Well honestly I am just trying to narrow down the amount of information
that is out there by weeding out the defunct stuff...I have read this
thread on sailnet

http://www.sailnet.com/forums/seaman...ighlight=keels

and whoever the hell "jeff_h" is he does a great job of laying it all
down but I have read it several times and I think the vast amount of
information is really kind of keeping me from being able to fully
understand it.

I have heard that the wing keels are good but if you do run aground
they almost act like an anchor in the respect that they can dig into
the ground and make it hard to get the boat off the bottom.



DSK wrote:
RogueIT wrote:
what are the 3 most popular keels in production today?
thanks,
RogueIT


Mind if I answer a question with a question? Why does
"popular" make any difference with regard to a keel?

The keel has several very definite and quantifiable
functions. The biggies are resisting leeway, providing
ballast for stability, and supporting the hull when aground.
The keel also has a large effect on how the boat steers. As
a matter of function, when you decide what kind of boat you
want, you know what kind of keel it should have... or at
least narrow it down to a few variations on a basic theme.

Another problem with answering your question above is that
two very popular keels (don't know about "most popular") are
the exact opposite in form... the full keel beloved of 'old
salty' types and the fin keel popular with racers & builders
of mass-produced boats.

Hope this helps.

Fresh Breezes- Doug King