Removing centerboard by yourself

[allemande]

Hello,
I had to figure out how to remove and reinstall the centerboard on my 1984 DS II by myself and came up with a way to do it. Perhaps other forum users are interested in this? I modified my boat trailer which allowed me to keep the boat on the trailer while removing the centerboard. If interested, here is a pdf with step-by-step info and photos on how to do it. The pdf is located in my public dropbox folder and available here:
https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/hyn4j7ev ... xb7ng&dl=0

Good luck!

- Hans

[Stewart711]

Very nice!

[RaleighRancher]

Thanks. My trailer setup is different, but the pics of the CB removal and modification are very helpful.

[pyroane]

Thanks for this, Hans. It's very helpful. on my trailer there is just enough room between the axle and the rear crosspeice to lower the cnterboard, and it appears there is sufficient room to remove the CB. I have a question about the screws that hold the two retaining plates that support the wedges. On my 83" DSII I think I can see the ends of the screws through the inspection ports in the cockpit. I assume the screws pass through a metal plate enbedded in the fiberglass. Is that correct? If so, is it difficult to re-seat those screws? Since they pass through the hull do they require sealant when being replaced, and again, if so, is there a recommended sealant?

[RaleighRancher]

Yes, you are seeing the ends of those screws, and yes, they go through threaded metal backing plates embedded in the hull. There was residue of sealant on the screws when I pulled them. The screws easily went back into the holes. I added sealant on mine -the same marine silicone that I used on the wedges and plates.

[SailLI]

Thanks Hans,

I just logged in to ask about dropping the board because I am about to do this on my own!

I seem to have the same setup and I wonder if you would answer a few questions. I am trying to find a leak. I am not sure if it is coming from the side of the CB trunk or leaking through the screw holding in the stainless steel plate.

1. I guess the CB is held in place by those two stainless steel metal plates, which in turn hold up the wedges?

2. Does the CB pivot pin just rest on those blocks or wedges? Or, does the pivot on the CB go through the trunk? I am wondering if there is a hole cut in the trunk for a bolt on the CB.

Thanks,

Phil

[RaleighRancher]

As I understand it, older DS's had a pivot bolt that went all the way through the CB trunk, with large rubber washers and stainless washers to seal the hole. (This was the case on a 1974 Javelin I used to have.)

On the DS2 however, the pivot bolt is a delrin cylinder held up by the wedges and it does not penetrate the CB trunk. Open the inspection hatches and it will be clear which you have. You should see the tips of machine screws - two on each side of the trunk - sticking up through the hull and no bolt across the width of the trunk. You should also be able to see or at least feel 2-3" wide, ~1/2" thick bulge on each side of the CB trunk. This is the channel in which the wedges and pivot bolt are housed.

I became convinced that the screws on mine were leaking. Did all the above to drop the CB, saw no problems, had to caulk it all back up in place again. There was no leak. If you are going to do all that to investigate a potential leak, go ahead and get everything together to also replace the uphaul and downhaul lines while you've got it out. I did not, and now wish I had.

[GreenLake]

As I understand it, older DS's had a pivot bolt that went all the way through the CB trunk, with large rubber washers and stainless washers to seal the hole. (This was the case on a 1974 Javelin I used to have.)

You mean older DS2s. That design is problematic because it tends to leak.

Even older, on the DS1s, you have a one-sided washer because the side opposite the handle simply rested in a sort of divot in the CB trunk. That didn't work as intended so many owners drilled a hole, tapped the pivot bolt and added bolt and washer on the side opposite the handle. That better secures the CB but now you have two places that can leak. In the DS1 the bilge is open, so it's easy to monitor.

The earliest DS2s built on that at first, but then people realized that with up and dowhaul, you don't actually need to penetrate into the hull as there's no lever to turn the pivot. Hence the wedges.

As you've discovered, that design, if caulked, doesn't leak, but the uphaul can create massive leaks both into the hull and into the cuddy, while underway. The first is addressed by the nipple fix for a secure and watertight connection between trunk and liner. There is some best practice for the other, but it escapes me at the moment.

My DS2 skipper was content with a massive leak draining into the cockpit, but he was happy to bail underway, rather than find a way to limit or eliminate that leak from the uphaul opening.

[RaleighRancher]

Thanks for that correction.

[GreenLake]

I find the evolution of the CB quite an interesting story. I'm actually not really an expert myself, just summarizing what I learned here, plus a bit of second-hand experience from a multi-day cruise with a DS2. We all know our own boats best, and sharing your experience with the leak that wasn't is going to be helpful to many here.