To Keel or Not to Keel

Traditional keel added to a Chestnut Bob's Special

That is definitely a big question! Some people feel the keel helps keep your canoe tracking straighter in the water. Others say it has no effect and it's just there for show.

Historically, some canoes came with a keel, but others such as the Chestnut Prospector did not. If you're wanting a historically accurate canoe after restoration, this may be a good reason to put the keel back on.

Another consideration is where you like to canoe. Are you always on a smooth lake with sandy shores? Or are you regularly scraping over rocks and roots? The keel could help to protect the bottom of your canoe if you're rougher on it. On the other hand it could also get hung up on those same rocks when you slip sideways in a current.

Banging a keel around on rocks and over beaver dams could also loosen the screws and open you up to possible leaks. In order to attach a keel, you have to put holes in the brand new canvas you've worked so hard to stretch and make water tight.

In the past, Canadian canoes came with two different types of keels. The traditional keel was about an inch square. It may have simply been because the builders thought, boats have keels and this is a boat, so they added one. It's more likely they felt it would help the canoe keep it's course when paddled.

Alternately they would install a shoe keel which was a couple of inches wide and less than a half inch high. The thought here was to give some protection to the bottom without as much worry about getting caught up on a rock.

Either way, whether or not to add the keel back onto your restored canoe is totally up to you.

Keels get a layer of bedding compound to seal between the keel and canvas.

Shoe keel installed on a Langford.