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Keelhold
April 21, 2026 at 11:02 PM
Initial version (2026-04-22)
Keelhold is a Hull Modification for ships in Windrose. It is the community-consensus meta pick for every ship above the Ketch, because it converts Combat Repair Kit usage from an interrupt-sensitive panic button into a reliable full heal that completes even while the ship takes fire.
Property | Value |
|---|---|
Type | Hull Bracing (Hull Modification) |
Rarity | Rare / Epic |
Crafting station | Shipwright's Workshop |
Plans sold by | Smugglers of Port Royal Provisioner (Rep 2, 300 Piastre) |
Rare effect | Damage no longer interrupts Repair Kit duration |
Epic effect | Damage no longer interrupts Repair Kit duration. Repair Kit effect duration increased by 30%. |
Keelhold replaces a hull bracing slot. The base Rare version converts the standard Repair Kit interaction: without Keelhold, any incoming hit during a heal cancels the remaining duration. With Keelhold equipped, heals complete through continuous fire.
The Epic version keeps the interrupt-immunity effect and adds +30% duration on top. Combined with Naval Tactics III: Stretch The Supply (+30% duration), a Combat Repair Kit that normally runs 10 seconds stays active meaningfully longer, tripling the practical healing window.
Flavor text from the in-game item: the bracing is intended to steady the ship during repairs, keeping the keel true while the worst damage is brought under control.
Hull bracings scale Defense as they are upgraded at the Shipwright's Workshop. Keelhold's progression runs from Item Level 1 through 15.
Item Level | Defense |
|---|---|
1 | 100 |
2 | 120 |
3 | 140 |
4 | 160 |
5 | 180 |
6 | 200 |
7 | 220 |
8 | 240 |
9 | 260 |
10 | 280 |
11 | 300 |
12 | 320 |
13 | 340 |
14 | 360 |
15 | 380 |
The Plans: Keelhold Hull Bracing are sold by the Smugglers of Port Royal Provisioner at faction reputation Tier 2 for 300 Piastre. After learning the recipe, craft the modification at the Shipwright's Workshop. Upgrades (from Rare to Epic, or from lower Item Levels to higher) also happen at the Shipwright's Workshop; the gear must be removed from the ship and carried into the workshop for the upgrade option to appear.
Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
Wooden Plank | 10 |
Copper Ingot | 5 |
Nails | 5 |
Tumbaga Ingot | 3 |
Higher tiers progressively substitute in stronger materials: Timber and Foothills Iron Ingot for mid tiers, then Tarred Planks and Mire Metal Ingot for the late tiers.
Without a hull modification that addresses the Repair Kit interrupt, the ship enters a dangerous rhythm: the player hits F, takes one cannonball, and the heal is gone with most of its HP restoration not yet applied. Keelhold closes this loop. The Epic tier duration bonus then stacks with the Stretch The Supply Naval Tactic for the extended heal window that anchors the "impossible to sink" late-game build.
The two alternative hull bracings sold at the same faction stall are viable but strictly narrower. Iron Resolve rewards sitting at low HP, and Standfast rewards short, bursty skirmishes. Keelhold is the all-purpose pick for sustained engagements, including hauler farms.
Hull Modification - parent mechanic
Iron Resolve Hull Bracing - low-HP alternative
Standfast Hull Bracing - stack-based alternative
Combat Repair Kit - heal Keelhold protects
Naval Tactics III: Stretch The Supply - duration stacker
Shipwright's Workshop - crafting station
Smugglers of Port Royal Provisioner - plan vendor
