Has any one experience of or considered what the lifting keel on a Seal 28 would do in the case of the yacht being inverted during a knock down in heavy weather? Have you made any mods to strengthen the keel casing so that the half-ton of cast iron would stay within the casing, if so please exchange ideas.
Mike Edwards

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I did think about it.
And it must be desasterous. And in my case, a 27,5 ft Parker, the cast-iron floorplate would drop as well. A case in Holland is known of dropping the keel through the bottom by cause of breaking the hoisting wire, and that was under quite normal, easy going, conditions. So not upside down. I did pose this question 1,5 year before but did not get an answer. The lifting wire of my keel was connected to bolt-eye of normal iron, not stainless steel, and was rusted and nearly broken. Inspectiob and repairing was just in time !! So be careful !
The builder did not reply on this issue but was pondering on some locking mechanism but did not work out a solution. I have seen other yachts with leftkeels, not Parkers, who used a solid stanless steel bolt through the casing of the keel with a close fit. So I am curious what solutions come forward of other owners.
Sjoerd
S,Voerman

I have pondered this, too. Recently I saw a Poacher class boat (about the same size as a Seal 22). It's drop keel was held down by a s/s strut that was braced against the deckhead. Perhaps, on the Seal 28, we could contrive a shorter strut which socketed onto the top of the drop keel and was held by a cross pin through the sides of the case. This would keep the holes above the water line. A hole in the table would allow the strut to be fitted and removed as required. Perhaps the top of the strut could have a tidy plug incorporated to make a neat fitting and stop the salt and pepper from disappearing (although it would make sweeping up the crumbs easier!).
Neil Sinclair

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Gerold W

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I recently bought a Seal 28 (Nr. 53). Yesterday I checked everything for our holidays and found one of the keel lifting wires nearly completely torn apart.
I would like to repair this within the next days, but I have no idea of what is necessary. Is there any danger that the keel could rush out or is there some kind of "stop" in the bottom part? Mike Edwards wrote that the wires should be slack in down position, so I think the keel could not be lost, but does this mean that it has to be pushed upwards to reach an replace the bolt and the wire?
Gerold W.

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