Sunday, October 18, 2009

The ultimate Twin-Keel advantage list


I might just have written about this before in one of the older issues, in which case this is a reprint (or repost). However, it's worth it. Here is the ultimate list of the twin-keel's advantages, according to this study.

I am especially intrigued by #3 as it explains why my boat can go faster than its hull speed, without planing. Just about 10% faster, which is perfectly within the range below.

1. Higher sailing speeds than an ordinary cruising yacht of similar dimensions. Surprisingly, part of the reason for this is the relatively small wetted surface, which yields improved light air performance. Modern twin keels are of high aspect ratio and present less wetted area then a full keel or long fin keel while retaining the steady helm associated with full keels.

2. The twin keels become more effective with increased angle of heel, while a single keel becomes less effective. Because twin keels cant outward at the tip, the leeward keel becomes more vertical and deeper in the water as the boat heels. The windward keel is working more horizontally creating downward lift that increases righting moment giving more power to carry sail. Also with this cant outward from the vertical, leeway forces water up to the root of the fin as opposed to spilling over the tip in a single keel. Hydrodynamic tests have shown that decreasing end tip loss can double the effectiveness of a fin (the sole purpose of keel winglets).

3. The wave pattern reshapes to reduce the fore and aft crests. At hull speed a hollow forms amidship, but the bilge keels cause a wave to form in this hollow, canceling out the stern wave and giving a flatter wake. This increases the maximum speed of the hull, as much as 15 - 20%, in the same way that a bulbous bow or stern bustle works; by reducing wave making resistance at hull speed where it constitutes 85 - 90% of total resistance. To ensure the desired effect is at cruising speed the correct fore and aft placement of the keels and proper proportions must be checked by model testing. This placement is critical, as the model data shows. Too far forward or too far aft and the resistance will dramatically increase.

4. The deep plunging of an ordinary hull is avoided by the stabilizing action of the fins which are also very effective in dampening out rolling motions. The fins also provide a certain amount of lift to the stern at speed when the hull is upright. The effect of this lift is to flatten the trim angle, i.e. reducing squatting, which flattens out the wake and lowers the resistance.

5. Directional stability is markedly enhanced by the fins. This is demonstrated both by tank tests and full size yacht performance.

6. Speed and fuel consumption under power are better then usual. The prop can work in clear water without being shrouded by the keel and rudder. In the case of the motorsailer we were testing, 85 h.p. would produce 14 knots. Also the yacht can be controlled in reverse, which is seldom true of single keel yachts.

7. The rudder areas are smaller for the same reason as the keels. Each rudder is more effective as it works upright, deep in the water.

8. Both keels and rudders can be asymmetrical (more curve on one side than the other) like a wing, and tailored to work on their one specific tack. This again makes them more efficient allowing smaller appendages. Generally it is felt that both the rudders and keels can be made 25-30% smaller because of the greater efficiency.

9. Windward ability equal to that of an ordinary yacht is achieved on a fixed draft approximately comparable to that of a centerboarder without the problems associated with lifting foils. Windward performance in rough water is superior because of the roll and pitch dampening abilities of the keels.

10. Stability is equal to that of an ordinary yacht without recourse to extreme beam. Righting moment and range of stability are at least equal to those of a well designed centerboard yacht of relatively deep fixed draft, because ballast can be placed in each fin the ballast is as low as any keel-centerboarder.

11. The general advantages of twin keels include the ability to take groundings in a level position. This allows the bottom to be cleaned and painted (although the shorter and shorter keels are making this more precarious), without the cost and nuisance of a haul out, as well as being easily shipped without a cradle. When sailing in shallow water, if one should touch bottom, the boat rights and clears itself. This is possible because twin keels draw more water when heeled than upright, unlike single keel boats which when righted dig themselves in deeper.

Thursday, October 15, 2009

New editions of the old PDF-newsletters

I have finally found out how to preserve the old PDF newsletters for the future without needing the site any longer. So I have created complete Volumes of the PDF:s per year and published them at Lulu's. Now they can be downloaded volume vise (and the single 1/2008 issue) as well as ordered in print.
The prints are quite expensive as they are full color and I am not really sure if the quality of the original PDFs is high enough to make them look good, but anyway the option is there!

Unfortunately I do not have high-resolution pics for the covers so they are a bit dull...but the inside is exactly as before.

You can find the new editions for free download or print here. The old site will be available for another year as well.

Sunday, October 11, 2009

A little self-advertising...


I hope you will forgive me for this little advertisement as it does not have anything to do with twin-keelers. It does, however, have to do with sailing. So, for those of you who occasionally read what is commonly referred to as "nautical fiction", I have finally made my own contribution to this genre. The novel is now available as a pocket book as well as a free download. If you are interested you can read more here. And this is the teaser:

"It's 1808 and Sweden is at war with Russia. The war is not going well. On land, the Swedish army is retreating continuously and all that stands between the Russians and the Swedish mainland are the gunboats of the inshore fleet. The sea war amongst the islands of the Finnish and Swedish archipelagos is a special kind of war, fought in open boats by badly equipped men without proper training. Fighting the weather as much as the Russians, Lieutenant Johan Kuhlin commands a small squadron of three gunboats on special duty. During the short and wet summer, he learns that an independent command isn't all glory and that spies can be more dangerous than Russian guns."