DS2 swing keel

[wjobelms]

Hi to all
I have a DS2 that I am renovating
I have a few questions about the keel . Do they make a rub plate for the lead edge of the keel
Also should it be hollow I had water in the unit looks like someone had a patch party on it
Thanks
Wade

[GreenLake]

Welcome to the forum. The item you are referring to is usually just called a centerboard. A swing keel would be expected to be weighted and provide ballast, the DS centerboard is not. It may, in fact be hollow.

What would you consider a "rub plate"?

The thing about the leading edge of the centerboard is that you want it very smooth and fair, so not something that you should be bolting or screwing things into - that would disrupt the flow of water across it and really cut down on its effectiveness.

Go search the forum for centerboard or CB for short and look up older posts. You might find a lot of useful info. (Much, even though not all, of stuff that's discussed for the DS1 may apply to the DS2 as well - for the CB the main difference is that the DS1 uses a lever, the DS2 uses lines to raise and lower it - however, size and function are otherwise the same).

[wjobelms]

Will do
That helped I will look at the older posts as well

[wjobelms]

I have a new question about the centerboard I removed the marine puddy from the po patch and the centerboard is hollow
Should I fill it with a-b foam before I patch it
does any one do that or is there a reason why it is hollow
Thanks

[GreenLake]

If you are worried about trapped water, you could leave it open as a drain hole?

Foam under water often spells trouble.

[Interim]

The lead edge of my centerboard has been ground flat over the years. I suspect the trailer, but am not sure.

I plan to use resin and filler from a west marine kit to restore a little rounding to it. I know it won't be perfect, but better is better.

--john

[GreenLake]

I used 3M High Strength Marine Filler for this purpose. While it's not expoxy based, it's fiber reinforced and quite strong when cured (and it cures fast enough you can do several layers). Regular (non-reinforced) fillers, esp. if intended for easy sanding may not last on an exposed edge. So, check what you got.

The end result should be a leading edge that starts off like a 3/8" diameter cylinder (or a bit wider) at the nose that smoothly transitions to the main part of the foil.

If you have a stock foil, the front is too narrow, so you can build it up a bit across the front slope to get the smooth round and slightly wider entry. The stock profile seen from the end, is a narrow entry, slopes up, flat part, slope back down to a tail that's symmetric to the front -- the desirable profile, instead is round, goes to its widest point at 1/3 then tapers smoothly to a fine point that should be squared off at a bit less than 1/8" thickness -- trying to superimpose that on a stock blade would take a lot of fairing compound - I know, I've tried it -- but the leading edge can be improved.

[talbot]

The hollow board (with a hole left it in to drain) was an O'Day misstep that was later changed. If you keep the boat, you probably will want to replace the board at some point. It's not cheap--around $600 from D&R, plus the hassle of removing the board and replacing it and both its control lines. If the current board works OK (isn't swollen and slides easily in the trunk), then do whatever gets you sailing. If you develop $600 worth of love for the boat, you can upgrade.

[GreenLake]

Or build your own, eventually. Even if only for the bragging rights.