Temporary keel strips? | SouthernPaddler.com

Temporary keel strips?

beekeeper

Well-Known Member
Mar 4, 2009
1,917
59
I have trouble keeping my boat in position to fish from. The slightest wind will move it. It has two keel strips 12" apart. I believe they are ineffective because I filleted and glassed over them.
img_3160.jpg

Would adding another strip over these help? I was thinking (usually wrong or dangerous) one 3/4" thick with square sides, not glassed might work. Do keel strips really help with this problem?

How could these be attached temporarily? Could I put screws and just repair the holes with epoxy, if I choose not to leave the strips on? If they help and they are to be permanent, should they be glued?




beekeeper
 

JEM

Well-Known Member
How about a rudder controlled with foot pedals (like a kayak) instead?

Or you could install some bolts stick out the back of your transom and fabricate a skeg that you could hang off the back and remove as needed.

Just a couple of ideas.
 

Jimmy W

Well-Known Member
May 1, 2006
611
1
north georgia, USA
You could make a leeboard that pivots from a removable thwart or that clamps to the gunnell and raise or lower it as needed. That way it could be located at the center of effort of the wind on the boat.
 

beekeeper

Well-Known Member
Mar 4, 2009
1,917
59
Thanks to all that have replied. I will try to explain my situation and ideas better and hope it don't sound like the horse led to water, but wouldn't drink. Most of my fishing will be and has been on Lake Bistineau, a cypress flooded swamp.

IMG_0127-2.jpg


JEM said:
How about a rudder controlled with foot pedals (like a kayak) instead?

Or you could install some bolts stick out the back of your transom and fabricate a skeg that you could hang off the back and remove as needed.

Just a couple of ideas.

I tried a temporary skeg clamped to the transom. Results were inconclusive, and it was troublesome to take it off in shallow water or when loading the boat, etc. I wondered about a foot control rudder, but my boat is too heavy and cluttered already. I wanted to keep things as simple as possible. I would try this again if there was a simple design that could fold up or move out of the way easily.

keith said:
I say use a anchor or trolling motory later keith

The trolling motor helps recover my position easier after being moved, because only one hand is needed. Where to mount the motor is a separate problem I haven't solved yet. I will try the anchor idea. Usually only make one or two cast at each tree, but letting the anchor up and down at each tree may be what has to be done.

bearridge

bearridge said:
why not jest fish where the wind takes ya? [grin]
That would be the shore, under somebody''s pier, wasp nest, etc. (grin)

Jimmy W

Jimmy W said:
You could make a leeboard that pivots from a removable thwart or that clamps to the gunnell and raise or lower it as needed. That way it could be located at the center of effort of the wind on the boat.
I will have to get back to you on this. I don't know what leeboard or thwart are.

My goal for this boat when I built it was to keep things as simple, easy, and hassle free as possible. I did not want any motor (repairs, maintenance), nor trailer (lights, flats, bearings, inspections, tags), electronics (blown fuses, lost data, dead battery), or any of the other "joys" of owning a boat. I have not reached that goal completely, but I am having fun trying.

Has anybody had a boat without a keel strip and then added one? Was there any significant improvement with the wind problem? Is a boat with rocker more affected by wind than one with little or none? Most discussions I have read about keels pertain to tracking issues. Is the wind problem common to all designs of small boats or is mine worse?

beekeeper
 

Jimmy W

Well-Known Member
May 1, 2006
611
1
north georgia, USA
An example of a leeboard and thwart.
http://www.enter.net/~skimmer/building/building.html
another:
http://flapdoodle.250free.com/Leeboard.html
Being blown by the wind is common to small boats, but varies according to how much area the wind has to blow against and amount of resistance in the water. Screwing another strip onto your existing ones would help the rear of the boat from blowing around some. You might still need something similar in the front. I still think the leeboard would be worth trying. It could be tilted up or down from your seat.
 

jdupre'

Well-Known Member
Sep 9, 2007
2,327
40
South Louisiana
Beekeeper, are you going to use a kayak paddle? I've found that if you get in the position you want and just lay the paddle in your lap, it's handy to grab for a couple of strokes to keep you going straight. You don't have to put the rod down, just grab the paddle in the center with your free hand and make a couple of corrective strokes. You're not going to be able to fight a stiff head wind but if you drift in the general direction of the wind, you can keep the boat where you want it.

Joey.
 

oldsparkey

Well-Known Member
Aug 25, 2003
10,479
123
Central , Florida
www.southernpaddler.com
For some reason if you want to be stationary the boat wants to move , if you want it to move then it wants to be stationary. The wind is always blowing just when you get to the spot you want to stay at for a while and fish.

I have found that the easy way to beat the system is to pull into the weeds a little and cast from there , or along side a tree and the best spot is in the lee out of the wind till the wind finds you. I have even been known to pull a thin branch down and sit on it to stay in one spot for a few minutes. :D

Chuck.
 

Kayak Jack

Well-Known Member
Aug 26, 2003
13,976
171
86
Okemos / East Lansing Michigan
Might be just the angle of the photo, my eyes, or my glasses. But, those two keel strips do not look aligned with the centerline of the boat. They look like they are closer together at the front end than at the back end. If so, I'd start by removing them, and installing two that run about 5' long, about 2' apart, say, each one a foot away from the centerline.

