root wrote:

gday
i'm interested in buying a 30ft grp twin keel yacht as a live aboard
retirement option. i've spent most of my life in north australia where the
tidal variation is over 8metres so the twin keel design seems very
practical.

does anyone have any advice/tips/gotchas for a novice sailor in this
class. (offshore rig worker, handyman, old fart)

thanks in advance

bruce
new zealand


I have been sailing a 1970 (about) bilge keel TylerCraft 39' for
5 years now in fresh water, Grand Lake, and St. John River. The
tides on the river are remarkable, in that while outside the
Harbour at St. John, New Brunswick, the Bay of Fundy tides are
the highest in the world, but once you sail past the Reversing
Falls, a few miles upriver only has about a 2 foot daily tide
variation. Seasonally, the river level changes with the release
of water from the Dam at Mactaquac, changing by as much as about
10 feet, and freezing hard in winter. I joke about sailing on the
ice, with the cast iron sled runners sharpened properly, like ice
skates.

It's funny that despite what sounds like a perfect example to
demonstrate the advantages of a twin keel boat on the tidal
flats, it is only the shallow draft that seems to be an
advantage, the "Bote a Ouel" draws 2' 10" and goes off and on
the flatbed trailer with relative ease. With the keels about 4'
long at the bottom, it has no tendancy to up end. It spends
winter in the back yard, takes shallow short cuts where others
dare not go, can be run up on many beaches with impunity at mid
tide, and floats off well as the tide rises. Waves make it pound,
but in soft sand it has is not been a problm.

It has round bilges and cabin sole, so walking inside while
heeled does not require you to walk on a side hill, you walk in
the bottom of the pipe, so to speak. Very comfortable heeled, but
the centerline is under the saloon table while level. The bilge
is only about 2" below the sole. We don't get much water in the
boat.

The keels are remarkably effective since the leeward one digs in,
increasing draught as we heel by about a foot and does not lose
efficiency to under the bottom tip vortices until heeled way
over. By then the windward keel is almost out of the water, so
the boat is more stable and sails better than might be imagined.

While fixed monokeels protect the prop and rudder, I can see that
the 'sled runners' on my boat could let a boulder slide under the
centerline while level. The prop extends about even with a little
skeg that covers up the area that would be occupied by the
missing centre keel. Still, this would occur in about 2' of
water, where I usually do not go. The rudder is a foot deeper,
and has no protection from a centre keel. I haven't hit anything
with those tender bits, yet.

I am not so experienced as many, have not sailed in rough ocean
conditions, so cannot tout it's performance wrt other types, but
I am happy with it. It goes to windward well enough with only
small sails using a self tending club footed jib sheeted inboard
or free footed outboard, and because of the way it's rigged, can
be flown very flat going upwind. This, I feel, is key to it's
performance. I do not race, so can't really say.

I have no complaints, except it lacks a genset and air
conditioning, and I have had to repair soggy deck core, but these
have nothing to do with twin keels. Construction quality
depends on other factors.

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