Ok, I've got new centerboard pivot gaskets...

[mistermoon]

Now what?

The old ones appeared to be bedded in some kind of sealant goo. Should I put some silicone on them when I put the new ones on? Or is it unecessary? Also, how tight to torque the bolt?



While I have the board out, I decided to make sure my boat is fully up to speed.



Everyone knows orange foils are FAST!

[algonquin]

I don't have the answer to your question but I believe that orange is about as fast as you can get

Your work bench is much neater than mine Brad

[mistermoon]

Actually, the orange is to make the boat easier to see if I were so unfortunate to turtle the boat out in the Gulf of Mexico in next year's Everglades Challenge.

My workbench is <ahem> embarrassing to say the least.

[GreenLake]

Nice!

Like Brad, I don't know from a DSII CB.

[ctenidae]

I like the orange- clever on the visibility aspect. Sorry, no help on the gaskets- 1 gasket DS1, here..

And that workbench is about 9 times neater than mine would be if my wife didn;t come out every so often and tidy up. Everything pretty much stays where I used it until I use it again.

[Moose]

I just replaced mine, I'm not sure how tight it should be but I used some 1/2x2" neoprene washers and 1/2"x2" SS fender washers with some grease. I seemed to be able to get it pretty tight.

[talbot]

Yep. Just some grease is what D&R Marine recommends. Apparently tightening the gasket way down doesn't help it seal. There's no problem getting a seal between the gasket and the washers or the trunk. The water that notoriously leaks at the pivot comes down the shaft itself, so it's important not to buckle the gasket by overtightening.

[mistermoon]

Got it back in tonight. I was worried that getting the holes lined up was going to be a big problem. It turned out that it wasn't too hard to get it close and then make the final adjustment by sticking the nose of a set of needle nosed pliers to center everything up nicely.

It turns out you can't tighten the bolt too far on my boat. The bolt ran out of threads just as things got snug. If I need to tighten it any further, I'll need to add another set of fender washers. Here's hoping it solves my issues.




(The scratches were in the gelcoat when I got her. Going to fair and paint sometime this year.)

[mistermoon]

Yep. Just some grease is what D&R Marine recommends. Apparently tightening the gasket way down doesn't help it seal. There's no problem getting a seal between the gasket and the washers or the trunk. The water that notoriously leaks at the pivot comes down the shaft itself, so it's important not to buckle the gasket by overtightening.

Grease the bolt? Or the whole thing?

[mistermoon]

Well it's much improved. In doing this I also re-bedded the screw in transom drain plug and added a gasket to the pug itself as well as re-bedded the bailer.

It still weeps a bit around the head of the centerboard pivot bolt, though. I'm curious what D&R said about grease though. I'd like to eliminate this leakage to nothing.

One idea I may try from my wooden boat experience is to wrap some cotton caulking around the bolt head underneath the washer prior to tightening.

[Woden]

I bought my boat 4 years ago. It was leaking a gallon an hour fron the centerboard trunk bolt. Went to D&R marine, got bolt, washers, the works.
As it turns out the dimensions across the centerboard trunk have a lot of variance. I also ran out of threads before the washers compressed to the point to completly seal the leak, however it leaked much less. Also the sides of the inner trunk where the neoprene washer goes against was not smooth and flat. So I went to Lowes, got some plumbers Goop and we have been sealed tight for 3 years.

Pete

[talbot]

According to Rudi at D&R, it's pretty common for DS CB trunks to get compressed over the years. The trunk can't compress more than the Delrin bushing that goes through the board, but as the bushing wears and the structure collapses, you can end up with the hit-the-end-of-the-threads syndrome.