just watching a thing on keel failures, i was left thinking if your were a cruising sailor why would you risk your and crew on yacht with a piss farty keel that looks really week and rudders that not supported, thats asking to go tits up, full length keels with keel hung rudders are way way better for cruising yachts.

some would say , being able to sail to windward and faster is safer than a slow long keel slug .

I have a 3/4 keel slug , I don't worry about the keel falling off ,nor does my mate on his boat cause I'm so far behind him he knows I will stop and pick him up ...,as long as it's not upwind. Upside is by the time I get to the anchorage I can bludge a cooked dinner off them. . Each to there own I suppose.

If you're going long distance with a spade rudder just make sure you have s back up means of steering thats been tested and works.
If you have a poorly engineered bolt on keel with 40 year old bolts just stay within swimming distance of the coast.

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oldboyracer said..
I have a 3/4 keel slug , I don't worry about the keel falling off ,nor does my mate on his boat cause I'm so far behind him he knows I will stop and pick him up ...,as long as it's not upwind. Upside is by the time I get to the anchorage I can bludge a cooked dinner off them. . Each to there own I suppose.

In the scheme of things, keels falling off is pretty rare!!

The amount of cruisers I know who would say "my standing rigging is 20 years old and my mast hasn't been out of the boat for 40 years and I'll replace the rigging myself with the mast in.....but at least my long keel won't fall off"