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Canting keel
How does a canting keel work? · Standard part · basis: Design rules and figures from the cited sources; example geometry by Xem Studio
Also called: cant keel, swing keel ballast, VO70 keel, IMOCA keel, canting keel rc, canting keel daggerboards, keel cant angle
Exact dimensions. True size, with no printing tolerance added.
- sizes
- 3 in table
Notes
- A canting keel swings its ballast bulb to windward on a strut, giving righting moment with the boat nearly level; separate daggerboards then provide lateral resistance (Wikipedia).
- The VO70 cants up to 40 deg; its 6.5-ton bulb gives over 176,000 N m of righting moment with the hull level. Failures of rams and seals have caused sinkings (Wikipedia).
- Used on: Volvo Open 70, Wild Oats XI, Hugo Boss.
- The file is a reference example built by Xem Studio from the numbers above (Cant 40 deg (VO70); size from IOM fin reference.). Sizes the sources do not fix are illustrative; scale the example to your own vehicle.
Canting keel size chart
| parameter | value or range | source |
|---|---|---|
| VO70 cant angle | up to 40 deg | Wikipedia (Canting keel) |
| VO70 righting moment level | >130,000 ft lbf (176,000 N m) | Wikipedia (Canting keel) |
| Banned in America's Cup class | 2007 | Wikipedia (Canting keel) |
Where the files are
Other publishers' files are linked, not hosted. "verify" = check the license at the link before commercial use.
| Wikipedia | Canting keel | web | Publisher's page; dimensions are facts |
Free files
★ Free files 1 parts. Xem Studio design: free to use, print and sell things from; not to be republished as files. Xem Studio Design License. index.json
| canting-keel-appendage | canting keel: 420 mm deep, 60 mm chord, NACA 00-series foil, bulb Ø40 × 180 mm | STEP · STL |
https://xemstudio.com/mcp to Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor or any MCP client (free, no account, one minute) and it can look up exact sizes, mating fits and free STEP/STL from every chat.Plain text: sheet.txt · JSON: /api/geometry?object=canting-keel

Fits with
Questions
Why daggerboards too?
The canted fin no longer gives enough lateral resistance (Wikipedia).




