For the Carolina guys (keel cutting)

[The Conquistador]

We are looking at cutting the keel down on our 1980 Custom Carolina. She built mostly from mahogany frames and plywood. If you have done this. What’s the best way to support the boat while cutting the keel. Would you cut it down in sections or one shot the whole keel. 2nd is we also have a worm shoe on her in about 10 ft sections would you put this back on?
Thanks

[Bligh]

I can help but I have serious questions
I find it hard to believe that a carolina boat was framed in mahogany and skinned in plywood and has a keel that needs cutting? In the 80s most were framed in fir and either plywood ricky boat or juniper planked. Why are you cutting the keel? Did you increase the power and it is keel walking? Anyway you can support it more on the chine and frames. I am in South Jersey and if thats where you are and want some direction I have a lot of experience concerning your indeavor. PM me if you want and Ill give you my cell.

[54bullwinkle]

Who is the builder? May still be around

Builders there are a pretty close knit group and know a lot about just about every build. They may have some good advice for you as well.

Agree w Bligh, prob Juniper planked if it was built then.

Keels provide longitudinal strength to a hull. (essentially a central stringer). Builds without an external keel have one in the hull called a keelson. You will have to examine the hull carefully before you remove a structural member.

[Bligh]

If It has a worm shoe it is mostlikely a juniper planked boat. If you remove the sacrificial worm shoe it will mostlikely have to have a lot of glass work done. infact if you cut keel you have too reglass and the ad shoe. As conquistador said your keel may be too weak depending on how much you cut off and how it was originally framed? There is one carolina a builder back then that had the boats hunting in a following seas Sometimes, not always, If this boat is doing this cutting the keel will not help. Its because it was built narrower up front for better head seas. its the weight placement in the boat that might help more.I was involved in about a dozen carolina boats back in the 80s and early90s Contact me if you want some advice that may save$ you.

[plyand glass]

hey conquistador,
as a carolina builder and former employ of both ricky and buddy davis i think if you dig around a little you'll find she is framed with fir or maybe even juniper. as the previous post replys stated , is she trying to "ride up" on the keel at speed or running down swell "searching" with the bow
trimming the keel may help a little but most likely will not entirely "cure" any of the problems you have occuring, part of the problem may be she has a really "fine " entry with a fairly flat bottom at the transom. weight distribution and machinary placement also are a big factor. try moving some stuff aft on the boat and think about maybe spray rails to about 3/4 way aft on the chines and lift strakes ( 2 per side)
before i went a hackihg away at the keel. even if i trimmed some off the keel i would put a "sacrificial" worm shoe on her except if the bottom has been glassed over. just some of my thoughts not that i'm a boat building genius. some of the guys down there build great head -to boats that suffer a little bow dipping but it sure beats the hell out of the way some production boats are "engineered" to ride . good luck with her and let me know how it goes.

[fishvenezuela]

"Nobody that removed the keel from their boat ever put a new one back on." That is a quote from Billy Baum.


You can find him in Wanchese and he may offer you some invaluable advise on your keel project.


Good luck.

[Bligh]

"Nobody that removed the keel from their boat ever put a new one back on." That is a quote from Billy Baum.


You can find him in Wanchese and he may offer you some invaluable advise on your keel project.


Good luck.

Quote this. Give up some speed for a boat that never bends wheels when it hits a shoal. Thats what made the old warren O neals and many after so sought after. Now its all about speed instead of safety.

[The Conquistador]

Without any question she has mahogany frames and mahogany plywood. I've spent enough time sanding the engine room before we repowered her and yes we did increase the Hp. I've also put in new ot larger thru hull fitting to confim what kind of wood she is. She was built by Buddy Davis and at one time in her life she was the fightin lady.
I;ve talk to one of Buddy's guys about cutting the keel off. We are not so conserned with the strenght of the keel, my question was more about placement of the supports when we block her up for the winter. We usually have the keel blocked on dry dock. But we can not have any wieght on the keel when we cut it down. After keel has been cut down and worm shoe is back on we can set her back on its keel. (just less of it).
Yes you are correct most carolina are made from juniper.

[Captain Jay Kavanagh]

I've done it on a 30' BC Juniper boat.

We lifted the boat with extra jackstands and supported the keel where we were not cutting on it.

This particular boat had bronze keel bolts and a worm shoe.

I used a large circular saw and cut from both sides, cut right throught the bolts. dug out around the bolts and re-threaded and rebolted the keel bolts.

As for the worm shoe, I decided to do away with it and wrap the whole keel in extra glass.

I left about 4" of keel. It improved the performance of this boat dramatically and the only draw back was no more protection for the gear.

I called BC about cutting the keel of and he told me to go ahead and do it as he was not building them with a big keel any more. I asked him what to do if it did not run right after cutting off the keel. He said "put it back on."

[Bligh]

To your original question. Put extra stands around outer chine. The side of the boat is the strongest part besides the keel in a verticle pressure. maybe some blocking under engine stringers if you can locate them. Yes I know the boat and should have remembered buddy and mahogany.A very good friend[Deceased but for ever my friend} of mine had the keel cut on his 72 ft davis because it was causing problems at speed. After he cut the keel and it helped. someone told him all he had to do was round the bottom of the keel and it would have solved his problems.He always regretted cutting that keel til his death. Its the width of the flat keel bottom working as a trim tab at higher speed.Good luck