Trouble with the Centerboard Cable System

[Guest]

Shawn, when sailing there is a sideways force on the centerboard (resisting leeway), this will somewhat "lock" the board in what ever position it is in. If you turn the boat into the wind a bit, and allow the sails to luff, this will take the pressure off the board and allow you to move it.

Rod Johnson, "SUNBIRD" (rjohnson24-at-juno.com)

[Guest]

We've found that tightening the centerboard pivot bolt makes the centerboard harder to lower. If we tighten the bolt, the centerboard well must become narrower, putting pressure on the centerboard. We can't tighten the bolt much because of this. I don't know whether this is a problem, specific to our boat. We'll have to sand down the centerboard more, to see if this makes it easier to lower the board. We have sanded it already, and it helped, but maybe not enough.

Brooke (brookelise-at-attbi.com)

[Guest]

I have a DS I, and after reading this string I'm glad I do! Your CB problems are a tough read, but Brooke to your point the friction that makes it hard to lower is also a solution to keeping it down. Perhaps tightening that bolt will help with the board 'floating up' into the trunk.

The DSI has a simple chrome handle that you rotate to lower the board. There's no adjustment, it's either up or down, but I think what keeps it down is friction, not mechanics.

Tom (tbeames65-at-cs.com)

[Guest]

Tom: It's easy to keep the board down with the DSII, because there's a line to do that. You just tie the line to the cleat.

We still find it difficult to lower the board sometimes, because the pivot bolt seems to put pressure on the centerboard well when it's tight. We might use some plastic pipe in the hole in the centerboard as a spacer (about 1 inch long), to make sure there's space between the centerboard well and the centerboard, even when the pivot bolt is tightened down.

We've sanded the board, and it comes up a lot easier now, but it still gets stuck sometimes about halfway down. If we loosen the pivot bolt (to the point where it's a little too loose, we can then move the centerboard down). Maybe the spacer will work. We'll take the board out and put the piping in the centerboard hole. The pivot bolt will go through the piping.

I don't know why tightening the pivot bolt narrows the centerboard well. Maybe years of overtightening caused some warping in the well. We've sanded the well, too.

Brooke (brookelise-at-attbi.com)

[Guest]

Brooke, maybe years of tightening has squashed the CB pivot "bearing"? The DS II CB pivots on a plastic pin that fits into the pivot hole in the board, this pin is held in place by a bolt through the CB trunk. When set up properly, this plastic pin is just slightly longer that the CB is thick. If your has become squished, or otherwise is too short to work (perhaps a previous owner did not understand how the pin works, and shortened it?), you could either make a new one your self (maybe out of bronze? or delrin?) or call Rudy at D&R, I know he has those pivot pins. I originally thought that the board pivoted on the stainless steel bolt, until I discovered that the pivot pin was slightly longer than the board is thick, and thus realised that when tightening the bolt...I was clamping against the plastic pin, not the CB.

On the DS I, the CB is lever-operated, but I disagree that it is either up or down....the angle of the board is adjusted by only moving it part way up or down, the friction in the lever (clamped between the triangle plate and the CB trunk with gasket in between) should hold it at what ever angle it is left. There is a "lock" to hold it up, and another to hold it all the way down, but the CB can be adjusted between those 2 positions.

Rod Johnson, "SUNBIRD" (rjohnson24-at-juno.com)

[Guest]

Rod: So that's it! A plastic pin in the pivot hole. Our board doesn't have one, and that explains everything. It's missing, and there's just a hole. We have the bolt, washers and nut, but there isn't a plastic pin that fits in the centerboard hole. I'll order one from Rudy. You're a great help on these boards, Rudy. Thanks much. -- Brooke

Brooke (brookelise-at-attbi.com)

[Guest]

Rod: I called Rudy, and he has the part. It's called the centerboard bushing. We had no idea the centerboard was supposed to have one, and we came up with the idea of creating something similar with plastic pipe. We thought it would be an innovation, and we kept cursing the rotten design of the board. Well, so much for that. You solved the problem, which was a missing part.

Brooke (brookelise-at-attbi.com)

[Guest]

Rod: Is your centerboard bushing glued into the centerboard, or does it rotate freely in it? About how much wider is it than the centerboard on each side?

Thanks,

Brooke

Brooke (brookelise-at-attbi.com)

[Guest]

Brooke, the bushing pivots freely in the CB, it has to....it is clamped tight on each side in the CB trunk ,
I would say that the bushing is about 1/8" or so longer than the CB is thick.The bushing is the same diameter over its whole length, and that O.D. is just small enough to easily turn within the CB pivot's hole.

