Old 'Keel' Design and new modified version.
First I cut off the deep forefoot.
Then I installed a dagger board case with the ability to move the board fore and aft 30". Adjust the CLR.
Even with the forefoot removed, and the dagger board full aft, there was more weather helm than I would like. Vastly improved, but still not perfect.
Now I have added the new rudder, which is about 6 inches further forward.
I think from this angle
you can see that there is at least a little rudder ahead of the pivot line.
Also, you can see my pattern (thin Pine board) for the new keel shape. (pending
how the new rudder location works out)
I have not added the new aft keel shape yet, it is made and ready to install... I want to sail the boat with the new rudder first...then add this if needed. I am not thinking the new rudder will improve the balance, it may even make it worse. I just want to get the feel of the boat with the new rudder vs a new rudder and a new keel. In the past, I tended to make more than one change at a time and could never decided which change did what. So this time I want to go at it more slowly.
Three months
later....after sailing the boat with the new rudder I have found
the balance to be pretty much perfect. So for now I am not adding the skeg aft...I
would love to try it, but don't want to do all the work.
As it is right now, The helm is perfectly balanced exactly right up until it
is time to luff the main...or if the pressure looks settled in, reef the main.
Just exactly what I was after. At no time in light pressure is there lee helm
and up until the high end of the pressure the weather helm is (in my mind) ideal....light
but definitely there.
Next move is to relocate ballast from the interior ballast box to below on the
deadwood keel. It also need to go slightly aft of its current location.
Another reason for NOT adding the skeg (I found out accidentally) was the ability
to beach the boat stern first. This is an wonderful option. See the Okanogan
Lake trip.
Original 'keel' design.....
My proposed modified keel and approximate current location of daggerboard full aft.
I figure with these changes, I can have more of a variety of sail choices and have the full benefit of the adjustable dagger board.
This is the 'shortened' forefoot.
