The BMW ORACLE America’s Cup racing yacht features a state-of-the-art keel that accounts for 19 of the vessel’s 24 legal tons. Designing and manufacturing the keel posed an exceptional engineering challenge. Engineers needed to balance strength with maximum hydrodynamic efficiency. The keel’s bulb or “bomb” must be heavy enough to keep the yacht upright and stable. At the same time the keelfin and bulb must have limited resistance to water flow to maintain maximum boat speed. Further complicating the design is the fact that the keel tends to vibrate as the yacht increases speed. These vibrations transfer to the hull affecting the yacht’s structural integrity. To improve the yacht’s stiffness, BMW engineers have applied similar technology used in stiffening the companies motor cars. They’ve also refined the shape and position of the keel wings to increase boat speed. Watch SailTV to see live events and special features from the 2007 America’s Cup in Valencia, Spain, full screen on your PC, 24×7x365. Be sure to subscribe to this free video podcast series and our other sailing podcasts at TheSailingChannel.TV. Visit TheSailingChannel.TV Ship’s Store

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