What are the pro's/con's of a winged keel?
How would you like it if all of us east coast people were to pack up and move to the west coast?I don't know how you guys on the east coast can stand that skinny water.)
I agree with you there. My swing keel is not that heavy (Mirage 5.5m) but the upwind performance is not great. Another trade-off. However, the low or neutral weight CB designs (Bristol, Tartan) I have seen really work well in shallow waters. I sail mostly on Pamlico Sound which has a lot of tricky, shallow spots that keep moving around. I run aground quite often but all I have to do is lift the keel a little and I'm back in the game.Perhaps a light-weight centerboard might work (much less risk of damage), but the swing keel made me a bit nervous.
If I'm anchoring in 15' of water, I'm probably asking myself why I picked a spot that is so darned exposed. I normally anchor in 7' to maybe 9' (I draw 4'). When sailing, I start paying attention when the depth gauge shows 10' or less. I really like to be in water deeper than 25', but that's because there are far fewer crab pots and pound nets that deep. A lot of the Chesapeake is just a big puddle. Beautiful, but not deep.I am curious on how you guys do it on the East Coast. Is the really skinny water at entrances and you guys work your way in under motor? What is your average depth while sailing? We like to find "shallow" water to anchor in (usually 15-20'). My record anchoring depth was 96'!