Whatever, it's obvious that the present arrangement is not furnishing sufficient lateral stability from sliding across the water. Put in more resistance until you get what you want. Tape some on, go fishing, and see what change in performance you get. Keep experimenting with slats and tape until you get a set up you like. Then glue and screw them into place. Seems pretty straight forward to me.
 

beekeeper

Well-Known Member
Mar 4, 2009
1,917
59
Jimmy W & JEM
Thanks for the links and picture. I asked at Home Depot for a leeboard. They said they only had pine and oak, and they had never heard of a lee tree. The leeboard may be my answer. I tried this logic with the temporary skeg, but my thinking was backwards (as usual),or at least on the wrong end of the boat. I really would like for the additional keel strips to work so things would stay as simple as possible. If I can attach them in a way that will be sturdy enough, but would detach with minimal damage I would like to try that. I had hoped someone with experience would know if this would be worth trying before I went to all the work and it not be. It seems most folks put up with the problem, fish other types of habitat, or accept that they can only fish where the wind takes them.

jduore'
I have used a double paddle and works well for repositioning the boat after it drifts out of position. My boat may prove to be too wide to paddle easly. I have finally built a temporary sliding seat to try to learn the best place to sit and paddle. Even with the trolling motor I often use the paddle while fishing because it's fun to ease up to a tree and catch one up close and personal.

oldsparkey
For some reason if you want to be stationary the boat wants to move , if you want it to move then it wants to be stationary. The wind is always blowing just when you get to the spot you want to stay at for a while and fish.

You have stated the problem.

Kayak Jack
The strips are aligned with the center line six inches each side. Probably the picture, not your eyes. I know less about pictures than boat building, if you can believe that. My boat is not wide enough to put the keel strips 2' apart (16" at the rear). How should I tape them so they will stay on (duct tape, double sided tape, or?)?

It will be some time before I can get on the water to try some of these ideas, but I will post when I do. If anybody has used a leeboard please share you thoughts. If I use screws to attach the keel strips and then remove them, would filling the holes with thickened epoxy be the best way to repair the holes?
 

Kayak Jack

Well-Known Member
Aug 26, 2003
13,976
171
86
Okemos / East Lansing Michigan
You use the handy man's secret weapon: DUCT TAPE. I'd lay a strip or two across one, just to temporarily hold it in place. then, starting from the rear, run short strips, say about 2' at a time, along side and overlapping the keel. Run another along the other side, and overlap it up onto the first strip. Continue along both sides until you run out of either tape or keel. Pull off the cross strips as you come to them, or jsut tape right over them and leave them. Mox nix.

Working from the rear to the front overlaps the ends in a way they shouldn't catch on underwater obstacles too badly.

If that configuration doesn't work - untape and modify.
 

Jimmy W

Well-Known Member
May 1, 2006
611
1
north georgia, USA
beekeeper said:
If anybody has used a leeboard please share you thoughts. If I use screws to attach the keel strips and then remove them, would filling the holes with thickened epoxy be the best way to repair the holes?
I never have, but I know that some on here have used leeboards as part of a sailing rig. That is what they are usually used for, but their function is to stop the wind from blowing a sailboat sideways. They would not help if the wind was blowing from the front or back. I don't know if anyone has tried them for what you want. A sea anchor would also slow down the drift and would be easy to make with a sewing machine and some strong cloth and a hoop. You might be able to use a hula-hoop and weight one side so that it would float vertically.
boatbrakes.jpg

Yes, I think that thickened epoxy would be the best way to repair the holes.
 

oldsparkey

Well-Known Member
Aug 25, 2003
10,479
123
Central , Florida
www.southernpaddler.com
Click on this to pull up some pictures of a sail rig I made for a Pirogue , it has some good pictures of how the lee board is made and attached.

The pictures will enlarge when click on them.
http://www.unclejohns.com/boat/littleton/Default.htm

The plans for the outfit on a Adobe format.
http://www.unclejohns.com/boat/sail/sail.pdf

As far as straight line drifting and a way to go slower with the wind ... drag a short chunk of chain off the one end. Don't forget to attach it to a rope and to the boat. The chain will not hang up on stuff as fast as a regular anchor of a sea anchor.

Chuck.
 

bearridge

Well-Known Member
Mar 9, 2005
3,092
4
way down yonder
Seems ta me them floatin' anchors, side boards 'n such mite do okay (but not good) in open water, but if yer fishin' up in the ironwood 'n scrub trees near the bank, wont that stuff git all tangled up....kinda like the loop on Ronnie's Cadillac Kayak? Seems like it mite even turn ya'll bottom upwards?
 

Kayak Jack

Well-Known Member
Aug 26, 2003
13,976
171
86
Okemos / East Lansing Michigan
When a pastiming hobby gets that complicated - it had BETTER be worth the effort. Cheaper n easier to go to a fish market. Better yet, go to a supermarket and buy steak.

If the jiggling and squirming on the end of a pole is exciting to you - tie on a puppy dog and wrassle him for an hour or so. Unlike a fish, when you let him loose he'll lick your face and be your pal for life. No smelly fish ever did that!
 

JEM

Well-Known Member
You could make a simple aft skeg that hangs off the transom.

Now keep in mind the size and proportion isn't exact. Just an idea/concept. But you could cut something out of 3/4" ply easy enough and trim and make adjustments as needed. Probably want a t-brace near the bottom to minimize and torquing stress. Could make from aluminum or some other material. But I'd prove it out with plywood first.

Doesn't look like much but it will provide a lot of directional control. I drew it flush with the bottom but you could have it hang deeper.


RemovableSkeg.jpg
 

JEM

Well-Known Member
Yea that kind just popped in my head. The design needs a little refinement and getting that tail pinched in some rocks in a strong current could cause issues but it doesn't sound like beekeeper ventures into those situations.

For cheap and effective, that's about as simple as it gets.

I thought of something else: A person could construct a small rudder like on a sail boat using these:

RL790-G_big.jpg


Then just use some bungee cords to hold the rudder in a straight position. If the boat hits some rocks, the the bungees with give and you won't tear up the rudder. Just depends on how complex you want to get.