Page:Small-boat sailing; an explanation of the management of small yachts, half-decked and open sailing-boats of various rigs; sailing on sea and on river; cruising, etc (IA smallboatsailing01knig).pdf/66

 is also handier and quicker in stays than an open boat provided with a false keel.

The boat provided with a false keel is unsuitable for an open coast where beaching is frequently necessary, or for shallow water. If these be the conditions of sailing, the boat should have a shallow keel and a flat floor. A sharp boat ploughs through the sand or shingle on being hauled up, whereas the flat-floored boat is drawn up with little labour, and is not so likely to strain herself when taking the ground in a surf. The beach boat should be provided with (Fig. 39). These keels, running along a great portion of the bilge on either side, should be of hard wood, and be so placed that they take all the wear and tear when the boat is being beached; without them a boat's planking is soon knocked to pieces by beaching. Bilge keels increase the lateral resistance, and so to some extent lessen leeway; but unless they be so large as to be clumsy and to interfere considerably with the boat's