boat owner

Skep and the Steynor Keel

Having built a prototype of the system,

Will’s next step was to get the keel

installed in a boat of his own. Having

always wanted to build his own boat,

he killed two birds with one stone and

commissioned designer Stuart Roy

to design him a 7.6m (25ft) gaffer,

into which his revolutionary keel

could be installed.

Skep, named after the domed hives

used in his beekeeping hobby, was

the result. She was built over the

space of three years, and her

designer had some tricky design

parameters to work with – the

boat had to fi t through the door

of Will’s workshop! Built upside

down, the hull was planked with

12mm marine plywood, sheathed

with glass and epoxy and painted

before being turned over, fi tted out and

the keel added before her trial launch in July 2013.

Will is delighted with the result, and receives kind comments

and praise wherever he and Skep go. But there’s more to her

than meets the eye – Skep is something of a wolf in sheep’s

clothing. Her fi n keel and bulb gives her excellent windward

performance, but the Steynor keel box, living under the

LEFT An electric

winch raises and

lowers the keel.

The webbing is

about 2m long,

so a purchase is

used to act as an

indicator and to

operate the limit

switches (circled)

➜

5

The keel is now fully retracted. The whole assembly retracts inside the

keel box, leaving nothing protruding.

3

This shows the keel partially retracted. For this boat,
the strap enters the keel box at the rear. The strap then
passes over a roller at point X, over the top of Plate 2 and then
down a slot in the joint between the two plates and is attached
to the hinged link. The keel bulb houses the hinged link.

4

The hinged link is now visible, as is the strap connected to it and the slot in

the front edge of Plate 2. The front plate, Plate 1, is hinged on a substantial

shaft and is similar in most respects to a swing keel. The rear plate, Plate 2,

is connected to Plate 1 by the hinged link at the bottom and at the top is

supported on a cross shaft with a pair of 2in wheels. The wheels run on

guide rails which are on the inner faces of the keel box.

A close look at Skep

INSET The keel is

controlled by this

switch, concealed

to starboard of the

companionway

Skep’s cabin

table features a

marquetry beehive