`00 26x centerboard stickin in "up" position

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foggy

.
Jun 8, 2004
7
- - Capt.'s Quarters, Louisville
When I came out of the marina onto the river in 13 mph winds yesterday, I was SO ready for a quick sail, unfortunately, my centerboard wouldn't go down..I tried everything..goin in reverse against the slight current..everything short of jumpin in an pullin it down, which I did do as soon as I got her back into the marina dock. It came down quite easily, and I noticed how light the centerboard is underwater. Almost like it doesn't weigh a thing. Has anyone experienced similar problems? If so, what are some possible solutions. I hate to just leave the board down thus eliminating the use of the motor much over "idle" speed, but I also would hate to have to get wet everytime I want to drop the centerboard. I'm thinking of adding a little weight to the centerboard when I have her out at the end of the season. It seems so light, I can hardly fathom that it would stay down when sailing at hull speed. I don't really want to pull her out of the water to work on the swing keel just now. Another idea that occurred to me was smearing some of that waterproof grease along the keel...don't know how much that would help..it might encourage underwater growth and make the keel even harder to deploy. Until I hear from any of you that have experienced similar problems, I intend to just haul up the keel to the "almost" up position, Is it unsafe to motor fast with it in the "almost" up position?? I appreciate any input, Thanks, Foggy
 
Feb 14, 2004
19
- - dog 10
Is this boat new to you?

Is the X new to you? You may have one of the notorious floating centerboards. I've already seen a few in my days... Not to mention the occasional floating rudder. If you get stuck email me offline. bcardoza@yachtingdesigns.com
 

foggy

.
Jun 8, 2004
7
- - Capt.'s Quarters, Louisville
Notorious Floating Centerboard???

I'd never heard of that problem before..Yes the boat is new to me. The centerboard feels so very light underwater, but from up on the deck, hauling on the rope, it feels sufficiently weighty, and you can tell when it drops to full deployment. I've hauled it up to the "almost" up position which is where I'll leave it..I guess my biggest question now is whether it is safe to fully power the boat with it in that position. I wouldn't tempt fate with doing it, but I believe it might be alright to run at medium speed with it in the "almost" up position.
 
Feb 14, 2004
19
- - dog 10
Weight of board Underwater

The way the board drops is that it sinks. There are a couple of holes in the board that let water in and air out to facilitate this. Some of the boards out there were drilled in areas that let very little water into the cavity. This causes a board to sink slow and in stead of seconds, minutes. Some will float for minutes if drilled poorly. On the other hand once the board is filled and under water, It doesn’t weigh much more than it displaces so pulling on the board is fairly easy until it reaches the point where you begin pulling it into the trunk. There, until it drains the water inside, the board will be come very heavy and hard to lift. On my boat I hear a clunk when it hits the top. I don't know how far up your board is so I don’t want to be the person that says your fine to go at high speed. If you know of any other X owners in the area, have them compare the feeling of your boat to theirs. You could very well be fine and it's just one of the nuances of the X you weren't prepared for. You could always bring it to a dealer and have them check it out. Good Luck Bob
 
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