Centerboard again

[Melbourne55]

I have pulled the centerboard when I found on moving the boat back that it hung at least 1/3 down. The hole on the starboard side is almost square but the port side is round. The receiver for the lever's pin is loose as well. Aside from filling in and making the hole square I was wondering whether the hole on the ohter side was once square. I think I can get enough epoxy around the fittine to stabilize it.

What am I missing?

[kokko]

I assume you are talking about the receiver end for the shaft of the cb lever. It should be rounds so it pivits, the very end of the shaft is round. THe rest of the shaft is square

[Melbourne55]

I am pasting from an additional post below. The problem is the receiver is loose and I don't know if a bushing inside (if there is one) the port side of the cb is missing. If you can recall from memory all of the details of the board and the hardware I might be able to restore it. The hole is damaged and I only know how it looks now

If you wist to email a direct repy my email is

rickral@cfl.rr.com

I will call if you want to give out a phone number. My brother who has a lot of experience with fiberglass is coming over tomorrow and a soonest reply would help.

The post continues.

The centerboard was sagging so I pulled it. The crank is slightly worn as is the metal bushing on the starboard side of the CB. The inside of the hole is augured out pretty badly. I plan to epoxy it into shape with JB weld so it will hold better.

The big issue is there is a bronze piece on the port side of the CB well that is loose with cracked fiberglass around it. I assume (dangerous thing to do) that it needs to be epoxied back in place. The damage was most likely caused by an overly thick gasket pulling the lever out to far which would not allow the pin to engage properly. This probably caused the auguring out of the CB hole.

I am wondering if my assumption that the piece on the port side belongs in the well and not on the CB.

If my assumptions are correct the question revolves then around the well. Is it single or double walled? Could I cut out the piece and reinstall it?

The boat is a 1985 Spindrift DS1

Any advice is appreciated.

Thank You

Rick Liebler

[kokko]

I misunderstood. THe whole through the cb is square through the entie thickness. If it is orunded on one side, then it should be made square again. JB Weld may be the answer. Mine was slightly rounded and I squared it with epoxy, but I don't recall what kind.

As for the lever shaft receiver on the port side, mine seemed solid, but I assumed you can cut it out and rebed it in fiberglass/epoxt

[Melbourne55]

The round receiver was actually a bronze plumbing fixture with a flange. It protruded into the well and the screws that tightened the gasket pushed it out. Ground the flange flush. Used JB Weld's waterweld puty and epoxied it. Used waterweld on the centerboard hole (surrounded the lever by cellophane) and I have a really tight no-sag fit.

I am considering a bolt to hold the board up when trailering as it will not be in the water. There is no support on the trailer.

[GreenLake]

Bolt how? Where?

Best would be to add some support. What does your trailer look like?

[Melbourne55]

A trailer....

Seriously, it has 3 rollers and the transom is well off the end. To move it forward would add a tremendous amount of tongue weigh . I might go back so the tip of the board would rest on the rear roller but I think that would make the tongue too light. I have also thought of adding a cross piece to the trailer.

[GreenLake]

Well, all trailers are different. Mine has five rollers and getting one to line up with the tip of the CB isn't difficult. (Same deal about the transom being off the end, otherwise).

If you can, adding a cross piece with a roller at that point would fix it. Otherwise, what about rigging something like a CB support bracket that you flip up after the trailer is loaded?

[Melbourne55]

Flip up bracket? I can't picture it.

[sunapeesailor]

Easiest is to add a support using a croos piece. On my trailer I use a simple piece of pine lashed to the trailer with a couple of short bungee cords. Easy to remove before launching.
Just my two cents...
Fairwinds!

[GreenLake]

Similar to Bob's idea (which seems simplicity itself).

The kind of bracket I thought of would be attached left and right, almost like a crosspiece, but fixed so it can rotate around its long axis.

Then you make a padded bump on one side. When trailering, the bump points up, supporting the CB, when not, you flip it down, so that it's not in the way. Something like that.

[Melbourne55]

For those following this post the centerboard works great and goes up all the way. I couldn't get the board down on the first outing today however and was very perplexed after it had worked so well on the trailer.

Then I remembered the Pawl that stops the lever.....


Duh