a drop axle, which means that at the wheels, it needs about
4'-6". A drop axle trailer would save at least a foot, possibly two,
given the construction, and would be a better plan, but it's the
expense, y'know.
My biggest problem is traction. I need a 4 wheel drive vehicle. As
it is now, every time I haul out, I need to enlist a bystander to
hook on and pull my old chevvy cargo van up the ramp. A drop off at
the end of the ramp is not as big a cramp as you might think, since
only part of the weight is on the trailer by the time I get it onto
the good surface. I loose traction as the boat gets about 3/4 out of
the water. Perhaps I need to increase the tongue weight to help
out, but that isn't easy, since I need and have a 12' tongue
extension to keep water from getting into the truck's gas tank. It
is a rusty old truck, and I wouldn't mind getting it wet, except for
the gas filler. Also, submerging the exhaust reduces power
available, and is hell on a catalytic converter.
I have seen star keelboats that look like they need about 5' on
drop axle trailers launched and retrieved on a good ramp, with a
good truck. Those racers are religious about waxy bottoms, et al,
and so if there is a will, there is a way.
But the bother is so great if conditions are not perfect, that I do
it only about once a year. I am lucky to have a private mooring. A
slip and winter storage costs enough that it is economical to keep
a cottage and pay tax, rather than rent plus the landlord's tax. The
cottage and beach is nice on it's own though, so I feel that the
money is better spent that way than renting and, it will be
recovered when I sell the cottage. If I rent a mooring, I could turn
it into a business, but I don't want the hassle.
It is wonderful to not have to pay slip fees and storage. The boat
sits in my yard and I can get at it easily enough that my big
problem now is guilt. I don't like doing the work, I enjoy the
sailing more than painting the bottom, etc.
If you want to trail and move the boat often, you will want as fine
a trailer as you can get. You want a drop axle, full brakes, many
tires, removeable lamping, guide posts, tongue extension, etc. It is
key to the experience.
A good method of raising and lowering the mast then becomes
essential, too. I have a tabernacle and use a bipod made from the
boom and spinnaker pole. They are the same length, so it works out
easy. It is stable enough to do on the water, even if it's a little
rough. It is definitely the only way to go, I know, I have done it
every way imaginable.
I wonder if floatation bags on the trailer might help? They could be
sucked up tight inside the frame with a vacuum cleaner.
Terry K
|