# Canting keel

> How does a canting keel work?

- Category: Boat design › Sailboat appendages
- Kind: Standard part
- Basis: Design rules and figures from the cited sources; example geometry by Xem Studio
- Page: https://xemstudio.com/objects/canting-keel/ · JSON: https://xemstudio.com/api/geometry?object=canting-keel · Plain text: https://xemstudio.com/objects/canting-keel/sheet.txt
- License: dimension sheet CC BY 4.0 (Xem Studio); files Xem Studio Design License (free to use and sell from, not to redistribute as files: https://xemstudio.com/license/)
- Use in every chat: add https://xemstudio.com/mcp as a connector (https://xemstudio.com/use-with-ai/)

**Exact dimensions.** True size, with no printing tolerance added.

## 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.

## Sizes

| 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

- Wikipedia: [Canting keel](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canting_keel) — web — Publisher's page; dimensions are facts

## Free STEP/STL (1 parts, Xem Studio Design License, Xem Studio)

Index: https://xemstudio.com/files/hardware/canting-keel/index.json · license: https://xemstudio.com/files/hardware/canting-keel/LICENSE.md

- canting-keel-appendage: [STEP](https://xemstudio.com/files/hardware/canting-keel/canting-keel-appendage.step) · [STL](https://xemstudio.com/files/hardware/canting-keel/canting-keel-appendage.stl) — canting keel: 420 mm deep, 60 mm chord, NACA 00-series foil, bulb Ø40 × 180 mm

## Questions

**Why daggerboards too?**

The canted fin no longer gives enough lateral resistance (Wikipedia).

## Fits with

- [Fin keel with ballast bulb](https://xemstudio.com/objects/fin-keel-bulb/)
- [Spade rudder](https://xemstudio.com/objects/spade-rudder/)
- [Skeg-hung rudder](https://xemstudio.com/objects/skeg-hung-rudder/)
- [Daggerboard](https://xemstudio.com/objects/daggerboard/)
- [Centreboard](https://xemstudio.com/objects/centreboard/)
- [Rigid wing sail](https://xemstudio.com/objects/wing-sail/)