We recently covered an article about the Volvo Open 70 L40, a high-performance yacht, which features a canting keel. Most cruising yachts use a traditional fixed keel, which provides righting moment and lateral resistance; in contrast, many high-performance yachts (the L40 or another racer, Alive Yachting, for example) use a movable ballast system that usually swings to windward, countering the heeling force of the wind and allowing the boat to sail flatter and faster.
The concept of shifting ballast to improve performance is centuries old—ancient Chinese vessels managed stability by moving crew or cargo. Fiery Cross, which was designed and built by New Zealander Jim Young in 1959 was the first yacht to feature a canting keel.
Having reading L. Frances Herreshoff’s Common Sense of Yacht Design, where he proposed swinging the keel to windward to achieve the stability of a beamy hull—without the drag that comes with added beam—Young was intrigued by the concept. In his 2015 autobiography ‘Jim Young: Designer, Boatbuilder, Sailor’, Jim Young says:
I thought that a great idea. It would add greatly to the sensation of sailing, great for cruising or reaching up to Kawau Island and up the northern coast. So I built her with that set-up in mind and you can see in the photograph of the hull being turned over of a hollow where the keel fin was recessed. I knew that if you wanted speed then the boat would have to be long. And to keep costs down the hull would have to be narrow, plus having light gear with a light rig and everything else light and inexpensive. And the type of hull itself was the same as Herreschoff had advocated in his book, a double ended hull.
By the early 2000s, canting keels were standard in elite racing classes, thanks to their performance edge.
Canting keels improve righting moment without increasing ballast weight, meaning yachts can carry more sail without excessive heeling. This flatter sailing angle reduces drag, enhances hydrodynamic and aerodynamic efficiency, and helps maintain higher speeds in varied conditions. The result is a faster, more stable boat—especially critical in offshore races like the Vendée Globe, Sydney to Hobart, and Rolex Fastnet.
Because canting keels don’t provide much lateral resistance, designers often pair them with daggerboards, or twin rudders. These additions help maintain directional stability. Some systems also allow the keel to be lifted vertically to reduce draft, which improves access to shallow waters and reduces wetted surface area for speed gains.
Despite their benefits, canting keels come with trade-offs. They are complex and costly to design, install, and maintain. Hydraulic and electrical components require regular servicing and introduce potential points of failure. A malfunctioning canting system can compromise a boat’s stability—unlike fixed keels, which are passive and reliable. These factors make canting keels less suitable for cruising yachts, where simplicity and durability are more important.
Famous yachts using canting keels include:
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IMOCA 60s – Solo circumnavigation designs used in the Vendée Globe.
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Volvo Ocean Race VO70s/VO65s – Offshore racers built for high-speed passages.
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Supermaxi Wild Oats XI – Features both a canting keel and retractable centreboard.
In all these cases, the goal is the same: greater sail-carrying power, reduced heel, and more efficient sailing.
Canting keels represent one of the most important advancements in modern yacht design. While unsuitable for many cruising applications, they have revolutionised racing yacht performance and remain a go-to solution for teams chasing every possible speed advantage. Their success underscores how engineering continues to evolve the sport of sailing.
