Speed Decrease w/Keel Shield??

[Cass Caldwell2]

For you guys with Keel Shields: Did any of you notice a decrease in your boat's speed after you installed your Keel Shield? I lost about 4 or 5 mph and I'm wonderning if it was due to the keel shield or applying wax because I did both the same day. I didn't know at the time but was later told that waxing a boat on the areas that touch water will slow you down.



Thanks,



Cass, the male version.

 

[Kenneth Brown]

A properly installed KeelShield SHOULD be above the water line when the boat is on plane...

Waxing the running surface of a hull increases surface area and increases drag on the hull..

Racing boats drivers and some other nuts actually sand the running surface.

KB



You may consider adding something to your handle... We already have a "Cass"

The female version!!!!

 

[Mike Zechman]

Thats typical, which is why I did not buy a keelshield.........I talked to alot of guys at various ramps and they always had a problem

 

[Jim B]

Kb5601 is right on. I have never heard of someone loosing speed because of a keelshield. I have had them on my last two boats and never say any speed loss from either of them. I just put one on my Nitro last summer and i still get the same 63mph i got before i put it on.

 

[Bryan McDonough]

The keelshield being the source if speed loss does not make sense. Waxing the pad of your boat will decrease speed. but 4to5mph is a lot more loss than i would expect.

 

[mike chip]

as kb said, it will be above the water line and will not slow you down, if installed correctly. anybody that says it slowed them down is wrong, or did not read the directions and installed it wrong. it a great investment.

mike

 

[Mike Zechman]

I still don't get the keelshield deal......I have never owned one on any of my glass boats, but then again, I never needed to cuz I'm very carefull when it comes to beachin the boat. i beached my boats many of times, but never had it all marked up. I beaCHED MY NEW NITRO 4 TIMES THIS YEAR CUZ OF THE DOCKS NOT BEING IN YET, AND I checked the hull and no marks......so whats the real reason to spend the money on one?

 

[Jim B]

Mike i guess it depends on what you are beaching the boat on. On sand i can see never getting a mark on it. The places i go you are generally beaching on rocks and lots of places dont have docks to tie off to so its either beach it or go elsewhere.



I put one on my old boat rom day one and never had a problem but on my nitro i didnt and after a few years of carefully beaching it( walking it in by hand, not with the gas motor) the keel was beat to crap and i had to fix some areas where it was damaged. Now it has a guard and my nex boat will from day one.

 

[Jody Woodruff]

Another advantage of having one is getting to beach on the ramp if the bank is muddy. There is nothing worse than someone tracking mud into the boat.

 

[Tim Jeffers]

I only beach mine on SAND, and the keel is all scuffed to heck.



BTW - I second kb's suggestion that you modify your handle - there's another "Cass" on the board and it's a little confusing.



TJ

 

[Scott Hammer TOXIC]

Straight from the KeelShield website.......

Will KeelShield Keel Protectors affect the performance of my PWC or powerboat?



Boats will notice no effect on either speed or handling. PWC tests have shown that KeelShield protectors may increase the speed of your PWC slightly and increase the tracking ability.

I have never heard of anyone losing speed with a shield.



TOXIC

 

[Bruce Freeman]

Cass (male version) how much tackle and extra weight have you added to your boat since you got it? My champion lost 5 mph last year also but it also weighs an extra 700 lbs (just a guess, maybe more) carrying a spare everything does slow me down.

BF

 

[Jim B]

Bruce might be on to something. Over time i noticed i have carried more and more stuff in the boat and it had slowed down because of it. I never noticed until it was like 4 mph slower then it was when new. removing all that extra stuff got the speed right back. This year the boat is actually a little faster, not because im carrying less stuff inthe boat but im less about 25# off my waistline, netted me about a mph.

 

[Scott Hammer TOXIC]

One of the biggest selling points is for those of us who run rivers (not necessarily on plane) because we hit a lot of junk in the water.....sticks, tree limbs, and all sorts of trash that can and will chip your keel. Had an employee of the Finger Lakes BPS show me a picture of his boat after he hit a submerged tree at 50mph. The keelshield deflected his hull off the tree with no damage....the lower unit was not so lucky. He was convinced that without the shield, he would have damaged his hull. They are also good while on the trailer. Mine actually saved my hull when in the fog I ran over some aluminum on the highway while trailering, bunged up my trailer and smacked the keel with no damage. I won't own another glass boat without one. Some of tin guys use them to seal the center rib on the older boats:lol:



TOXIC

 

[Mark Gross]

Right on TOX , I'm on the MISSISSIPPI and ST. CROIX You never know what you might come across flotting in the rivers especially in the spring time. A lot of it you never even see til it's to late. If time is a factor as in a tournament you can't really afford to go 20mph.



As far as lakes are concerned around here a lot of are lakes were formed from the melting of the glaciers . That means alot of gravel shore lines and rocks.



It's to late for my boat at present but the new one will have one with out a dought .



Mark

 

[TrepMan]

175 Sport Cass - Any clue if the responses above helped you determine if the keelshield or something other caused your speed drop? I've not installed mine, but this is the first i've heard of any speed loss due to a keel guard of any kind.