Twin Keels Good or Bad?

[Chattcatdaddy]

There is a Westerly (probably 31) on the Great Salt Lake and I doubt it got all the way there on a trailer!!! Probably had a fair sailor at one time.... TJ

Thats what I was thinking as well. I doubt all of these sailboats were crated across to the US. Too bad I`m not gonna be in the market for at least a year.

[mitiempo]

My first fibreglass boat was a Westerly 25 built in 1967. There used to be a distributor on the west coast of Canada. I found it to be a very solid boat, very well built and a good if not lightening fast sailor. Good basic interior with 4 berths,  head, and galley. Volvo MD1 diesel. I owned her for 2 years and spent one entire summer cruising the B.C. coast. While our harbors don't all dry out it was handy to beach her for bottom cleaning instead of paying.
In 1987 I purchased a 35' strip plank sloop that was built locally by Bent Jesperson - also twin keeled. Before my ownership she sailed to Mexico and back. I cruised locally and sold her in 1995 to her designer who proceeded to refit her. He changed the rudder configuration to three! One matching each keel and a central one for powering. Then he proceeded to sail to New Zealand and back successfully. While I would not look specifically for a twin keel boat (I didn't the first two times) , I would not hesitate to purchase one again.
Here is a link to her listing as she is currently for sale by her designer with many pictures.
http://velayachtsales.com/core/listing/pl_boat_detail.jsp?&units=Feet&id=1833469&lang=en&slim=broker&&hosturl=newportyachtsintl&&ywo=newportyachtsintl&
Brian

[Chattcatdaddy]

Now thats a awesome looking sailboat! I bet she turns a few heads while sitting on the hard. ;D

[mitiempo]

Go to the link in my post and see the rest of her. Quite an interesting boat with a unique but very workable interior. When I had her the settee to port was U shaped and the next owner (her designer) changed it to a settee with sliding pilot berth above but other than that the interior is as it was when I was the owner. The table and galley are as I refinished them in the early 90's. Interesting galley with the stove dead centre as opposed to against the hull side but again very workable. In some ways I still wish she was mine. But with the 27' CS I have now there is lower maintenance and moorage etc.
Brian

[Amgine]

Like most everything in boats, it's hard to say good or bad about twin keels.

One of the most amusing stories I heard was of a yard owner in Seattle who pulled a twin keeler into his tiny yard, the first twin he'd had out of the water. He was very impressed with how it didn't need jacks or cradle, bow over a couple car hoods. (It really is a tiny yard, I've been there.) Once it was settled in, he walked forward to inspect the furler they were going to work on.... and it tipped forward onto the car under it. (Notoriously cheap, this particular yard owner was apparently shouting that he would pay for this, that, and the next thing damaged in the accident - and he did! good yard.)

On another hand, one of the coolest things about a bilge keeler is how, as they heel, the leeward keel actually gets deeper in the water. The keels usually have a slight toe-in, which done well will increase their tracking as well as their ability to stand up to their rig. There is a tendency to have less sail area than they might comfortably carry in lighter air regions, but they can handle a deal of thrash that sends the lighter beauties home with soaked and dispirited crew.

Back in Minnesota I passed a Westerly being carted around on a flatbed trailer. Clearly it wasn't going to launch without a lift, but talk about cheap trailerage!

[Frank]

Philip Teese has been sailing his Caprice class twin keeler for over 40 years. He did a great article in "small craft advisor" a while back on them explaining the differences and why some work extremely well and others not so well. I'll see if I can dig up the article.  His conclusion was that properly designed they have a multitude of benifits. Shallow draft, grounding in tidal waters to scrub bottoms etc, being able to be aground and not heeled over for the night etc. The only draw back I see is not being able to get off an unplanned grounding as easily as you can't simply shift weight to one side.