Over the years hulls have become shallower and keels narrower but for many types of sailing this progression is not necessarily progress.

Yacht a keel. The type of keel fitted to a yacht is very much intertwined with the hull shape which was covered in part 2 of this guide. They have a shallower draught than fin keels making them suited to cruising in shallow coastal waters. In essence the basic purpose of the keel is to convert the sideways motion of the wind into forward motion.

Normally the yacht designer has carefully calculated the best position to mount a fixed keel. The keel is a large flat shape with a aerodynamic leading edge. Twin or bilge keels enable a yacht to remain upright when dried out at low tide.

When we swing the keel partially up the centre of effort moves aft as you can see in the diagram below. It allows you to navigate rivers canals and other shallow waters due to its flexibility. The performance and handling of a yacht depends on many things but perhaps the most important single feature is the shape of the hull and the profile of the keel.

How keel type affects performance. With around 800 afloat it is a modest design with a reputation for being a robust and reliable workhorse. The forward edge curves vertically while the aft edge often connects to a rudder.

Get the best of both worlds with the lifting keel. 800-381-5335 over 90 percent of their bulb installations are on boats with external lead keels which are common on production boats. They come in six general variations.

This is quite important during off-season. In 2008 the International Sailing Federation ISAF set up a working party on keel losses and they found 72 cases since 1984 of boats losing their keels. This was a standard Beneteau 407 a boat that is anything but high-tech.