Swing Keal..good or bad

[growser]

So if docking for an extended period of time should I keep the keal up or down? Keeping it up would keep it cleaner, but would make the boat less stable, but putting it down lets it get gunked up. Thoughts?

[TQA]

Mine 'clonks' when there is any minor disturbance if down.

So I keep mine up but move it to half down and back once a month.

Why bl***y oysters just love the recess and will grow like crazy in there and freeze the keel. I have to slack off the line a little and go sailing on a bumpy day to move it.

[distantshores]

My wife and I sail a Southerly 49 with a swing-keel. It is real foil-shaped keel so we do not like to hear it called a centerboard.
Draft Keel up - 2'11'' (0.9 meters)
Draft Keel down - 10'4" (3.1meters)

I leave the keel up at the dock to minimize growth on it. At the dock you shouldn't be too worried about stability :-)

Our swing keel weighs 2000kg so even though corals can grow around the recess they are easily dislodged when the keel swings down.