What's the fascination with long keels?

[snowleopard]

As there is whenever the helm or crew are in close proximity to the mainsheet, whether its forward or aft of the steering position. The Liquid Vortex Myth of Malham accident was exactly this.

On my boat the sheets are in front of the fixed spray hood. I moved them there from the designer's arrangement of end of boom to aft traveller to avoid the sheet sweeping the cockpit. It is my practice to gybe the boom from 70° out to port to 90° to starboard and the sheet has never snagged anyone!

[Sybarite]

Think very carefully about this, in particular, what the interaction will be between helmsman and mainsheet in an accidental gybe when the boom is right out! If there is a possibility of a large bight of sheet getting round your head as the boom sweeps across it is bound to happen at the worst possible time.

In my configuration there would be a frame over the forward end of the rear cabin roof to support a bimini attaching to the after end of the doghouse. This would provide protection - from the sun as well because I am susceptible to sun/skin problems.

It could also be conceived as an extra strong frame to take the MS traveller too.

I had a crew member get caught like this where the MS ran across the bridge deck at the front of the cockpit. He stuck his head out of the companionway in the middle of a gybe. We were able to glue it back on though.

[Oatcake]

And those long keeled boats will become older and older and fewer and fewer because nobody builds them new any more, because the world has moved on. You might not like it but that is the reality. The very few new boats that are around with long keels are not the same either, they are mostly modern copies with the the rufty tufty look but not the feel and no performance.

There are lots of people out there world girdling in modern fin keeled boats and have been for years and the ratio of fin to long will only get bigger. Just as it has always been however regardless of design, some of those boats cruising the oceans will be better suited to the task than will others. C'est la vie.

Most people drive 2 wheel drive cars and live in spec houses, it is a fallacy to assume that what most people do is in fact the best thing to all peopleto do.

If we're dealing with the pragmatic situation of having the best possible resale value upon completion of a sabbatical then it's the benetuau, if we're talking about living on a boat permanently and sailing anywhere, then isome other boats should be considered, IMO.

[john_morris_uk]

Are you thinking of a particular model? I have sailed a great many miles in an IP 420 built around 2002. It was dreadfully slow to the extent I could - and did - literally sail circles round it in my own boat and its pointing ability was poorer than any AWB of the same era because of the wide sheeting angle of the headsail.

There is no doubt they are comfortable and have an easy motion. They are popular for American-style cruising with day-sails and overnight stops but none of the layouts I have seen have proper sea berths to the extent that with 3 up on a 6-berth boat we had to hot-bunk in the saloon. Not fun on a 15-day ocean passage!

I agree 100%. My experience of Island Packets is that although they are comfortable to live on when not passage making, the sail like dogs. They are slow and their pointing is poor.

Depends what you want - but I wouldn't hold up Island Packet as a good example of a modern long keeled boat.

[Robin]

Most people drive 2 wheel drive cars and live in spec houses, it is a fallacy to assume that what most people do is in fact the best thing to all peopleto do.

If we're dealing with the pragmatic situation of having the best possible resale value upon completion of a sabbatical then it's the benetuau, if we're talking about living on a boat permanently and sailing anywhere, then isome other boats should be considered, IMO.

I didn't say that at all, that is your interpretation of what I said. What I did say is that since nobody much is building long keeled boats any more yet everybody IS building fin keeled boats then the number of long keeled ones available is slowly but very surely reducing. Feel free to buy and sail whatever trips your personal trigger, but the fact remains that if it is a heavyweight long keeler with a keel hung rudder and a prop in an aperture then you will inevitably be sailing on a very old boat, unless you build one yourself or pay for custom build.

We are very soon to be living permanently on our boat and it is a shallowish draught unballasted wide beam little beauty, so in one sense indeed you are correct because we did consider something entirely different and bought a motor yacht! OK so we will not be crossing oceans, but we do have 1,000ml range and we will be island hopping around the Bahamas and nearer Caribbean islands and doing in great comfort! Each to their own.

[rotrax]

I agree 100%. My experience of Island Packets is that although they are comfortable to live on when not passage making, the sail like dogs. They are slow and their pointing is poor.

Depends what you want - but I wouldn't hold up Island Packet as a good example of a modern long keeled boat.

Exactly- it depends what you want. It would also appear to be the only example of a long keel boat in production. Owners appear to like them and many are on their second or third IP. Must have something going on........

[snowleopard]

Exactly- it depends what you want. It would also appear to be the only example of a long keel boat in production. Owners appear to like them and many are on their second or third IP. Must have something going on........

The owner of the one I have sailed on actually cancels his sailing plans if it means going upwind! It's for sale.

[Robin]

Exactly- it depends what you want. It would also appear to be the only example of a long keel boat in production. Owners appear to like them and many are on their second or third IP. Must have something going on........

You could just 'fess up?

[rotrax]

The owner of the one I have sailed on actually cancels his sailing plans if it means going upwind! It's for sale.

It beggars the question if he really likes boats then. After all it is bound to have one of those nice grey painted four cylinder diesel thingy's under the cockpit sole.................................

[snowleopard]

It beggars the question if he really likes boats then. After all it is bound to have one of those nice grey painted four cylinder diesel thingy's under the cockpit sole.................................

Yachtmaster instructor, over 100,000 miles logged. Yes, he likes sailing but going to windward in an Island Packet isn't sailing.