235 Centerboard Repair

Rick Macdonald · Mar 12, 2017

How do you slide the boat back on the trailer 2 feet? While in the water?

Rick Webb · Mar 12, 2017

I'd block it up in my driveway remove the centerboard and fill it full of epoxy, clamp it back together, paint it, then put it back in with a new pennant.

Toughest part would be to get the trailer out from under it.

Dennis Kitchen · Mar 12, 2017

I have done the repair on my '95 h23.5. I strongly advise you to NOT use sealant for the repair. Use thickened resin, preferably epoxy. This is a structural item, a lever if you will, that works against the sails and hull to prevent leeway. You must restore the structure as well as waterproof.
As for working it on the trailer, it's possible but usually dangerous, depending on your method. The best I've seen raise the boat in increments front and rear and place solid cribbing, building as you go up. There must be no potential for slipping, rolling, shifting, or point loading the hull and causing damage. My solution was cradles and a gantry to lift. Good luck and be careful!

Happy Camper · Mar 13, 2017

Another idea might be to see if you can find another marina that isn't quite as expensive. Thats one of the beauties of having a trailerable boat, we can take them to remote locations to sail, or work on them. I found a marina pretty close to me that will lift my 240 for $2.50 a foot. nice wide straps and I can rent space on the hard and stands for about $200 a month!
Thats $320 for a month on the hard with travel lift time.
If you can pull out the keel while she is in the sling, you can set her back on her trailer for storage. Now you only have lift time!
The $900 bill sounds a bit expensive, I would shop around a bit.
A short drive might turn up a much better deal.
I agree with Rick Webb, you need some epoxy for that fix! I would grind back the gel-coat and lay in a few layers of fiberglass cloth strips to add some strength. Then fill and finish. That portion of the keel is susceptible to "bumping" the bottom as well, you want more under there than 5200 I think. Lots of good videos out there about epoxy fiberglass repair. No problems. Nice easy fix; you just have a logistics problem! Good luck and let us know how it works out.

rgranger · Mar 13, 2017

Look for an independent auto mechanic who might let you lift your boat off of the trailer on his auto lift for a few hundred bucks. Then do the work yourself and you know it was done right. Or you can rent a lift truck (crane truck) for a weekend. Certainly less than $900.

Crazy Dave Condon · Mar 13, 2017

Without knowing what the leading edge of the lower portion of the centerboard will determine what needs to be done. Absolutely do not use 5200 as that will not work. You will have to grind out the old marine putty down to the fiberglass, then sand and clean, apply resin(vinlyester as it is below in the water with hardner of course) to both sides, add several layers of glass on each side and clamp together. Working upside down is not easy and one must be careful not to let fiberglass and resin drip on you paticuraly in your face and eyes suggesting that you were protection in your eyes. When dry, release clamps, sand and then fill in with epoxy and fill in any pours, valleys and so forth, wet sand smooth and apply barrier coats and then anti fouling paint if that is planned.
There is something else you could do. Raise the centerboard all the way up. Then take the screws out of the keel tray and see if you can remove it. If not then there is pressure on that tray which should not be occurring. Do this first before anything else and get back with us. Also another picture of the leading edge to see how far up it is from the bottom and hopefully not in the way of the cross bracket seen in the photo. Notify me via private forum messaging and I will look back at this and go from there.
I know this boat too well. The very first left the factory behind my vehicle when I was a dealer much involved with the boat.

Dennis Kitchen · Mar 15, 2017

mmhamer said:
This is very helpful. Thank you.
Couple questions:
How tall are your lifting towers?
How tall are your hull rests?
A picture of the stern hull rest would be helpful.
Thx, Mike H.

Mike,
The gantry was made with 12' 2x8 lumber. I used a beam formed to the hull and a floor jack at the rear;BAD IDEA-very unstable. I recommend two gantries; one front and rear, a wide strap under the hull and two "come-a-longs" per gantry to lift.
Make it from "treated" lumber. I did not and it rotted. Better yet make it in steel.
I don't recall the height of the cradles. They were such that the trailer was pulled out from under the hull and then it slightly lowered to rest on the cradles. Additional blocking and jackstands were then position to prevent any movement and shifting.
Dennis

Crazy Dave Condon · Mar 16, 2017

Not sure if referring to me or Dennis but a minimum of 4 feet to be able to work underneath and the more the merrier if you have to get out quickly should something give. Dennis, may I suggest two stands the kind seen at boat yards in the middle of the boat toward the outside chained together for added support and safety. I err on the side of safety.

Rick Webb · Mar 16, 2017

Here is my plan for removing the trailer in the driveway. I have not done it but have thought about it quite a bit.

