Daggerboard

A daggerboard is a retractable keel used by various sailing craft. While other types of centreboard may pivot to retract, a daggerboard slides in a casing. The shape of the daggerboard converts the forward motion into a windward lift, countering the leeward push of the sail.

Daggerboards are often longer and thinner than pivoting centerboards, thus providing a better lift to drag ratio. Daggerboards are usually found in small craft such as day sailers, where their size is easily handled by a single person. Unlike centreboards, daggerboards are not usually ballasted, but are locked in place by a clip.

If a daggerboard is located off center, then it is called a leeboard or a bilgeboard.

The Mirror Dinghy, for example, uses a plywood daggerboard.

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