Lidgard 25

**Metung** · 1st August 2010, 10:55 PM

I am a novice sailer and have recently purchased a Lidgard 25 trailer sailer with a drop keel. The top of the keel, when fully raised, is pretty much flush with the top of the coachhouse. At best, this would mean that the bottom of the keel is flush with the bottom of the boat. My concern is that when I fully lower the keel, the top of the keel is only about 400mm below the top of the coachhouse which says to me that there is, at best, only a 400mm projection of keel below the bottom of the boat. I have the specifications for the fixed keel version and they specify a draft of 1.675m. Assuming the specs for the lift keel are in that ballpark I have come to the conclusion that the keel should drop at least another 500 mm. I suspect this differential would have a significant impact on the upright stability of the boat and would make it more prone to making leeway. Do I have a problem that is worth investigating? Thanks in advance.

**PAR** · 2nd August 2010, 12:01 PM

No, your centerboard (I'm assuming) is pivoting on a pin, located at the forward end of the board. So, it may only be 400 mm from top to bottom, it can easily be 1.6 m (including hull) deep.

If it is in fact a true drop keel (not a centerboard) then you may have an issue, but I doubt it.

If the boat is a centerboard craft, as I suspect, having the board partly deployed, will not be a stability concern. If the boat has a drop keel, then you may have stability issues, but it depends on the type of boat (make, model, year, etc.)

The only solution is to post a picture of the boat, from the side, out of the water, so we can see the retracted appendage. If it's a drop keel, there will very likely be a portion of it visible. If it's a centerboard boat, then the board should retract fully within the case and wouldn't be visible.

Naturally, the quick check is to go for a sail and see if it flops over on her side.

My data base doesn't have a lot of information about your boat, just it's handicap rating (CBH-TSASA). The only information I have about Lidgard is a 40' yacht. I do have a note that mentions the Lidgard 25 as a Pratt 25, which I also have very little information about, just their difference in CBH rating.

At this point pictures would be necessary.

**Metung** · 3rd August 2010, 11:25 AM

Thanks for the response Par. I am absolutely certain it is a drop keel. I don't have any pictures at the moment but these are of a Lidgard 29. Mine has the same arrangement except that the winch for lifting/lowering the keel is not as elaborate. The vertical rectangular section to the left of the sink is the keel housing. I have been told the keel weighs in excess of 600kg - hence the winch arrangement. Consequently, I'm not too keen to pull it out in an attempt to fix a problem that doesn't exist.

**Boatmik** · 3rd August 2010, 03:33 PM

Howdy,

I would recommend contacting the designers in New Zealand.

Yacht design & boat plans by Lidgard Yacht Design Monohull and Multihull

Best wishes
Michael

**Metung** · 13th October 2010, 06:02 PM

We had our first race on Saturday and didn't do very well. It became apparent when racing against other boats that we could not point as high and were going as much sideways as we were going forward - almost. So we pulled the keel out today and it confirmed my suspicion that we only had about 440mm of an 1200mm keel in the water. The keel has nylon guides around the top to guide it down the housing and there are only a couple of millimetres stopping it dropping the full extent so we will shave those millimetres off the nylon guides. I just hope it works and makes us a little more competitive next time we race.

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