Best Keel for Coastal and Blue Water Cruising

[h20nut]

Your comments about Catalinas being pan boats is very misleading. If you would like to join me for a tour of the Catalina plant in Largo, I''d be glad to show you the structrual grid component used in between the hull and inner liner. This is , by far the, difference between Hunter/Beneteau. Why do Catalina owner''s consistintly move up through the product line,30''s 34''s, 38''s.
I would invite comparison for value with any other manufacturer.
Do you have a problem with Yanmar/Universal engines? Charleston spar? Lewmar, Raytheon, Edson,Garhauer, Bomar, Maxwell, Aquasignal,Schaeffer furling. Where did they cut corners with second rate hardware? As far as accessability check out any new boat. Dare to compare.
I like the wing keels although, if not careful rudder damage could occur. ( A problem with any high lift eliptical spade rudder)

[WildPony]

Hi! Hope you don''t mind if I''m a little late on this subject but my husband and I are planning on cruising in the Bahama''s on our 26ft Gampian which has a 4ft keel! Also the rutter is not attached to the keel. We are doing some moderations on her to make it more ocean worthy to live aboard and live out our dream of cruising. ANY advice is much welcomed. We have gone back and forth about this keel and still have not come to a decision on what is best for the type of cruising we want to do. Mainly in the tropics where it''s warm!

Thanks,
WildPony

[WildPony]

Let me add to my previous posting that our Grampian is a 1968 and our main concern with the 4ft deep keel is with our type of cruising in the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean (Bahama''s, Virgin Islands...). Is that the wrong keel in those areas and how sea worthy are the Grampians? As I stated we are doing some modifications.

Thanks,
WildPony

[Denr]

I''d love to join you for a factory tour... in the off-season, I''m going in the water soon and must do the chores before having fun. Was the "high lift" you refered to, a travel lift? Because that is what was required to get the boat back on dry land to fix the design fault of the rudder on the winged keel boat I spoke of. I see it in my (not the owner) boat yard all the time, the Cats that have wing-dings have rudders hanging below the bottom of the keel. Many accidents waiting for the first opportunity to happen. Concerning the point about fiberglass pans, as far as I''m concerned, pans on a sailboat should only be found in the galley! Thats my story and I''m sticking to it dude!

[sleepy0526]

I''m looking at a used HC 33T and would like input from other owners on how they cruise. This boat was owned by a couple who are very experienced and the boat has great equipment and kept up well. It''s a 1984. What should I look for mostly on this model as far as significant expense from age? Thanks