Lifting the Keel

[Hurricane]

Hi guys,

I am just wondering how the keel is lifted in the Viper. I have looked at many pictures but haven't figured out the answer. If anyone could give me a simple response (nothing too detailed, pictures would be great!), I would really appreciate it!

Ryan

[Felipe Payet]

Hi Ryan:
I just finished setting up the carbon mast on my older boat, so I now have the same setup you'll have on your new one.  Here's the deal:

The keel top plate has a Wichard folding padeye on it, which is the lifting point.  Your Carbon mast will have a tang welded to the spreader bracket up the mast, from which you can hang a line that becomes a decidacted keel lift line (I used some hi-tech 12-strand 1/8" line, for low windage, high strength, no stretch, and ease of splicing into eye splices w. thimbles on both ends).

To lift the keel, you undo the two bolts holding the keel down in the sailing position, clip a 4-to-1 purchase tackle (with cam cleat; I hear some people use their old boom vang tackle when they upgrade to the gnav) to the aforementioned keel-lift line, hook the other end of the tackle to the pad-eye on the keel top plate, and haul away until you have the keel all the way up (close to 4 feet?)

Once you've pulled the boat out of the water and it's back on its trailer, you ease the keel back down until the bulb sits on its pad on the trailer, and remove the tackle (this way the keel is not being supported by the boat at all).  To launch the boat, reattach the lifting tackle, lift the keel bulb off its pad on the trailer, launch the boat, and then lower & bolt down the keel.

If you don't have the dedicated lifting line set up on the mast, you can also use the jub halyard, wrapped once around the mast just under the spreaders, so the mast takes the load at a strong, well supported point.

Make sense?

Cheers,
Felipe.