c34 winged keel vs fin keel

[bob kelly]

hi
I am considering purchasing a c34 and having it shipped to Australia. We sail in south east Tasmania where  we have plenty of deep water sailing i am trying to find some information about how well the c34 sails and what is the difference between the fin keel  and winged keel versions of the c34 and is there much difference in performance of the two types both on the wind and off the wind.It would appear that there are many shoal draft winged keel versions available for sail but not so many deep fin keel c34s where we sail we our prevailing winds are SW 10 to 20 and we often finish races in 25 to 30 knots. Any other information on the sailing characteristics would be much appreciated.
Cheers

[Jon Schneider]

I don't think I've ever read a good scientific argument against the wing keel design (as I write this, I know that Ron or Stu will post the clarifying treatise on the subject....)  The conventional wisdom suggests that wing keels don't point as well as a fin keel.  Regarding the rig, I chose a standard rig for conditions that sound similar to yours, because I wanted to minimize the amount of time I'd have to reef my sails, and I single-hand pretty much always.  If you're predominantly a racer with an able-bodied crew and your committee doesn't handicap too much for the taller rig, I would imagine you'd want the flexibility it offers for lighter winds.  Personally, I think the tall rig is just a tad too much, but the fact is that it's only a foot taller than the standard rig, so I'm not sure how big a deal it is.

[Ted Pounds]

For sailing, and especially for racing, in those conditions you want a standard rig with a fin keel.  There's no ifs ands or buts. 

[andyo]

Hi Bob
I've just bought a 2005 34 with wing keel for use in Moreton Bay.  She sails very well but I don't know how she would compare to a fin keel version. The shallow draft is ideal for the bay but I guess in Tassie (where I come from) it's not so much of an issue.
Cheers
Andy

[Stu Jackson]

You might be interested in this recent thread:  http://c34.org/bbs/index.php/topic,4115.0.html

Also, suggest you pull your chair up to your computer and do a search on the words "wing keel" and I'll bet you find lots to read.  Enjoy.