ksanders
Moderator Emeritus
- Joined
- Feb 24, 2011
- Messages
- 6,592
- Location
- Mexico - USA
- Vessel Name
- DOS PECES
- Vessel Make
- BAYLINER 4788
In 2023 I completed the Baja Bash in my Bayliner 4788.
After that journey I had bilge keels installed.
I just completed the exact same journey yesterday.
Here's what I found.
The area north of Cedros Island on the Baja Peninsula is one of those areas in the world that is always windy. The wind is out of the Northwest, and it makes for a difficult crossing of 80 miles of open ocean in order to procede up or down the Baja Peninsula.
We all know how powerboat travels go. You want to get from point a to point b but you cannot always go directly. If the wind has a beamy component you need to veer off course to control the rolling of the boat to a level that is tolerable. We have all done it.
When I completed this segment in 2023 the wind was measuring in the 30 mph range on my davis weather system. With my approx 7 knots of speed the wind was running 23-25 MPH actual.
In 2023 i had to tack back and forth to control the roll.
This week I was able to make a straight line course
And... the winds were actually a couple MPH higher this year. Not a lot higher, but a couple miles an hour.
The effect of the bilge keels is nothing short of impressive! One of the best investments I have made on the boat in terms of comfort.
I have been thinking the bilge keels were really great at reducing the roll but until now I had zero real data for a comparison.
Here is a marked up photo to demonstrate
After that journey I had bilge keels installed.
I just completed the exact same journey yesterday.
Here's what I found.
The area north of Cedros Island on the Baja Peninsula is one of those areas in the world that is always windy. The wind is out of the Northwest, and it makes for a difficult crossing of 80 miles of open ocean in order to procede up or down the Baja Peninsula.
We all know how powerboat travels go. You want to get from point a to point b but you cannot always go directly. If the wind has a beamy component you need to veer off course to control the rolling of the boat to a level that is tolerable. We have all done it.
When I completed this segment in 2023 the wind was measuring in the 30 mph range on my davis weather system. With my approx 7 knots of speed the wind was running 23-25 MPH actual.
In 2023 i had to tack back and forth to control the roll.
This week I was able to make a straight line course
And... the winds were actually a couple MPH higher this year. Not a lot higher, but a couple miles an hour.
The effect of the bilge keels is nothing short of impressive! One of the best investments I have made on the boat in terms of comfort.
I have been thinking the bilge keels were really great at reducing the roll but until now I had zero real data for a comparison.
Here is a marked up photo to demonstrate
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