# Lifting keel on Seaward 26RK wonder if they give any trouble



## videorov (Dec 2, 2006)

Im looking for a shallow water sailboat and wonder if the electric lifting
system gives you any trouble. Can it be lubicated and can you get to all
the pulley system that lifts the keel?
Im also looking at a Santana 23D boat which has a manual lifting keel and
gets into shallow water.
What is the draft of the 26RK, Ive seen a few diffrent numbers.


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## benesailor (Dec 27, 2012)

We have a 2012 seaward 26rk in the marina. Nice boat. Don't know how it sails. 15 inch draft. It will pretty much go anywhere. It seems to be very well built with first class components. It was very pricey as well. 100k+ I believe the older seawards are of a different style. More around 2 foot draft. Seaward swears buy there keel lifting system. The motor and winch is at the base of the mast (deck stepped).


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## videorov (Dec 2, 2006)

Yes its to bad the prices of these boats are getting way to high for most people get into a new boat. 
I found the Presto 30 too and it gets into real shallow water and its over
$100,000 when you finish with it. Its to bad these prices are getting so
crazy.
I wonder when these companies are going to bring out boats at lower prices
and get people back into sailing again.


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## SHNOOL (Jun 7, 2007)

I'm not defending high prices here... but sailboats don't sell like they once did. More directly though, the process to make fiberglass boats is "EPA restrictive." Frankly unless you are making water based pancake batter the EPA/GOV breathes down your back while you manufacture (I am not saying that's bad or good)... but it's fact. Which makes it pricey and time consuming to do business. I also suspect it makes manufacturing in this country safer than it's ever been.

Long and the short of it I believe the boats are likely priced where they can JUST barely make a profit, I don't think any of these builders are making a fortune. 

If you want to see what has to be done to make a modern sailboat, watch the Left Coast Dart on FB, or that other board. They are pretty open about their processes and you'll also see that it's a very labor intensive process with some highly skilled labor. I am quite sure Seaward is the same way. It's a wonder we have any small production sailboats being made at all.

Again, this is just an opinion.


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## nicolwj (Dec 13, 2013)

I own hull #1 of the Seaward 26RK. I bought it from the original owner about 7 years ago. I love this boat! You have to pay attention when coming about or you will either fall off too much or stall the sails. This is, I suppose, because of the high aspect ratio main. But it is a solid, well built boat that is easily single handed. I feel completely safe and have enjoyed owning her immensely.


The lifting keel is wonderful and a burden at the same time. I sail primarily in the upper Potomac River, but have trailered to the Cheasapeake and Smith Mountain Lake. Never have to worry about running aground... if you do , simply raise the keel 6" and sail away. Also, because of the lifting keel, the boats center of gravity is much lower when trailering, making for a safe, controlled ride. 

The burden: hull #1 has the winch so close to the post on top of the lifting keel that I couldn't service the rotor cap that controls power to the winch. I eventually corrected that by hardwiring a switch back in the cockpit. This has made it a much more reliable method than before and I am sorry I didn't do it sooner.

Bigger problem just happened three months ago. Keel got stuck about halfway down. I thought it was just some growth (happens occassionally) so I used a 3lb hammer and normally knock the keel down an inch or two until it is free. Something else is wrong this time. I couldn't knock it down, so I fastened the main halyard and tried to pull it up while applying 'up' power to the winch. The stainless steel cable parted, but the keel is still stuck. So I now have a fixed keel boat with a draft of about 2.5 feet. I plan on having her lifted with a travelift onto the trailer next spring. Hoping whatever is stuck will get unstuck when the weight of the boat pushes down on the keel. 

At that time, we'll drop the mast and take the winch off to get to the turning blocks that control the lift.

more in the spring


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## jimgo (Sep 12, 2011)

Nico, I'm sure you've already thought of it, but be sure to inspect the keel before you drop the boat onto the trailer. Depending on what the obstruction is, you could do some serious damage if it is forced into the keel trunk. If it's "just" organic debris, you may be fine. But if is a rock, shell, etc., or a misalignment in the keel, you may be asking for trouble by forcing it.


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## Ajax_MD (Nov 24, 2009)

Nick-

I'd call Seaward before just dropping the boat onto it's keel. Some real damage could be done there.


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## svHyLyte (Nov 13, 2008)

videorov said:


> Im looking for a shallow water sailboat and wonder if the electric lifting
> system gives you any trouble. Can it be lubicated and can you get to all
> the pulley system that lifts the keel?
> Im also looking at a Santana 23D boat which has a manual lifting keel and
> ...


It might be wise to visit the Seaward Owners Forum


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