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RL24 Drop Keel position
Hi All,

I have recently acquired a mk4 whose centreboard was movable for and aft. I wish to do away with this system and build a new case in a fixed position. My issue is I do not know and have not been able to find where the board is in MK4's. Any help much appreciated.

Cheers
Shane Kershaw16-Mar-2014    Edit    Delete 
Re: RL24 Drop Keel position
Shane,

There is a cross section drawing on the RL24 Drawings page. There are no dimensions but you should be able to get a reasonable idea. But while you have the movable centreboard, it might be worth trying a range of positions to find the fore/aft position where the boat feels most balanced.
Keith Merkley16-Mar-2014    Edit    Delete 
Re: RL24 Drop Keel position
I have a Mk 4 you can measure in Melbourne.

I am not sure what you need. RL24s came with several rigs and your rig will be different to other Mk4s so fixing the keel before confirming a good position to sail seems a bit risky to me.

In addition different keel sections will have different characteristics.

More information like the type of rig and shape of the keel and wherre you are would assist others to figure out whether they can help.
greg16-Mar-2014    Edit    Delete 
Re: RL24 Drop Keel position
Shane.
Good advice from Keith and Greg.

If you are keen to race then you have a great opportunity to set the boat up for perfect trim with your current rig, but,if also considering a whole new rig or just new sails then leave the keel position till last, as how full the mainsail is, and whether your rig is flexible enough to flatten it does make a big difference to trim as the wind increases, along with your ability to consciously sail the boat with minimum heel
Rob Legg16-Mar-2014    Edit    Delete 
Re: RL24 Drop Keel position
Thanks all for the quick response it is appreciatted.

The issue I have is the movable case was taken out of the boat by the previous owner and discarded, so I was hoping to cunstruct the case once and glass in the rest of the void.

The board I have is a Holmes bros section 1480mm deep with a cord depth of 600mm. It is lead at the base and weighs 100kg.

The rig is a late 80s north skiff rig.

any further input would be helpfull. Worst case I may build another sliding setup and balance the boat prior to fixing its position.

Cheers
Shane

Shane Kershaw17-Mar-2014    Edit    Delete 
Re: RL24 Drop Keel position
Your yacht is the same configuration as mine.

I will measure the position of the mast base above the deck for reference then measure a distance to the leading and trailing edge of the keel.

If your in Melbourne, you are welcome tovisit and look at INMA, (RL434).
Greg 17-Mar-2014    Edit    Delete 
Re: RL24 Drop Keel position
I measured my keel to mast distance.

The front edge of the keel is 515mm behind the centerline of the mast.

My keel has a length of 600mm.
Greg13-May-2014    Edit    Delete 

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