Keel guard - worth the time and expense ???

[Moody Blue]

Came across a really good deal on some Keel Guard and was wondering what other boaters think of the product. Should I grab it while its available or pass it up?

Any issues with the Keel Guard resting on the keel rollers?

 

[DaNinja]

Re: Keel guard - worth the time and expense ???

Came across a really good deal on some Keel Guard and was wondering what other boaters think of the product. Should I grab it while its available or pass it up?

Any issues with the Keel Guard resting on the keel rollers?

We like like it on the lil' Ray. It doesn't reach our bunks. I'm guessing that most rollers don't reach that far down, either.
We're talking about the 4" (or so) strip down the keel, right?

 

[Bob's Garage]

Re: Keel guard - worth the time and expense ???

I truly believe that the Keel Guard product is well worth the effort and expense.

Let me tell you why;

I have a 22' catamaran that we wanted to beach but didn't want the damage to the keels. I contacted Keel Guard to get their opinion on whether or not it would work on our boat. They advised against installation due to it sitting on a full support trailer.

After thinking about it I went ahead and installed it on both keels, but used a different procedure for the application.

Shortly after installing the guards, my family and I were out on the Homosassa River when we jigged instead of jagging and ran aground on the hard pan.

I tore a 1" hole in the starboard Keel Guard, and abraded the port side guard pretty bad. (Actually ended up destroying both lower units but that took a month to become obvious.)

No damage to the boat itself, could have holed the hull, and sunk the boat.

Best money I ever spent.

There has been some releasing of the vinyl from the 3m adhesive along the edges, in the area of the curve. I attribute this to the fact that the hull has a very sharp entry, much more than a mono hull, which may cause more stress at the contact points. I repair the areas with 5200, which is working.

All in all, considering all the additional damage that we have done to the Keel Guards, without damage to the boat, makes the Keel Guards a must have, and I have already purchased the replacements for when they are too bad to repair.

So YES, they are worth it.