Removing centerboard?
- Thread starter Ingram
- Start date
I had saved this from this site.
Centerboard Line Replacement Without Boat Lift!
Sep 14, 2008
I read all of the posts in the archives related to the topic of replacing the centerboard uphaul line on the water ballast Hunter models. This is really a simple procedure and the process of replacing the line has been discussed thoroughly. Thanks to all for the info, without it I probably would not have had the confidence to do this myself.
The only kicker was that every post that I read said the boat had to be on boat stands to replace the line. I just could not see paying the folks at the marina $11/foot to lift the boat then $1/foot/day to keep it on the yard just to complete this simple maintenance.
Well I hauled the boat out on the trailer in front of Gustav and while I had it there, I decided I would go for it. Using standard car jacks and the trailer tongue jack, I jacked the boat and trailer up in the air very slowly and evenly.
Then I used cinder blocks, RV jack stands, and wood pads covered in carpet (b/w jack and hull), and built my on homemade boat stands and placed them directly under the points on the hull where the sling locations are marked. Let me say here that these stands actually turned out to be fairly sturdy but I was a little nervous at first.
Anyway, with two stands in the rear of the boat and two stands forward, I proceeded to lower the jacks holding the trailer up. Again, very slowly and evenly. I strapped the opposing stands together just as you would with standard boat stands.
With about 8 inches of clearance between the boat and the trailer bunks I was able to drop the centerboard, replace the line, and re-attach the centerboard. I also used this as a prime opportunity to put a new coat of bottom paint on the boat.
I reversed the procedure to get the boat back on the trailer and now she is ready to go back in the water. I have pictures of this process and will post them to the photo forum when it comes back on-line next week.
This was one of those projects that took a day to complete and month to plan and muster up the courage for.
Happy Sailing
WTA
Centerboard Line Replacement Without Boat Lift!
Sep 14, 2008
I read all of the posts in the archives related to the topic of replacing the centerboard uphaul line on the water ballast Hunter models. This is really a simple procedure and the process of replacing the line has been discussed thoroughly. Thanks to all for the info, without it I probably would not have had the confidence to do this myself.
The only kicker was that every post that I read said the boat had to be on boat stands to replace the line. I just could not see paying the folks at the marina $11/foot to lift the boat then $1/foot/day to keep it on the yard just to complete this simple maintenance.
Well I hauled the boat out on the trailer in front of Gustav and while I had it there, I decided I would go for it. Using standard car jacks and the trailer tongue jack, I jacked the boat and trailer up in the air very slowly and evenly.
Then I used cinder blocks, RV jack stands, and wood pads covered in carpet (b/w jack and hull), and built my on homemade boat stands and placed them directly under the points on the hull where the sling locations are marked. Let me say here that these stands actually turned out to be fairly sturdy but I was a little nervous at first.
Anyway, with two stands in the rear of the boat and two stands forward, I proceeded to lower the jacks holding the trailer up. Again, very slowly and evenly. I strapped the opposing stands together just as you would with standard boat stands.
With about 8 inches of clearance between the boat and the trailer bunks I was able to drop the centerboard, replace the line, and re-attach the centerboard. I also used this as a prime opportunity to put a new coat of bottom paint on the boat.
I reversed the procedure to get the boat back on the trailer and now she is ready to go back in the water. I have pictures of this process and will post them to the photo forum when it comes back on-line next week.
This was one of those projects that took a day to complete and month to plan and muster up the courage for.
Happy Sailing
WTA
I have seen this post before. At issue is the cost of saving a buck sacrificing damage to the boat but most importantly the well being to the person.
By raising one end of the boat with the other supported by the trailer can break the water ballast tank seal. I have repaired the aftermath of homemade stands that fell apart damaging the hull and not supported properly too. Anything can happen in a split second. The list goes on but injuries that occurred are not worth the risk just to save a few bucks.
By raising one end of the boat with the other supported by the trailer can break the water ballast tank seal. I have repaired the aftermath of homemade stands that fell apart damaging the hull and not supported properly too. Anything can happen in a split second. The list goes on but injuries that occurred are not worth the risk just to save a few bucks.
I authored the file that pat posted and Crazy Dave is one of the other guys mentioned in that article. Crazy Dave helped design these beasts so it is always good to go with his advise.
If you reach out to CD, he will help... he is great like that... just be warned... he earned the moniker "Crazy".
If you reach out to CD, he will help... he is great like that... just be warned... he earned the moniker "Crazy".
I understand CD's concerns but the problem is there's not a travel lift within a150 miles of my marine that can use. I'm looking at renting a trailer with adjustable stands, only I will have to wait until spring to move it to the other trailer.
@Ingram
when I first started, I sold MacGregor sailboats. The first load of two M 25’s came with the swing keels that needed to be installed. I tried to install a keel by myself. Well, that keel slipped and could have crushed my head if it wasn’t for the blocks that were next to me stopping that fall while lying under the boat sitting on the trailer. I also heard other sad stories from other dealers that the public is unaware. My recommendation will be the same, Safety comes first. Take the time taking the boat to a professional marine yard to lift the boat. I did.
when I first started, I sold MacGregor sailboats. The first load of two M 25’s came with the swing keels that needed to be installed. I tried to install a keel by myself. Well, that keel slipped and could have crushed my head if it wasn’t for the blocks that were next to me stopping that fall while lying under the boat sitting on the trailer. I also heard other sad stories from other dealers that the public is unaware. My recommendation will be the same, Safety comes first. Take the time taking the boat to a professional marine yard to lift the boat. I did.
