Swing Keel - Joe did you post the pictures?

Joe11688 · Sep 16, 2009

JAF said:
The question has been asked and answered but I cannot find the pictures in the archives. Does the archives save the pictures? I've looked but do not find anywhere so need to ask Joe or ??? to repost.

My centre-board is stuck up - the result of a very low tide when the boat was aground in the sand/mud. Noe the board is jammed up and I have not been able to free it up.

Some excellent pictures of the trunk and the pieces which hold the swing keel in place have been posted and would ask that you repost if possible. I would like to see the picture which looks up into the trunk and shows the small pully which guides the centre-board line from the cockpit.

Any suggestions would be great.

Thanks

James
Bullocks Cove RI

Hi James!
I've posted many pictures of my keel slot and centerboard and I have no idea where they put them. However, I just posted some of them in "My Picture Album" on page 2.
Chances are there's mud and pebbles all jammed up inside the slot between the centerboard. I have a lot of pictures of it. Here's a few. Don't try to poke anything from up above. You're better off getting it cleaned from under the keel. The keel slot is no deeper than about 14". I'd use something thin and flat to put in there to clean it out. If you're not too keen on swimming under the keel, and who would be? You could let the pendant line slack off about two feet and re-tie it. Then take the boat out into some turbulent waters. That's got to be a joke right? The bay right now is probably as calm as a mill pond which was the prime reason why I pulled my boat out two weeks ago. Anyway, maybe the mud and crap will fall out of the slot enough for the weight of the board to fall. When you see the pendant line tight with no slack, just work it up and down a few times and it will clean it out. I've had this happen on my boat a couple of times and it's always cleared itself in time. It's like an anchor when you pull it up and it's full of mud on the flukes. You bob it a few times and it all washes off. Good Luck with that James!
Joe

fastscot · Sep 16, 2009

You didn't identify what make/model/year of boat - BUT the same thing happens to me all the time in the central Chesapeake Bay to my Oday 23. After some thought, I bought a thin steel rod at Home Depot for less than $ 5. I inserted it down the pendant tube to the top of the retracted centerboard and with a little finesse and a coupe of gentle hits from a hammer. The centerboard drops right down. To prevent the steel rod from rusting, I coated it with West epoxy and store it on the boat for emergencies. Also, not pulling the centerboard too far up into the keel slot helps.

Joe11688 · Sep 16, 2009

fastscot said:
You didn't identify what make/model/year of boat - BUT the same thing happens to me all the time in the central Chesapeake Bay to my Oday 23. After some thought, I bought a thin steel rod at Home Depot for less than $ 5. I inserted it down the pendant tube to the top of the retracted centerboard and with a little finesse and a coupe of gentle hits from a hammer. The centerboard drops right down. To prevent the steel rod from rusting, I coated it with West epoxy and store it on the boat for emergencies. Also, not pulling the centerboard too far up into the keel slot helps.

I think that James has an O'Day 25, but I may be wrong. The 222, 23, 25, and 26 have about the same type of arrangement for the centerboard with the exception of the older 25s. Whether they all have a sheave up inside the centerboard keel slot, I don't know but I wouldn't use a metal rod to poke the board down from the pendant line pipe. If you have a sheave in the keel slot and accidentally break it, you'll have a tough time trying to get at it to replace it. If my keel was constantly grounding out at the low tides, I'd get a mooring in deeper water. You may want to think about pulling your board out to check the center board, pivot pin, and clean and paint the inside of the keel slot. It's not that difficult a job provided that you can get access to the keel. I did mine about three years ago and it was a learning experience.
Joe

Joe11688 · Sep 17, 2009

JAF said:
Joe - these were the pictures I wanted ...Thank you.

And thanks to Fastscot for the suggestion.

I agree with Joe's receomendation re the mud etc. I have experienced this problem before and normally the wave action is good enough to bounce the boat and the board drops down but not this time. The day it happened I sailed up the bay to Newport - out past 1st and 2nd beaches and then down the Sakonnet - the winds and tides were perfect and we made it home around 10 pm ... but all the bouncing off newport in 5+ft seas did not do it.

My boat is a 1982 O'Day 23. It is on a mooring in Bullock's Cove and once in a new moon when the wind is from the north I go aground. The Army Corp of Engineers will be dredging the channel and the entire west side of the cove this fall. Unfortunately I am on the east side and will have to move to make room for the dredge to manouver. Not sure how it will effect me but I have to move the boat in the next few weeks. I will try a new location to see if I can get that extra foot of depth.

