J/30 Class Association Forums J/30 Forum The Boat, Sails and Equipment keel fairing

Amen Bob...

I might add a good crew to that list also

I'm also with Bob. I race against a C&C34 that has an awful bottom - very rough but he is VERY competitive in PHRF and in his OD fleet. Also race against a guy that had his keel templated by a pro and removed much lead using a power planer last winter. He usually beats us club racing but in 2002, we tied for 1st in a fleet of 12+ boats and had to settle for 2nd in the tie breaker. We keep the bottom smooth - knock down high spots and fill hollows, sand with long board, apply VC17 (freshwater) and burnich with bronze wool. Does it help? Perhaps but most importantly the crew thinks we have the best bottom out there and that translates into a confident crew that allows the skipper to look for shifts.

All good points. I'll add my own anecdote: Some years ago my boat (then
"Air Apparent") won the NA's. I'm told the bottom was extremely smooth
and it had a professional keel job. The keel (until yesterday) was fat and
asymmetrical, 1/4" on one side. All this underscores the adage that (amateur)
races are usually won by the boat that makes the fewest mistakes. But still I
thought it was worth braving a 10 degree February NJ morning to power
plane the keel because small differences do add-up. Even a .5% difference
(i.e., .03 knots) amounts to more than 5 boat lengths on a 6 mile race,
whether you're in front of the fleet or in back. The good news: Of the
approx 30 lb. I removed, only about 10 lb. was lead - from the aft 30% to
take "bulge" out of the flat section. Confirms Bob's comments that the lead is
pretty close to right.

THE ORIGINAL QUESTION WAS "WHO MAKES THE BEST KEEL TEMPLATES?" HAS ANYONE COMPARED THE J-30 FACTORY TEMPLATES TO COMPUKEEL TEMPLATES? IS THERE ANY DIFERENCE? WHICH ONES ARE BETTER?

Compukeel templates come plotted on mylar, for you to transfer to a stiffer, more durable medium (cardboard, ply, etc.) I think the quality of the template depends more on how carefully you transfer the mylar, or if you make your own, how well you plot, fair, and transfer. Unlike other classes that have several "legal" offset tables, there is only one legal J/30 offset table and therefore the plotted product should be the same from any source. If you buy finished templates (e.g., CNC-cut), there may be fabrication differences (IMHO).

(By the way, dispose of lead properly - the salts that leach out of it are hazardous.)

I wrote an article about fairing keels several years ago for our local newsletter. If I can find a copy I would be happy to send it to you. Compukeel templates are noy legal. They don't meet the J30 Class Spec's.
Larry Christy
J30 National Class Measurer.
alchristy@comcast.net