Roger Long wrote:
I've only caught one pot with my E 32. That was one with a plastic
jug for a buoy that had been punctured and dragged beneath the surface
where it tangled up in a bunch of others so the line was stretched out
of sight.

I'm sure I'll catch another one someday but I now have a hook knife
and the handling, maneuverability, and performance are features I'd
rather have than being able to blindly plow through pots.

In fact, the best cruisers are somewhere between being a fin keel, spade
rudder setup. Look at the hulls of Valiant and Pacific Seacraft. I
believe they are a very good compromise.

Furthermore, in my experience with both a fin keeler and full keeled
boat, the snag crab pots and kelp at about the same frequency. That
would be almost every time you run over one. The lobster pot business
is not a good way to choose a hull design.

Hitting logs with a spade rudder, that is a different story........

Gary