Adding a bulb to the keel

Hi, here's another question to make the "keep it strictly standard" folks mad!

I'm considering adding a small (200 lb.) bulb to my keel, about 4 inches up from the bottom.  The reasons?  I often sail single handed; when I race in phrf I rarely have more than four guys aboard (including me); I teach the CYA basic Cruising Standard on this boat, with a maximum of 4 students aboard and more usually 3 or even 2.  I sail on Lake Okanagan in BC where big gusts and rapid wind direction changes are commonplace.  In all of these conditions I find the boat to be a bit too tender.

I've had some positive feedback on this idea from Mike Demuth who fitted a similar bulb to his boat 12 years ago, but would greatly appreciate any other opinions before I order a bulb from Mars Metal.

Will the extra keel weight over-stress the rigging?  Will a small bulb noticeably stiffen the boat?   What will be the overall effect on performance?

Thanks for your thoughts Chris.  Your comment about the boat's off wind performance strikes a chord with me, I bought a Laser partly because of its ability to surf and plane.  I'd hate to lose that planing ability.  I'm also a dinghy sailor (JY15) and I'm addicted to the rush you get when you are reaching on a full plane! 

I've sailed several times singlehanded with jib alone in a decent breeze and I concur that the boat performs surprisingly well in these conditions.

This is my first year with a Laser 28 but I learned early on that to be competitive in phrf the boat needs LOTS of crew weight.

I just thought that a couple of hundred pounds on the keel was no more than one extra crew member on the rail as far as weight was concerned, but far more effective in terms of keeping the boat on its feet.  There is the question of drag though as you rightly mention.   Having said that, most of the modern high performance boats have bulbs and they have no shortage of speed.  I realise they were designed from the outset with a bulb as part of the plan.  I wish I could assess the drag that a small bulb would add.

Regards

Tony Cooke

Instead of a bulb, you might consider sailing the laser 28 in it's original configuration. That being a 3 sail boat. Main, 100% jib & spinnaker. When my family & I 1st sailed our boat with a 150% genoa we thought at 1st "wow what a skidish boat!". Then we talked to the Bruce Farr office & they reminded me that the boat was originally designed as a 3 sail boat. The genoa tracks were installed so people could enjoy the boat in PHRF until a class got established. Well we had Doyle make us a 100% jib (not a #3) & said design the jib like one on Soling or E22 jib. Something good from 0 to 20 kts.

 We haven't missed the genoa to date. We sail with myself 2 thirteen year olds & 2 women. Our crew wieght is light & the boat is so much friendlyer to sail.

"good luck"

Comet172

Tony,

My father added a 400 lb bulb, designed by Farr, to his Laser 28, for the same reasons you state.  Farr said the boat, rig, etc. could take the loads.  It slows us down a bit down wind, but we can sail short handed to weather and not experience the slow-down-in-a-gust syndrome.  Of course, sailing short handed down wind we weigh about the same as a fully crewed boat without a bulb.  A friend in So. Africa also added a bulb, mainly because it blows so frightfully hard there.  He had to do some structural repair to the structural grid, but that was after a long slog to weather in 45-60 kts!