Hey guys, here's how to do it, if you've got a reasonable industrial rental outfit nearby. Get a "gantry" (or what I used to call an "A-frame") lifting device. They are now made in aluminum, and come apart for trailering in small box trailer. Use a pipe or steel I-beam as a spreader bar, lift the boat off the front of the trailer, and use a garage jack to jack up the rear of the keel. Once it's about 2 ft (600mm) off the concrete, pull the trailer out, put in some safety devices, and you can work on the centreboard. Mine had completely jammed up a couple of weeks ago, and as I hoped, it was the antifouling I painted the centreboard with, along with a bit of sand which jammed it. As you can see, I sanded back to epoxy, going through to 400 grit, then to be sure (to be sure) I silicon sprayed it completely (it won't last, but feels good). The centreboard now feels like it's floating, even out of the water. I'm looking forward to finally sailing Sandpiper with a full board down (it was sticky from the first sail), and hope I've finally got a weather helm! Final lesson - listen to what the designer says (don't paint the centreboard).........
Cheers,
Bob in Sydney
- P2010007 (Large).JPG (97.64 KiB) Viewed 11974 times
- P2010002 (Large).JPG (191.04 KiB) Viewed 11980 times
- P2010005 (Large).JPG (93.56 KiB) Viewed 11984 times