by SolidAir » Wed Mar 08, 2023 11:28 pm
Ha! Tricky one.
There's an effect of extra mass on inertia, but that's very small. Also, the righting moment of the heavier one will be slightly greater, but again, only by a very small amount.
IMHO, the choice isn't a question of mass, it's a question of buoyancy.
We tend to want to minimise weight of the hull and fittings because the extra weight increases the wetted surface area of the hull, and therefore creates more drag. But a dagger board is buoyant, so it's actually pushing the boat up by a very tiny amount. So I would pick the more buoyant one.