All help files Typical composite centerboard keel construction. Some of our larger designs feature integral composite keels with internal ballast but the keel described below is to be bolted on the hull just like a cast lead or welded steel keel.
Keels are often a major hurdle for an amateur boat builder.
Castings are difficult to realize and standard keels rarely fit and are expensive to ship. Many high performance deep bulb keels used on ocean racers are made from composite materials. If the builder can put together a whole hull, the composite keel will be very easy to build. We take some shortcuts in this tutorial and do not show fasteners, dimensions or scantlings. All that information is listed on the optional keel plans.