Bilge Keel / Twin Keel what is the deference and the best for a 45ft steel ketch?

Question

I am looking to get a cruising yacht about 40 to 45 foot

and I was thinking about a ketch with a bilge keel.

Must be setup for short handed sailing but I seem to get conflicting information, some people describe boats with a bilge keel other twin keel and it is the same boat HELP what is the best and have I done the right thing going for a steel ketch.

Some one with practical experiance let me know what you think

Answer 1

woah...NOT the same!

Twin keel is just that...two keels offset from hull centerline. It enables the boat to sit on it's keels at low tide and on the hard...usually, but not always without jackstands.

Bilge keels are usually two of three keels. There is a shallow centre keel and a shallow keel on each opposing side near the turn of the bilge...hence bilge-keel. Typically a shallower draft boat which will still lay over at low tide and need stands on the hard. Typically an  owner will sit the boat on her center keel and place blocking under the bilge keels.

Neither is ideal. The best for you depends on the water you want access to or how much aggravation you are willing to put up with if you find yourself in tidal waters. Typically, a bilge keeler will have a shallower draft.

Steel ketch?...typically heavy and undercanvassed...so slow but very stable. And...you can't easilly break them. There are no right or wrong answers. If you feel you need 54ft and you want it practically indestructible and you aren't going racing, then you probably are heading in the right direction.

Good luck.

Answer 2

WOW!  Such sudden excitment...

Twin keels or bilge keels are "technically" the same... (basic size, placement, shape differences by the designer is only difference).  Though some have four "keels" the names have become interchangeable... (meaning "keels" extending from the bilge... )    

They were originally derived from "rolling chocks" which were originally simply designed to  reduce the roll amplitude.  "Rolling chocks" were originally an "aftermarket" product that boat designers latched on to and added to their original designs.

The "two" keels (I don't mean to give 'em yet another name vs "twin or bilge" but that is what they are).  Anyway, the "two" keels that emerge at an angle from the hull of a sailboat, at or near the bilges are set so that the angle allows the boat to have a shallower draft while still allowing for minimum leeway while sailing.

The placement of these "twin or bilge" keels does allow the boat to stand upright when out of the water - but this is a non-issue when sailing, and only a "fringe benefit" when carefully planned for a low tide... other than that... Who wants their boat out of the water?  And when it is... Who cares if you need a cradle or not?  And the opposite is true with these vessels that "run aground"... the very advantage you had at low tide is now a double whammy!  Now you have two keels and an unprotected rudder firmly stuck and you are totally unable to "roll" your vessels keel out off the bottom.

  

The real issue however is the "operational aspects or benefits" of these keels when sailing...

Here is my opinion...

Pros of the bilge keeler:

1. draws much less water than a fin or full keel when upright

2. less roll in high seas

3. will not lay on it's side in low tidal zones

Cons with the bilge keel boat:

1. more wetted surface area than on a fin and in some cases (or designs) even more than a full keel.

2. surface area goes down the more you heel.

3. slower than fins and not measurably faster then full keels.

4. Draw is deeper when you are going faster... when heeled - your keel drops lower.

5. Need more weight for same stability as full keel

6. Keel bolts need to be extremely strong, these type keels are high maintanence - they get a lot more pounding and turbulence.

7. Rudder is not protected as with a full keel

As a footnote:  On lakes, rivers, parts of ICW... bilge keels can be a pain.  Going aground is a bit more problematical and the lack of pointing can make a big difference to progress (think: making way up a channel with the wind on the nose).  

For an ocean passage, true blue water vessel, my experience has been that a really heavy displacement hull with a full ballasted keel will make a much more stable, smoother, less tender vessel.  In the same size vessel, weither wood, fiberglass, or steel, the heavier displacement vessel with a full keel will give you the most comfortable ride - under any conditions - in the ocean...  

In these "twin or bilge" keel vessels, up to a certain point the leeward keel is more vertical as you take on 10-15 degrees of heel, but thereafter the entire purpose and plot falls apart as the windward keel begins to clear the water and the leeward one is off the centreline (modified by heel) hull shape and not in-line with the rudder.

Happy & Safe Boating

Answer 3

Yes , they are the same keels . But if you want alittle more information on it , get the Sailing Bible . As far a steel ketch goes , its all in what you want out of your boat .

I would never buy one but that's just me . Sailing is like anything else . You have to find the boat that suits you . I like a glass boat , shallower draft so I can get closer to the islands. But if your doing some ocean cruising then you should be fine.

Answer 4

Twin Keel... and exposed rudder - maybe - unless you use twin rudders, (one) behind each keel. If one is damaged, at least at upright plane there is some steering. Two small pod/sail drives also allows great manoeuvrability in tight spots and saves shafts and gives redundancy safety.