Sanibel 18 Center Board Stuck Up...New Sailor! :-)

[1usavet]

Sanibel 18 Center Board stuck...new sailor!
I have a Sanibel 18 that now has a center board that won't drop. I want to fix (it's on the trailer), but don't want to damage anything. It normally goes up or down by using the rope attached that feeds into the cockpit through a hole. Appreciate any advice!

Angela
S'ail La Vie

 

[Bad Obsession]

There could be a lot of minor issues causing the board not to drop.
One thing that you may be able to do is to use some wood blocks to raise the boat enough on the trailer to get a look at the centerboard trunk. You may be able to find the issue is something in the trunk.

The cable could have jumped a pulley and that is another issue.

 

[Ray Bowles]

I have found issues with marine growth between the keel and the housing sides. Some boats have access from above the CB housing that allows you to push it down from above. Some require it to be pulled down from below.
Myself, I'd support the hull off the trailer and address the entire centerboard assembly. It's not hard to do and with all the issues with CB's on this site in the last couple of weeks you'll be glad you did.
Ray

 

[1usavet]

Thanks...how do you put it up on blocks?!

 

[1usavet]

Also, in relation to marine growth (there's some on my rudder) there could be some inside where the cb is right? How do I get it off of my rudder, too? Thanks

 

[Ray Bowles]

1usavet, First off, Thank you for your service.
Now about the keel. I don't know what type of trailer you have but it is probably a bunk type for that size boat. The other type is a roller. Either way this is what I have done . Jack up the trailer and boat, install dunnage under the trailer and boat, repeat until the boat is high enough for the keel blade to be dropped out. I then slid a 10 foot 6x6 under the boat at the front and rear with angled wedges screwed into the 6x6. These prevent the boat from rocking side to side. The trailer can be lowered and rolled out from under the boat.
Drop the keel carefully as it can be very heavy. Using old pallets can help with the keel drop. Reverse to install the repaired keel.
There is a web site called "Catalina Direct.com" that has a picture breakdown of all the keel parts used on the Catalina 22. Your keel will have something simular. Replace any warn parts! If the keel blade hole is worn badly then it is easly repaired by boring out and installing a bushing.
There are other ways to support the boat. This is just what I had handy at the time. My boat was a 26 footer and weighed about #4,000.
I had16 inch tall by 14 to 16 wide blocks of fir firewood rounds, unsplit. I stacked these up along with scrap 2x4 and 2x6 pieces about 16 inch long for my dunnage.
Get back to this site if you need more help or catch me off line.
Ray

 

[Ron20324]

If the boat was allowed to sit on the bottom at low tide, mud could have packed in and around the board and dried up.

 

[whatfiero]

to get off the trailer get together lots of blocks cinder blocks work but 4x4s and 6x6 wood blocks work best let tung of trailer all the way down to ground block back of boat with blocks lift tung up real high block front level trailer boat now suspeded above trailer put a 4x4 across front and pull trailer out

 

[Ray Bowles]

whatfiero, I really like your idea. Way quicker than the way I did it.
Ray

 

[1usavet]

Update on drop board keel ....HELP!

:cry:

Sanibel 18 Center Board stuck...new sailor!
I have a Sanibel 18 that now has a center board that won't drop. I want to fix (it's on the trailer), but don't want to damage anything. It normally goes up or down by using the rope attached that feeds into the cockpit through a hole. Appreciate any advice!

Angela
S'ail La Vie

UPDATE: boat was lifted today and drop keel came down, but when in water, as soon as I lifted up with rope, it won't slide back down! Guy who did boat hull detail said that the board might have swelled slightly and that I should get a new one for about $1,000! HELP!!!