More Keel Questions

[Maria CS20 104]

I was reading the last comment on Keel construction and I really like the idea of laminated construction as I can cutt fir strips that will easily follow the curvature of hte hull at 3/8th or so.  In addition while building these up I was wondering, the engineer in me about runners about 12 to 18 inches on either side of the keel to provide rubs when beaching the boat.  Has anyone done this on a CS 20?  I saw this on a 20 foot fishing boat but don't know if it would mess up traching while sailing or improve it.  But I thought it would help kep the chines and bottom off the beach and more readily improve tracking on a heeled over position.  Talking from NO experiance, just an idea.  Thought that these runners could be about 3/4's think and 1 inch high for the lenget of 2/3d's forward from stern.  Any comments or ideas? 

Jim

[Tom Lathrop]

Sure, some have installed rub strips out near the chine or closer.  Some have used stainless hollowback strips along bottom of chine.  Especially good when coming in on concrete ramps.  If the rub strips are parallel to keel, there is minimum loss due to drag and tracking can only be improved while tacking may be slowed a tad.  Neither of these are likely to be ever noticed.

I use Xynole cloth well set in epoxy on the bottom which covers this problem pretty well and works better on oyster and other shell beaches.  Nearly indestructible.

[Dale Niemann]

On LIvely, I covered the keel and about a 6 in wide strip on the bottom at the chine in the midsection with Xynole cloth. I have had no problems beaching and letting the boat rest on the keel and either chine.

Dale

[Joel B]

Tom

Do you use Xynole cloth on the bottom of the core sounds? If so is it in addition to glass or instead of glass?

Joel

[Tom Lathrop]

Joel,

I have not built a CS but have been around a lot of them.  I did sheath the bottom of my Bay River Skiff.  At that time, I used Vectra polypropylene which is also much better than glass for this purpose.  I used Vectra because that is what I had on hand.  Since then, I have tested these materials and find Xynole to be superior to the rest.  I would sheath a boat that would be used in grounding on beaches, especially if there were oysters or other such rough stuff around. 

I didn't sheath the hull of Lapwing.  I considered putting Xynole on the first couple strakes from the keel but did not.  I may regret that and can always put it on later.  In any case, no other cloth is required although some use lightweight FG finishing cloth which they think makes fairing easier.  That may be true but the FG does not have nearly the abrasion resistance of Xynole, so why use it on the outside of the Xynole?

[PAR]

I consider the keel (a cute little skeg really) on the CS series more of a sacrificial part then anything else. I would coat and sheath it independently of the hull, then bed in goo of choice (polysulfide, polyurethane, etc.). Personally, I'd just encapsulate the piece, no fabric, drop it in bedding compound, and attach a rub strip to the bottom (HDPE, aluminum, stainless, bronze, etc.).