What's a biquilleâeuros?
A twin keel boat is a sailboat equipped with two weights that allow it to run aground. With this reduced draft (since it is divided by two), this type of sailboat is very appreciated by sailors sailing with strong tides or in rivers for example.
A hard reputation to "debate
It was in the United Kingdom, in the 1980s, that the first two-keel sailing boats were built by the Westerly shipyard. Although they were easy to beach, their marine reputation was not good. Heavy and imposing, they did not sail well upwind. This reputation was to rub off on the twin keels for many years.
It was not until the birth of the French shipyard Wrighton, father of the famous Bi-Loup sailboats, that the image of the two-keel boat began to be revived. But it was really the architect Marc Lombard who gave a new lease of life to these boats with two ballasts. With thin keel sails and the ballast placed at the bottom, the boats gained in performance. From now on, they have a modern design, sail upwind and are fast.
The manufacturers
If there are two shipyards that have built their reputation on this type of ballast, it is the Wrighton shipyard with its famous Bi-loups and the Fora Marine shipyard with its famous RM.
If the first ones are rather "cushy" and clumsy, the second ones have a more modern design and are powerful. For the moment, you will have to be satisfied with the second-hand market to acquire a Bi-Loup, the Wrighton shipyard should rise from its ashes during 2019 but the relaunch has not yet been announced.
Finally, the Fora Marine, which since February 2020 belongs to the Grand Large Yachting group the company intends to promote this range of boats.
However, these two shipyards are no longer the only ones to offer twin keels. Since the 2000s, new shipyards have specialized in this type of appendage or offer twin keel versions of some of their models:
- The French manufacturer High Tide with its Django from 6,7 m to 12,7 m
Second hand market : Moody, Hunter etc...
Benefits
- Reduced draft
- Ease of beaching
- Easy winterization without the need for a ber
- Choice of anchorages and stopovers
- Possibility of standing during tides
Disadvantages
- Need a facility to climb on the boat once out of the water
- Not as fast as sailboats with fixed or lifting keels
Do you know of any other manufacturersâeuros? What is your opinion on the performance of the twin keel?
