I've got a 44 DeFever and she's rolly. My concern with bilge keels (and
I got a degree in Naval Architecture back when we used slide ruls. No
Computers!) all cargo ships and most Naval vessels had bilge keels, even
tankers, though I always wondered why you would even worry when your
hull looked like a 2 x 4 floating on its side.... but if you're getting
hauled out by a carry all, wouldn't a great proporation of the weight of
the boat (in my case 22 tons!) be carried in the sling on those 2 x 4's
glassed onto the turn of the bilge, right where you would want a bilge
keel. That's why I never followed up, because putting them on was the
first thing I thought about when I took a stiff wake on the beam. I'm
looking at a picture of my boat up on the hard and I've always wondered
where I would put them? She's realllllllly round!
I just thought of all the internal structure I would want to beef up the
bilge and dropped the thought. The only other option would be to make
the bilge keel discontinous and establish a " put slings here" area.
That's two breaks in the keel. Not too sure what it would do to crusing
speed or fuel consumption but it couldn't be good.
A steel hull would be no problem, I would think.
I sure want to see Bob's setup.
John Blackburn
44 DeFever "Yak Rack"
Deale, MD
I've got a 44 DeFever and she's rolly. My concern with bilge keels (and
I got a degree in Naval Architecture back when we used slide ruls. No
Computers!) all cargo ships and most Naval vessels had bilge keels, even
tankers, though I always wondered why you would even worry when your
hull looked like a 2 x 4 floating on its side.... but if you're getting
hauled out by a carry all, wouldn't a great proporation of the weight of
the boat (in my case 22 tons!) be carried in the sling on those 2 x 4's
glassed onto the turn of the bilge, right where you would want a bilge
keel. That's why I never followed up, because putting them on was the
first thing I thought about when I took a stiff wake on the beam. I'm
looking at a picture of my boat up on the hard and I've always wondered
where I would put them? She's realllllllly round!
I just thought of all the internal structure I would want to beef up the
bilge and dropped the thought. The only other option would be to make
the bilge keel discontinous and establish a " put slings here" area.
That's two breaks in the keel. Not too sure what it would do to crusing
speed or fuel consumption but it couldn't be good.
A steel hull would be no problem, I would think.
I sure want to see Bob's setup.
John Blackburn
44 DeFever "Yak Rack"
Deale, MD
