We tried once to run a rope completely around the hull to "snug" the board firm, but it didn't work: Your idea might have. We considered some kind of wedge or bumper inside the trunk on either side of the board to impede lateral movement: Probably just would have just prevented the board from dropping. We were so disappointed with the Newport 17's performance overall that we weren't willing to go to the effort or expense to try to solve the noise problem. I was extremely relieved when I realized the M17's keel/centerboard arrangement wasn't plagued by the same problem. ----- Original Message ----- From: "Doug King" <msog@msog.org> To: <montgomery_boats@mailman.xmission.com> Sent: Sunday, December 22, 2002 8:49 PM Subject: Genuine Swing Keel At 05:52 PM 12/22/02 -0700, you wrote: I'm curious to know, did your swing keel "bang" in the trunk at anchor or in stays That was the case in my brother's MacGregor 26. Up or down, the swing keel knocked in the trunk all night. I always thought one could drop it a little, loop a line around it and snare it from the deck, and winch it against one side just snug enough to keep it still, but never tried it. My brother got used to it, but I never slept too well on that boat. Doug ------------------------------------------ Doug King M-17 #404 "Vixen"