1. pull the trailer up on ramps (this is the part that would make me nervous)
2. drop the hitch all the way to the ground
3. put a support across the stern I was thinking of one that bridged all the way across as oppose to one on either side
4. raise the bow a gantry would be used to support it but a pair of hydraulic jacks and blocks to lift the tounge would be quicker than a come along on the gantry.
5. the gantry would be wider than the trailer so now I'd roll the trailer out from under the boat. Probably would need to unbolt the goal posts as well.
6. block up the bow to minimize the weight on the gantry

I've had the trailer up on ramps to paint the bottom and it worked well. Just make sure your ramps are made to support 4,000#

rgranger · Mar 16, 2017

That should work.... Here is me doing essentially what you described. You can see me pulling the trailer out a little at a time forward. I built supports with cinder block and foam just after the trailing edge of the trailer. Lower the tonge .... pull out another foot, repeat, repeat...I eventually built a second "beam" and got it all up and off the trailer. Then I had to build supports. The second shot is just after I got the trailer out but before I built the supports. You don't want your boat to fall ... what I did was take posts (like the ones you see in the first photo, and staked them to the cross beams and then bolted them to stakes ran a few feet into the ground. These posts ran forward, backwards and sideways so that the beams could not budge in any direction. I then built up several more cinder block columns but first leveled the ground under the columns. It is slow tedious work and it took me all day. If doing it again, I would find some guy with an auto garage and a lift with straps and offer him a few hundred dollars to let me put it on his auto lift for the day. Cost less and would get done faster. Offer the guy a free ride once it is done and maybe cut the cost even more.

CrispyCringle · Mar 17, 2017

Im not trying to knock your cinder block idea. It must have worked for you. But those pics scare the crap out of me. If you need to do that again, ALWAYS stack the bricks with the holes vertical. Thats how the brick is strongest. But better yet, use something else. They are not the strongest building material, and I had a good friend almost die while working under a car supported by those bricks and on their side like that.

Crazy Dave Condon · Mar 17, 2017

Guys;
Remember this is a water ballast and the thickness of the hull is not as thick as a keel style boat plus if you do not support it right, you run the possibility of separating the water ballast tank lid from the hull. For newcomers if you are queasy about doing whatever, best advice do not do it.
Anything can happen quickly. Good example trying to dislodge an old pallet partially in the ground with a crowbar that somehow a spark occurred lighting the ground tinder from high winds drying out the brush over the past few days starting a brush fire in wind. Got the fire out but burned on the arms and right leg. Tats all folks.

rgranger · Mar 17, 2017

CrispyCringle said:
Im not trying to knock your cinder block idea. It must have worked for you. But those pics scare the crap out of me. If you need to do that again, ALWAYS stack the bricks with the holes vertical. Thats how the brick is strongest. But better yet, use something else. They are not the strongest building material, and I had a good friend almost die while working under a car supported by those bricks and on their side like that.

Yeah @CrispyCringle I hear you...

I don't have a good pic of the end set-up. That was just me getting the trailer out from underneath. I WAS NOT UNDERNEATH!
The cross beams were then attached to posts that ran at angles to the ground fore-aft and athwart and staked into the ground.

For the next boat I worked on, I hung it in a large maple tree

Mike in Cape Cod · Mar 30, 2017

mmhamer said:
I own a ’96 Hunter 235 with a centerboard in need of repair. It has a crack in the bottom end that I can see from the back, when it’s on the trailer. I did a similar repair on the rudder last winter and it is performing well. So now it’s time to tackle the centerboard. I’ve located a marina in Iowa capable of lifting the boat off the trailer and supporting it while I remove and reinstall the centerboard, however the estimate is about $900.00 to do so.

My current it thought is to repair it without removing it. Perhaps In my driveway, I slide the boat back off the trailer about 2 feet. Then lift the transom up about 2 feet, then block it in that position. Then I could drop the centerboard about a foot to expose the entire end of the centerboard. Then I can clean it up, rough it up, then use 3M 5200 to fill the gap. After it’s clamped for a couple days, it should be ready for the season.

Perhaps someone has some better ideas on how I could do this?

Any ideas would be appreciated. Thx.

$900. would be the best money you ever spent if you value your life and limbs. Let a professional handle the job and get it done right. If there any problems after he repair you have recourse with the shop. If you don't have the $$$ wait until you do. Looking at the home made contraptions shown here used to lift a 3500 lb boat makes me wonder if some people have any regard for their safety or that of others. I would not stand close to them. I had to have my centerboatd replaced and it cost me very little because I had insurance to cover all but the $200, deductable. The boat was in the boat shopfor a whole month hanging a motorized double gantry with a double sling tied front to back and chained together boat stands supporting the hull as a back up. Just saying !

rgranger · May 26, 2017

Nice!

I also replaced my lift line this past Tuesday with the help of Crazy Dave and Kermit. But we used a boat lift at a local marina. Cost me $240 but we did the entire job in a few hours work.

235 Centerboard Repair

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