thank you graham , i keep looking in our maritime bookstore , its typical when i didnt have the barge they had books on them in stock , now theyd be of use the shop hasnt got any ! ive joined the A M B O forum just over a week ago , so hoping to gain some inspiration . dont think the leeboards would give me the stability that im going to need , so having an underslung keel is the better way to go , i quite like the wing keel , my brother in laws australia 2 has one and it works very well as it also allows sailing in shallower waters , and hasnt to date got snagged in the weed ! jon