Keels are essential for a boat. They maintain stability in water. If the boat leans to one side or the other, the keel plays a significant role in preventing the boat from altogether tipping over or capsize.
Mostly all boats have a keel, except the flat bottom boats. Big boats such as sailboats, yachts, ships have big keels. Small boats also have a keel but, they are not as big as the keels on the big boats like sailboats, yachts, ships.
Only for a flat bottom boats, you won’t see any keel, rest, all the boats have a keel. That doesn’t mean all the boats will have a large flat blade-like structure on the bottom of the boat. The large keel (large flat blade-like structure) is found on big boats (sailboats, yachts, ships, etc.). Small boats will have small keels.
List of popular boats that have keels
- Sailboat
- Yachts
- Pontoon boat
- Aluminum fishing boats
- Rowboats
- Jon boats
- Catamarans
- Trimarans
- Ships
- Personal watercraft
- Ski or wakeboarding boat
1. Sailboat
All sailboats have a keel (full keel and fin keel). Mostly, for a sailboat, it has a fin keel or full keel. These keels provide stability in the water. If the boat leans to one side or the other, the keel plays a significant role in preventing the boat from altogether tipping over or capsize.
Sailboats will have mostly all types of keels. Keels are essential for a sailboat. Mostly sailboats will have fin keel, and fin keel weighs less than a full keel. Meaning a full keel gives more stability, and the boat won’t tilt much if you are sailing with a full keel on.
2. Yacht
All yachts have a keel. Mostly, for a small yacht, it has a bilge keel, and for a big or bulky yacht, it has a winged keel. Many modern yachts have fin-shaped keel designs, which are lighter, faster, and more maneuverable than deep or full keel designs.
Traditional yachts will have a have long, deep or full keels. These full keels are more substantial and heavier than modern designs but stable and seaworthy. Generally, for a small yacht, you will see a bilge keel, and for a bulky or heavy yacht you will see a winged keel
3. Pontoon boat
All pontoon boats have a keel. But, keels on a pontoon boat are not as big as a keel on a sailboat or any big boats. Mostly, on a three-tube pontoon boat, you will see a bilge keel too, and on a two-tube pontoon boat, there won’t be bilge keels. On the bottom of the tubes, you will see a full keel.
Generally, for a pontoon boat, it has a nose keel in the front of the boat as well, which is attached to the full keel on the bottom and covers the total length of the boat from the front to the rear end. On the center tube of a pontoon boat (three-tube pontoon boat) will have a bilge tube. For a two-tube pontoon boat, there won’t be any bilge tubes on the sides of the tube.
4. Aluminum fishing boat
An aluminum fishing boat with a V-hull design has a keel. But, the keels are very small, not as big as a keel on a sailboat or any big boats. If the bottom of the boat is not a V-hull, then most probably, there won’t be any keel on the bottom of the boat.
5. Rowboat
Mostly, all rowboats have a keel. Although for a few rowboats, there are no keels. Generally, there is keel on a rowboat, and it is a full keel design. These keels provide stability in the water and play a significant role in preventing the rowboat from tipping over or capsize.
6. Jon boat
Jon boats with a V-hull design has a keel. But, the keels are very small, not as big as a keel on a sailboat or any big boats. If the bottom of the boat is not a V-hull, then most probably, you won’t see any keel on the bottom of the boat.
7. Catamarans
All catamarans have a keel, and each hull has a keel. Meaning it has two keels (overall). Keels on a catamaran are not full keel design; it is fin keel design. These keels provide stability in the water and play a significant role in preventing the boat from altogether tipping over or capsize.
8. Trimarans
Trimarans typically don’t have keels at all. For a trimaran stability comes from the beam and extra hulls, there is no need for a keel. Trimarans don’t have keels, which decreases the overall weight of the boat. This is one of the reasons why trimarans go faster than all the monohull boats.
All the modern trimarans won’t have any keels. But the traditional trimarans used to have a keel.
9. Ships
All ships have a keel on the bottom of the boat. There are no particular types of keels for a ship. Mostly, you will see bilge or full or fin keels on a ship. These keels provide stability in the water and play a significant role in preventing the ship from altogether tipping over or capsize.
The most common type of keel is the “flat plate keel,” and this keel is used for the majority of ocean-going ships and other vessels.
10. Personal watercraft
Personal watercraft have a keel. But, these keels are very small compared to big boats such as sailboats. Keels on a personal watercraft (new ones) are very sharp and progressing from front to rear, which increases the speed of the personal watercraft drastically.
11. Ski or wakeboarding boats
Ski or wakeboarding boats have a keel. But, these keels are very small compared to big boats such as sailboats. Keels on a Ski or wakeboarding boat are very sharp and progressing from front to rear, which increases the speed of the Ski or wakeboarding boat drastically.
Bottom line
Mostly all boats have a keel, except the flat bottom boats. Big boats such as sailboats, yachts, ships have big keels. Small boats also have a keel but, they are not as big as the keels on the big boats like sailboats, yachts, ships.