Hydrodynamic Forces and Flow Characteristics for Three-Different Types of Yacht Keel

Yacht is operated by wind-driven thrust on the saii, but also experiencing the side force. Thus the keel attached on the bottom of main hull prevents it from flowing sideway. Since the keel affects the stability and thrust of yacht, its selection is one of the most important factor in design. In the present paper the correlation between yacht hull and keel was investigated. through comparison of forces measured at various combinations of heeling and leeway angles with and without keel. Keel-only test was also performed to find out the drag and lift characteristics of keel itself. finally three different types of keel, i.e. fin keel, bulb keel and winglet keel were tested to compare their advantages and drawbacks.