things can be built to take just about anything nature can give them. The boat should be torn apart before the keel comes off. Yet time and time again you see photos and hear of up side down boats with no keels. Boats sinking because the keel bolts pulled through the hull or tore out the bottom. Come on, that's just nuts. Having said that, full keels in a cruising boat have some distinct advantages besides the keel not falling off. Advantages like not having a tree caught between the rudder and keel for one. Dan's type boat with the skig hung rudder would be my second choice but while floating trees aren't usually ran into, I've just missed a few myself. River mouths are a bitch. The other thing I like is not having to worry about long lines and fishing nets as we just glide over them. The most important thing I like is that we're really fast. I mean you can't beat a full keel boat for speed and agility.