[C320-list] fin vs. wing keel

[Andrew Santangelo]

Hello All,  

I would also add the fin keel works for most of the great lakes.  We had some close calls in the Kalamazoo River in Saugatuck off Lake Michigan, otherwise the fin keel also works great in this region.  

The big issue is if you plan to race your vessel at all and want a chance to place you really need to go to the fin keel - the pointing ability and carrying less mass is a huge difference.  Now I cruised extensively all over the great lakes before racing and I still cruise quite a bit and I have to say pointing better towards my destination and going a tad faster to beat some coming weather is an added boost I love. I have also see a few wing keels run aground.  It is not pretty getting off vs. a fin keel.    When sailing in shallow water, I really try to avoid cutting it close regardless of fin or wing keel.  Of course that is what GPS, chart plotters and tide charts are for.

Regarding west coast sailing since I did the massive move/shipping of Dawn Treader to SFO - lots of wind, you fly with the tides (weather you want to or not), and a fin keel is totally fine.

Best Regards,
Andrew 

C320
"Dawn Treader"
#333
San Francisco



On Oct 29, 2011, at 9:03 AM, Brad Kuether wrote:

> If you can sail comfortably in your waters without worrying about going aground get the fin.  The performace difference is remarkable.   But if you have any doubt on depth, you open up a LOT of options with the wing.  And to be honest, I move along OK.  (folding prop really helps here...) Pointing is a different matter.  I find with the 150 up front and sheeted in tight, I do better, but nothing great.
> 
> My prior C&C had a 5'4" fin, and that was boarderline.  I did OK in the upper Chesapeake.  Some anchorages were out of scope.
> 
> 6 feet plus under a Catalina 320?  No way.  Not here.
> 
> -Brad, Mary, Monica, and Jarod
> "Independence"
> 2004 Catalina 320 Hull 1006
> Middle River, MD
> 
> PS - First snowfall of the season has begun in earnest.  Its supposed to be bright and sunny with highs still in the low 60s!!!!!!
> 
> 
> 
> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Chris Burti" <clburti at gmail.com>
> To: <C320-List at catalina320.com>
> Sent: Friday, October 28, 2011 1:15 PM
> Subject: Re: [C320-list] fin vs. wing keel
> 
> 
> The simplest rule of thumb is for East Coast cruising...get a wing
> keel...West Coast, a fin is fine.
> 
> There is simply too much thin water South of Norfolk not to take
> advantage of the extra foot of clearance..
> 
> On Fri, Oct 28, 2011 at 12:58 PM, Gene Helfman <genehelfman at gmail.com> wrote:
>> Dear all: In our ongoing search for a 320 (ca. 2000 +/-), we've run into a
>> mixture of opinions on the qualities of the shallow vs. deep draft boats.
>> We have a harbor and hoist situation in our home port that makes 6 ft draft
>> problematic but not impossible. Would anyone like to chime in on the costs
>> and benefits of the wing keel boats (of which fewer were produced and are
>> harder to find) vs. the deeper-draft fin keel boats? We intend to cruise
>> not race so faster turning isn't much of an issue.
>> 
>> thanks,
>> gene
>> --
>> Gene Helfman, Professor Emeritus
>> Odum School of Ecology, University of Georgia
>> PERMANENT address:
>> 498 Shoreland Dr., Lopez Is., WA 98261
>> (360) 468-2136
>> genehelfman at gmail.com
>> 
>> "Give a man a fish and he'll eat for a day,
>> Teach a man to fish and he'll deplete the
>> oceans."
>> 
>> The Book of Bob, Ironies 24:7
>> 
> 
> 
> 
> -- 
> Chris Burti
> Farmville, NC
> 
>