Joe, sorry to hear you have pulled the boat - I love this time of year, the bay is almost empty, the water is clear and the colours in a few weeks are incredible. I normally sail into November - but this year its getting cold early - I was out tonight and it feels like October/November already ...so I may pull the boat early. I will be doing the Bud Humphrey Race at the end of the month if I can get a PHRF rating . No chance of being competitive but its a great race and this will be my first race. I have crewed for others but am without a ride this year so decided to see how my 20+year old sails will do! If nothing else it will be a great day.

Thanks again for posting the pictures - I have downloaded this time

James
SV Bognor Limey
O'day 23
Bullock's Cove RI

To tell you the truth James, I'm kind of relieved that my boat is out of the water early. I just put it on stands last Monday and I'm way ahead of the game this year in getting it ready for another coat of bottom paint. Today, Penny and I are going to take a ride down to Somerset and put the kayak in the water and paddle across the Taunton river for some beach combing. We do this on mild days right through the winter months. I'll probably see my friend and fellow YC member, Wayne, anchored in the Cove with his Seaward 22, and we'll talk with him for a while. Good luck with the centerboard and the up coming race. If you ever need additional pictures, feel free to email me. sailtrinkka1986@verizon.net.
Smooth Sailing!
Joe

Joe11688 · Sep 17, 2009

James!
Here's a picture of the centerboard pendant line pipe in the cabin of my 222. The pipe leads into a hump on the sole which has a small backup plate, for the two nuts and bolts that hold the sheave in place inside the keel slot. As you can see, the hump on mine is all Fiberglassed over from the factory and would be very difficult to get at the sheave if it were to ever get damaged. Ed K. said that he was able to remove the sheave and reinstall it from under the keel with some kind of a long tool, but it must be real tricky to line up. Do you have something similar to this in your boat? I'm just curious. In case you're wondering, I have a detachable step inside my cabin that makes it easier to get my 50 qt cooler in the area behind the step.
Joe

Joe11688 · Sep 19, 2009

JAF said:
Joe - you asked about my O'Day 23 and ..... "a hump on the sole" .... and "a detachable step" I wish I looked earlier today and seen your post because I could have taken a picture - I had to go to the boat to get the battery - it needed recharging before I go out again if I want the lights to be visible.

Re the hump ....No I do not have such a hump and I do not see any screws in the bilge area.

About 5 years ago I got a trailer and now I keep my boat on the trailer and it is really difficult to get a look into the trunk. I keep threatening to use the jack stands again but so far have been unconfortable with how to raise the boat to get the trailer out. Before, when I had the boat hauled and it was stored on the stands I did remove the swing keel - and had a good look into the trunk. I do not recall seing the sheave.

Re the step .......I have a friend who has a similar set-up on his Pearson 26. I do not have a removable step but do have a built in locker behind the step. I think it is supposed to be an ice locker/cooler - I use it for spare lines and other "ropes"! I usually bring a cooler with me which I keep on the sole.

Thanks for the additional info.

I think my season is about to be cut short due to work and the dredging of Bullock's Cove. I just got a letter from the harbor master that I have to move my mooring and boat so the dredge can have easy acess to and manoeverability in the channel. Oh well! maybe a couple more sails before the mast comes down.

James

Hi James,
It's possible that you may not have that sheave up inside the centerboard slot in your boat's keel. The only way to really find out is to look up in there with a flash light, I guess. That detachable step inside my boat is a mod that I made a number of years ago using Teak and marine adjusters.

Taking a boat off a bunk trailer is a slow hard process, and it can be dangerous. I try to take every precausion when I do it. One of our YC members uses the farm's backhoe to lift the bow of his O'Day 25 after he raises the stern high enough to clear the trailer. He shores up under the stern with wood blocks and uses the boat stands to keep the boat steady and straight. I think he has a special pit under the keel that he uses to let the board all the way down into. One of our other YC members told me that he used a metal eye beam to get the bow of his OD 25 high enough to clear the trailer. He told me that it was a little scary, but he managed to get his trailer under the boat. There's a guy in your area of the Providence River who built a beam out of 2X6s, lags, and Gorilla Glue. He used it to hold the bow of his 1973 O'Day 23 in order to get the trailer out from under it. He goes under the name of Bay Sailor Bill. He's retired and reconditions boats for a hobby. Anyway, I'm glad that I was able to help you in some way. Enjoy the rest of the season. As for me, I'll still be out on the water with Penny in my kayak on mild days.
Regards,
Joe

Swing Keel - Joe did you post the pictures?

JAF

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