I have to admit, I kind of figured that it was missing from your boat.

Rod Johnson, "SUNBIRD" (rjohnson24-at-juno.com)

[Guest]

Rod: Do you mean 1/8th of an inch wider than the centerboard on each side?

Thanks,

Brooke

Brooke (brookelise-at-attbi.com)

[Guest]

I was going to say, No, the length should be only 1/8" longer total than the thickness of the board, but I think mine is almost long enough to be 1/4" longer than the thickness of the board...in other words, long enough to extend almost 1/8" beyond the CB on both sides. I also realized that if is is a bit long, you can always file (or sand) a bit off the length, but if it is too short...you can't really add length.

Rod Johnson, SUNBIRD" (rjohnson24-at-juno.com)

[Guest]

Thanks, Rod. Rudy said he was sending the bushing extra long, for the reason you gave -- so we can file it down to the right size. Can't wait to have a smoothly functioning centerboard.

We've been working on it by taking the boat to a beach and pulling it on its side, using a halyard to pull down the mast. A small crowd usually gathers, thinking they're seeing a shipwreck. Once they realize it's on its side for repairs, everyone becomes an instant expert and offers ingenious (and unworkable and impractical) solutions.

Brooke (brookelise-at-attbi.com)

[Guest]

The centerboard works perfectly with the brushing now in, Rod. I can't imagine how it was lost (before we bought the boat).

The boat handled really well this weekend when we sailed out to Faulkner Island in the Sound. The island lighthouse was celebrating its bicentennial. For a small boat, the DaySailer sure is stable in the waves.

The white grease works well around the centerboard pivot bolt washers, too. That was Rudy's suggestion, to use white grease and not silicone. There's no leaking in the bilge.

Brooke (brookelise-at-attbi.com)

[Danny Hatt]

Last weekend while was "running" on a broad reach along the shore of a lake. I felt that my centerboard made contact (twice within 15 seconds) with something underwater. I turned 90 degrees to starboard and, after a minute or two, the boat was hit by a very light gust and started to capsize to the port side.

When I jumped overboard, she righted herself but not until it had taken on 6 inches of water.

Once in the water I traied to find the centerboard with my feet, to no avail.

When we reached shore, I swam under the boat to get a sense of where the centerboard was.

My suspicion is that when we bottomed, momentarily, the centerboard my have been kicked back up toward the centerboard trunk. Could this be the case?

At this point, I feel rather insecure about this problem and would like to get a schematic for the configuration of the DS II (1975) centerboard including the cabling scheme and any other information I should know.

I'd appreciate any advice or suggesttions from contributors to this board.

Jerry Cohen (jerryc-at-computer.net)

Keep the bolt that holds the board loose. If the bolt is to tight and it hits bottom the board gets stuck in the up position. I keep mine loose until im well off shore then i ll tighten it up good.

[IslandFarmer]

I have an '84 DSII and I removed by centerboad last winter because I was having trouble raising it fully. I made a drawing using Paint in bitmap format and I can e-mail it to any interested parties <I>(Ed. The image is attached below)</I>. My board is quite heavy. I see a square outline under the gelcoat near the tip, which I assume to be a lead weight. It appears to be factory installed, but I'm not sure.

<CENTER><IMG SRC="/daysailer/images/ds2-centerboard.gif"></CENTER>
My boat has a cable that raises the board, which pivots on a pin, held in place by two wedge shaped inserts. I replaced the nylon pin with a kevar composite and relocated the cable anchor closer to the tip of the board, as it was ahead of the pivot point and offered very little leverage. It's much easier to raise and lower the board now.
<CENTER><IMG SRC="/daysailer/images/ds2-centerboard2.gif"></CENTER>

Paul Diglio (paul.diglio-at-erols.com)

Are Paul's two drawings still available? (This google search was unsuccessful: forum.daysailer.org ds2-centerboard.gif)
I did find a great photo in this DSII thread:
Keel Inspection/Removal
Postby Rakozy » Sat Oct 10, 2015 9:09 am
https://forum.daysailer.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=5104&p=39362#p39362

and more here!
Re: Picture of DSII centerboard downhaul
Postby SUNBIRD » Mon Mar 24, 2014 7:11 pm
Rod Johnson, "SUNBIRD"
1979 DS II, # 10201
https://forum.daysailer.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=4378&start=15#p23463

The DS II used at least 3 setups for the centerboard controls, 1971-74, 1974-76, and 1976-85. That is what my research has found and the diagrams and pictures are in the Expanded Owners Manual that i have created (with a bit of help from Rudy at D&R).

I'm thinking that these drawings may be all I need, but still just a wee curious about Paul's.