Here is a question concerning the stopper knot in the centerboard rope. Is there one that is preferred over another? This is one that I have used before.
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So the thing about a good knot is that it does the job without pulling out and without pulling to tight that you can't ever undo it later without having to cut the rope. In this case, it hardly matters. If (when) you ever get around to replacing this line again, you are going to cut the head off of the knot. So you just need it to not pull out and not get in the way of the moving parts.
First of all - I'd like to echo all the statements by @Crazy Dave Condon about the importance of safety for yourself and the boat when doing a project like this.
1. A travel lift is the #1 safest option for lifting
2. A mobile boom truck/crane (may be able to be rented in your area) could be a viable option
3. Another alternative if you want a permanent solution available to you: http://www.gohoist.com
That said, I made the choice on my boat not to follow this sage advice and went a bit of a different route. I first supported the stern of the boat with a large lifting strap and gantry lift. The, using my trailer jack, which is a heavy duty model that is extra long with a drop leaf, I was able to lift the trailer and front of the boat enough to get a boat stand under the bow. I worked back and forth, slowly raising the boat a couple inches at a time. I did this so as not to put any flex into the hull for fear of harming the ballast tank seal. Once raised, and with the stern still fully supported by the strap, I installed boat stands everywhere I could fit them to support the boat. I also kept the lifting strap on and added some blocks as further insurance.
Also - whenever using boat stands, they should be tied together.
When it comes to changing out the line, I used the above writeup from @rgranger as a guide.
One thing that did happen to me is when I tied the new line to the old it came apart and I lost my feeder line. It is an extremely tight fit for these lines and it is highly recommended to buy the line on this site to ensure it meets the required specs. My solution was to take some heavy thread from an awl I had and from the deck feed it down the compression post a couple inches. Then, I attached a shopvac with small diameter hose underneath the boat to the outlet point for the line. It was a perfect fit. I turned on the vacuum, sucked up the thread, and was back in business.
With the board out, get a good look in the centerboard trunk for damage. Very common to spot things that you might not have otherwise seen.
It's also a good time to replace the blocks for the centerboard. One of my original factory ones burst apart from age and metal fatigue. I bought a pair of brand new Lewmar 72mm sync blocks on eBay that have done a nice job, but any will work.
1. A travel lift is the #1 safest option for lifting
2. A mobile boom truck/crane (may be able to be rented in your area) could be a viable option
3. Another alternative if you want a permanent solution available to you: http://www.gohoist.com
That said, I made the choice on my boat not to follow this sage advice and went a bit of a different route. I first supported the stern of the boat with a large lifting strap and gantry lift. The, using my trailer jack, which is a heavy duty model that is extra long with a drop leaf, I was able to lift the trailer and front of the boat enough to get a boat stand under the bow. I worked back and forth, slowly raising the boat a couple inches at a time. I did this so as not to put any flex into the hull for fear of harming the ballast tank seal. Once raised, and with the stern still fully supported by the strap, I installed boat stands everywhere I could fit them to support the boat. I also kept the lifting strap on and added some blocks as further insurance.
Also - whenever using boat stands, they should be tied together.
When it comes to changing out the line, I used the above writeup from @rgranger as a guide.
One thing that did happen to me is when I tied the new line to the old it came apart and I lost my feeder line. It is an extremely tight fit for these lines and it is highly recommended to buy the line on this site to ensure it meets the required specs. My solution was to take some heavy thread from an awl I had and from the deck feed it down the compression post a couple inches. Then, I attached a shopvac with small diameter hose underneath the boat to the outlet point for the line. It was a perfect fit. I turned on the vacuum, sucked up the thread, and was back in business.
With the board out, get a good look in the centerboard trunk for damage. Very common to spot things that you might not have otherwise seen.
It's also a good time to replace the blocks for the centerboard. One of my original factory ones burst apart from age and metal fatigue. I bought a pair of brand new Lewmar 72mm sync blocks on eBay that have done a nice job, but any will work.
That gohoist is cool. I sort of made my own-ish...
I inched the boat off the trailer using the ratchet straps... when the ratchet block would get full of strap, I would block the boat in a few places and reset the strap and start again. It took a while but a few inches at a time and eventually I was able to pull the trailer out.
It would not be hard to fabricate one but it might be worth seeing what the commercial onces cost.
@rs1sensen 's idea of a boom truck is a good idea. I've rented a lot of heavy equipment in the past and it surprised me how inexpensive it was. For instance last summer I rented an excavator for the weekend for $350... (or $150/day). It would cost you more in materials to make your own go-hoist.
If using straps under the hull. Tie them together so the straps will not slip out.
Also I would suggest screwing another board as appears in Rgranger photos to ensure no bending of boards.
Also I would suggest screwing another board as appears in Rgranger photos to ensure no bending of boards.
Dave is right, you cannot see it in the picture but there are actually two 2"x8" joists screwed together with 2"x4" spacers.
Thanks for the response, still haven't made up my mind on the best way to lift it off the trailer. This is not my first sailboat but at 73 it may be my last. l like having projects but I'm working a lot slower, this is a1996 hunter 26 WB. It needs a lot of cleaning been setting for the last 3yrs. Basically clean, bottom paint and a little bit of touch up fiberglass work. Now as I check thinks out, the mask where the pole for lowering goes looks a little elongate, is there a fix for this? I'll try take some pictures of it next time.
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The SBO store (right here) sells those cover plates. See if @Dave Groshong can steer you to the right one.