keelshield or Keel Guard ?

[MEG-A-BITE]

Any one here know where I can get a keelShield fitted to my boat. I think there are two brands keelShield and keel guard. Any one used either of these before?

Looking for a dealer or supplier on the north side that would fit the keel guard.


Thanks,

[stevej]

have you damaged yours ?

when buying a boat and if i ever saw one i just said no and went to another boat to look at
just said to me its taken a hit

[Archer63]

Each to their own hey.

I would think the opposite...someone looking after their boat and preventing damage.

[stevej]

Each to their own hey.

I would think the opposite...someone looking after their boat and preventing damage.

99% of the time id say its there to cover up the missing bit of skeg that was ripped off on the driveway
too many boats on the market to worry about ones with maybes

but some people like to buy other peoples problems so each to their own

[Fed]

I think steering would be a problem with a keel guard extending to the skeg.

[MEG-A-BITE]

No just had the keel redone as it had some small nick in the gelcote , from the trailer.Now want to prevent it from happening again.

[Tracker]

99% of the time id say its there to cover up the missing bit of skeg that was ripped off on the driveway
too many boats on the market to worry about ones with maybes

but some people like to buy other peoples problems so each to their own

my keelguard was fitted to the front of the boathull not the outboard keel.
https://www.keelguard.com/keelguard.html

[MEG-A-BITE]

my keelguard was fitted to the front of the boathull not the outboard keel.
https://www.keelguard.com/keelguard.html

Where did you get it fitted? And have you had any issues with it coming off?

[Bull]

99% of the time id say its there to cover up the missing bit of skeg that was ripped off on the driveway
too many boats on the market to worry about ones with maybes

but some people like to buy other peoples problems so each to their own

I think your thinking something diferent to what Megabite is after.

[stevej]

yeah my apologies on that one, was thinking those replaceable skeg guards

ive only seen issues with keel guards not sticking properly, but am sure its all related to the preparation before installing

[Tracker]

Where did you get it fitted? And have you had any issues with it coming off?

fit myself,first one started to lift but cleaned up and restuck .lasted at least 3 years boat long gone.bloody good on raby bay shit ramp.

[Spaniard_King]

Wayne, not sure on yours but you cant fit it to a boat with Keel rollers.. they simply rip it off

[soulfish]

I have had 2 before & never again..both times they delaminated from the rear & when driving the boat off the keelguard went under the keel rollers hence boat was stuck half off trailer on a busy ramp 430am holding guys up..pain in the ass IMO..it cost bugger all for a couple of gel coat repairs annually.Maybe whoever fitted them didn't prep the surface properly but not for me.if I were to ever contemplate getting keel protection I would get a stainless one made up.

[deckie]

2 years and no problems whatsoever.

No need to get them fitted...easiest dIY job you'll get if u follow directions implicitly and take time...maybe 1 hr tops. Cheaper to order direct from the states...they come with everything u need to DIY. For some reason they charge near double for them here.

get the right size according to their boat length ratio's...they extend only about 1/2 maybe 2/3rds along from under bow eye. They arnt meant to cover a problem....mine went on after a glasser slicked underneath during a renovation...most glass trailerboat keels flatten a bit with normal abrasion/wear and tear after awhile so you simply round off the keel or fix any chips before whacking on the keelguard.

As Spaniard King stated...not used with a front roller.

Great for running up onto sand bars and leaving bow on concrete ramps whilst grabbing the trailer.

made of urethane and virtually nothing on the market will adhere urethane... which is why some crack the shits if there's ever a bit of lifting.... they try to stick it back down with all sorts of crap then blame the keelguard. You need a methacrylate if there is ever any lifting problem...Plexus MA you can get from fibreglass international or woteva they call themselves these days...one of the only things that will adhere urethane.
Love mine.
Steve

[deckie]

This is mine fitted showing front trailer setup. Size was for a 5m rig. There are various ways of replacing front roller depending on how it sits on trailer and winches up. Most issues i;v heard have originated from guys not bothering to modify/make sure the guard doesnt rest on trailer rollers. Skid trailers or simply remove front roller. In the second picture the actual guard doesnt extend much beyond the picture. You can get good stainless ones fitted by a pro as well.

Mine is there for pure convenience due to mostly solo boating..i like to run up onto beaches/bars and i also return to a deserted ramp at silly hrs of the night where i can simply put bow onto concrete ramp and go grab the trailer.
All keels on glass rigs get gouges and chipping in gelcoat no matter how new the glass is, or how careful you are...even running over a small twig can be enough sometimes. Plonking the bow on a beach/bar is identical to having Arnie Schwarzenneger rubbing the keel with 40grit sandpaper...it becomes a general maintenance issue so that the actual f/glass is not exposed by abrasion/chipping/gouging of the gelcoat underneath. If you have a good look at your keel most will find (no surprise) that the max chipping/abrasion occurs at that low point of the front keel at roughly the point where bow touches water when planing on flat water...which also coincides with where the bow comes to rest on anything as well as accidents with the trailer on windy ramps etc.

Unfortunately the underneath of most trailerboats is the least maintained...we talk about merits of certain donks with fuel economy or top speeds...very rarely do you hear guys saying "slicken the hull" first to see the performance change. In some cases it is a significant performance boost. We know about cars/planes with air resistance but can tend to ignore the greater effect with water contact because we have horsepower that makes up for it. Guys that sail moths/lasers etc off trailers will often rub the hull with 2000 wetndry but we prefer not to bother. About once every 2-3yrs its worth spending a day slickening the hull instead of worrying about 1ltr per hr fuel economy or wondering why you're now doing a few kph less at wot than it once did, and thinking it is the donk or the wind on the bimini/hardtop. Wind and water resistance is a huge performance/economy issue often ignored.

Beaching at 20knts in places like Long Reef you are probably wiser to go for a full length stainless guard. These urethane types are just a convenience compromise for those who have an actual need for some keel protection at the front end. In my case i also hit a lot of twigs and crap in the hawkesbury whilst on the plane and it doesnt take much at 60kph to make a chip in gelcoat but it tends to happen at the spot where the keel starts to flatten out maybe 1-2m from bow. Handy to go ashore, handy at ramps etc etc but not an essential by any stretch and just another thing we CAN put on our rigs but often simply not necessary. If you arnt by yourself, if you dont go ashore much, if you have good ramps etc etc then unlikely you need one at all.
Bigger heavier trailerboat rigs usually wouldnt need a guard coz most simply dont get exposed to the same usage as light 4.5-5m glass rigs.
Performance ? YES i did notice a slight change in steering. Not in a detrimental way but it must vary from rig to rig i reckon so hard to comment or advise. It is only noticeable in following conditions however that (to me anyway) is the most important time for the steering to be as designed. Being a smaller glass rig i can feel a slight difference in the way the front bites on the front of a swell and slightly less precise in fast turns. So YES...no matter what they tell you it DOES effect steering/hull performance..though only slightly i found.

For those that do mainly offshore work or with larger glass rigs i'd say dont bother...for dirty water/estuary/beaching etc i;d say its probably useful to many. I'm simply the type that goes out solo a lot in enclosed waters mainly that i know extremely well...and fanging about from AtoB in often dirty water then running up or nosing onto calm little beaches and bars, pump a few nippers, push it on and off sand a lot etc etc...plus i'm out a lot after dark and often dont see those pesky twigs and current lines of floating assorted crap in time to run around them. Its main use for me is preventing sand abrasion and simple convenience back at the ramp. I;d guess 90% wouldnt get any benefit though and simply another piece of "stuff" not needed.
Hope that insight (and waffle) helps a little.