Keel Down in relationship to sail up

[CMikey]

I have not been sailing long as you will gather from this question. What I am doing now is putting my keel all the way down (swing keel 685 lbs.) on my Mac25 whenever I raise the Main Sail. My question: Is this proper for safety and not just to prevent side slipping.

There are times I would like to raise my sails when motoring out to the pass but while I am still on the protected inside channel and in shallower waters. Do I risk getting knocked down by a gust or when I am waked by a power boater by not putting the keel all the way down.

Thanks for any insight,
Mike

[Richard_Norman]

I cannot speak specifically to the Mac25 but I do sail a Catalina 22 with a swing keel and I believe your Mac's keel is similar in that it is actually outside the boat just not angled down when in the raised position. If so, you are not in much danger raising the mainsail with the keel up. The weight is still there and , although it will be a bit lower with the keel lowered, it should provide nearly as much righting moment while up as it will when down. Sailing performance will be significantly different but it should be doable.

[johnnyonspot]

I think what you have to keep in mind is that proper keel position is relative to your point of sail. It should be all the way down when close hauled and as you fall off the wind to a close reach, beam reach, broad reach, etc., the keel can be progressively hauled up. This improves performance as you head off the wind. That being said, in light winds I often cranked the keel up even when going to windward in order to improve performance by reducing drag. So to specifically answer your question, I think it depends on the wind direction and strength. If you are motor sailing to windward in fairly strong winds I think I would try to get the keel down as much as possible as I think the righting moment of the keel all the way up would be significantly less than having it all the way down. The Mac 25 is a very safe boat and quite difficult to capsize, if not nearly impossible, assuming all equipment is in good working order.

[CMikey]

Thanks guys for the words of wisdom. I understand the point of sail to keel placment better now. You have taken most of the "worst case" scnerio's out of my mind now. I will experiment much more now to seek to become more confident in my boat and skills as we both get to know each other better.


My mindset at the time I asked this question was more on maintaining a low center of balance not knowing if
there was a direct relationship between the keel down and the main sail up. I was thinking of the "Seasaw Effect" and not allowing for all my keel weight being below the water wheather it was down or not.

Again thank you both for replaying so timley so I can take your advice and put it to the test this weekend. Don't worry....light winds...only for now.

Mike
Naples, Fl.

[Hamin' X]

Just a note about the points of sail and amount of center board down. In experimenting with my Holder 14 and using my handheld GPS, I found that my VMG(velocity made good) to a waypoint was best with the board all the way down on Close hauled, close reach and beam reach. Partial board works good for broad reach and no board for dead run. Just don't forget to drop the board when heading up.

Rich---Hamin' X---N7ZH

[rusty6245]

One thing to remember when the keel is down is to make sure the keel lock bolt is in place. You don't have to "pin the keel" unless you will be in very heavy seas and strong winds. When not pinning the keel the bolt should be in place to provide a resting spot for the keel. I have been told that with the keel pinned or resting on the lock bolt the keel is at the proper angle of about 30*. Without the lock bolt in place and the keel fully down you will lose some performance due to the improper entry angle to the water. (It's that aerodynamics and bernoulli stuff) I always keep the keel fully down resting on the lock bolt during all points of sail. I need to spend a day or two experimenting with various keel angles versus points of sail. Good topic.