PocketShip.net

trying to correct that curve once its glassed will most likely be a waste of effort. When you test fit it, if it slips in and out easily i would leave it be. When I test fit mine I noticed that there is very little clearence between the aft end of the CB and the CB trunk blocking so eventual hinge pin placement might be some what critical. I drilled a small hole, where the hinge pin will eventually be installed and tested the movement of the CB with a nail as the hinge to ensure it did not contact the CB trunk blocking when swung in and out. You can then use this small hole as a guide to center the real thing when you get to that point in the build.
Herb

Thanks for the advice. The holes in my CB and trunk are already drilled out to 3/8 and I have a short piece of 3/8 rod I can use for testing.

Also I hear what you're saying about trying to straighten the board, but before I start building a new one I'm going to at least give it a try (time won't be wasted because I have plenty to do while it's sitting there). The thing is, it is a simple curve and as I said it is very slight. Epoxy becomes fairly pliable at around 120 degrees or so and there's a chance it might allow the board to straighten. Then, before I take the weights off I'll allow it to cool. My biggest worry is that I don't want the weights to leave impressions in the epoxy while it is soft. I hope to solve that by putting wide supports under them. If this does not work I won't have lost anything. If it does work I'll avoid having to build a new board.

You may have read the post by someone who had a curved keel. He took it to CLC and they were able to straighten it for him. I know this is somewhat of an "apples and oranges" comparison, but it gives me some hope knowing that a somewhat similar problem was fixed. It would be nice to know exactly what they did but I suspect heat was involved.

My hope is that I won't have to do any of this. But if I do I'll be sure to inform everyone of the results (either way).

Just a quick update. I made an attempt to fix my centerboard over the weekend (I'll get some photos up on my blog in a couple of days). I dropped the boat into the water, pulled out all the ballast, secured a line to the masthead and hauled her over onto her side. I then waded into the water and set to work. Between prying with a screwdriver and applying excessive force, I managed to get the board ALL the way down. The was a little bit of seaweed and the like on the board and in the runk, but nothing major. I cleaned it as best I could. I then tried running the board back in. Still very, very jammed. Well, that was enough for one day.

In my mind, I've eliminated lodged debris as a cause for my centerboard woes. So, it's likely that there was some water intrusion that caused some swelling. Don't know whether it's on the board side of the hull side, though I'm leaning toward the latter. If it was the board, I would have expected that spending a 5 months out of the water would have dried it out a little. On the other hand, the bottom of the centerboard trunk sits in direct contact with the keel trough on the trailer. Despite the cover on the boat, I can easily see the carpeting on the keel through being continually damp throughout a rainy Pacific Northwest winter, and (assuming the not-unlikely scenario that the epoxy got sanded through somewhere around the centerboard trunk opening) water wicking up and into the sides of the centerboard trunk.

Options? I'm thinking about building a new, thinner centerboard, maybe from aluminium. My concern is that if it's the trunk that's swelling, then there is no reason to believe it won't swell more and eventually jam the degauged board too. So, I'd also have to figure out a way to ensure that there would be no more water intrusion. Looks like I have some thinking to do.

I'm interested in exactly how you did the boat "layover" job. I would think that with all the ballast removed, it would only have to be in about 3 feet of water. Did you anchor the fore and aft ends somehow?

The part about the keel slide possibly holding water makes me think I should add some drain holes.

I laid a straightedge on my board and it looks to be warped slightly. Maybe less than 1/4", but if it is 1/4 or more that means it will definitely rub on the trunk sides or not go in at all. I'll test this when I get the hull flipped.

If it is warped too much I am going to try straightening it using the heat of the sun and putting black plastic over it. If that does not work I'll have to build a new one. It's going to be quite a while before I get to that point but I will definitely post the results in the forum. (Trying to straighten the board is a long shot I know, but if it works it'll save me having to fabricate a new one, and it's not that much trouble.)

Jon -

Ugh, sorry for the bad news. Lead doesn't swell with water infiltration, so if the lead-filled portion of the centerboard sticks and the lead is still flush with the wood, it must be the trunk that swelled. I hope it's a simple matter of letting the boat air-dry and re-sealing the keel.

Craig,

Maybe I'm missing something, but the lead weight in the centerboard is only about 4" x 9". The rest of the board is plywood and could certainly swell if water get in. Am I right?

Right -- my point was that the lead can't swell, but the wood can. If that portion of the board is the part that sticks, then the wood would have swollen away from the lead and the lead portion would appear indented, no longer flush with the wood.

Yeah, I don't believe that it is the board itself that is swollen. Indeed, I have some interesting photographic evidence from the construction phase that indicates that this is all a result if rushing through the last bit of the build.

More to come...

Too late now, unless laying over the boat again is an easy process, but it seems to me you could find out by measuring the opening of the trunk down at the keel. If it is less than one inch, then you know that is your problem.

If that is your problem, and it is starting to sound like it is, then you don't want to keep putting the boat back in the water. You're going to have to raise it to dry it out and re-seal anyway. Have you looked into the gantry idea mentioned in one of the earlier posts?

I get the impression you live in Maryland. You may have missed it, but John offered to lift it with their forklift if you bring it to the shop/store. Why don't you call him about it?

Oops, I should have re-checked your blog before that last post. I see you are on the opposite side of the continent from Maryland, so disregard those last two sentences in the above post.