1973 23 oday - keel stuck up

[jlgraham]

i have a 1973 oday pop-up with adjustable keel,
it was jammed up in boat when placed on trailer,
my question is what is it made of ?
solid lead with fiberglass
hollow lead with fiberglass
weight?

its on trailer with cross beam and i'd like to use a turn buckle to pull it down
i'm guessing the cable got jammed somehow,
i've tapped with round bar thru pole (cable comes up thru) from inside the boat
but it wont losen.

any advice on how to free it?

thanks

 

[GeorgiaBII]

You have the cast iron keel like mine? If so I found big blisters of rust in the slot jamming mine last year, It's jammed again this year and I've dived twice trying to free it. Probably going to have to put on the trailer with the bunks up to work it loose.

As for construction. It's got a solid lead core *think sheet lead* covered in fiberglass and then gel coat. Strong as hell!

Or at least mine did. I had to rebuild the bottom half of mine as the previous owner destroyed it.

 

[Sunbird22358]

The keel on hte 1973 O'DAY 23 is cast iron and is (or should be!) bolted securely in place, if yours is adjustable then a previous owner must have modified it. Unless your boat has been modified, the cable that is controlled by the winch on hte post in the cabin is used to adjust the position of the fiberglass centerboard housed within the cast-iron keel. The CB is (as described above) a hollow fiberglass shell with lead flashing (about 15# worth) molded inside (Rudy Nickerson at D&R showed me one he was repairing). Some owners have had success in inserting a thin saw blade between the iron keel and hte stuck centerboard and working it back and forth to clean out the rust and scale that can build up over time, and also the marine fouling and barnacles if in saltwater (I suppose zebra mussels might get in there o nsome freshwater lakes?). Sometimes a series of gentle (and not so gentle?) applications of a hard-rubber mallet against the outside of the keel will help to dislodge the centerboard, perhaps one person gently tapping on a rod through the post in the cabin combined with careful use of a mallet on the keel will shake the centerboard loose. Be careful though as you attempt to dislodge the centerboard, since at least one owner managed to break the CB in half trying to get it to move. Pictures of his methods are posted on-line, Google O'DAY 23. He was in Rhode Island, may have sold the boat after fixing her. I can't find his web site now, seems to have expired. I found the pictures that I think I saved from the site.

 

[Ted Klumb]

I have the same boat and problem as JLGraham. My question is how can I get it unstuck from the cabin? The boat came with a steel rod but I want to be sure that I am pounding the rod in the right place. I also think the cable may have gotten caught up when it was placed on a trailer. The reason I believe the keel is stuck is the amount of slack in the cable. When the cable is taut, I cannot crank the keel up. Loosing is does not lower the keel. Should I make the cable taut when I use the rod and hammer? Any suggestions welcome. Thanks.

 

[Sunbird22358]

You would want slack in hte cable when you try to push the CB down. Your keel will not move, or at least should not move as it is bolted in place. The cable does not raise/lower the keel, it only controls the centerboard that is housed inside the keel.
One caution about using that metal rod to push CB down if it is stuck, do not use too much force on the rod as you may damage the trailing edge of the CB. Also be sure you are actually pushing against the CB and not forcing that rod between the CB and the inside of the Keel. If the CB doesn't drop with a gentle yet firm push from that rod, you may need to attack the CB from underneath using a thin metal blade slipped between the CB and the inside of the slot in the keel. Unfortunately, rust and dirt can jamb the CB inside the Keel.

 

[Joe11688]

Several years ago a guy named Baysailor Bill in the Providence RI area got on the forum and talked about a 1973 O'Day 23 that he was trying to fix up. Bill is no stranger when it comes to fixing boats, or any boat for that fact. He does excellent work.
This boat had the same cast iron keel issues that you guys are now experiencing and he did a lot of swearing while he was trying to free up his centerboard.
He built a long beam out of 2x6s, lags, and Gorilla Glue to support the bow of the boat in order to get his trailer out from under the hull to be able to work on the keel in his yard.
That done, he worked at trying to remove the centerboard and wound up breaking it in two trying to get it out of the keel slot.
Bill used a special paint called "Rust Bullet". He explains what he did in an email that he sent to me that I am posting here. I'm sure Bill won't mind if I share it and some pics of his boat.
Hi Joe,

The 23 was a good project and I really miss the simplicity of that boat. I would say in hind sight, removing the keel and having it professionally sand blasted would have been the easier way to go, but I did everything with the keel on the boat. After removing the swing keel I used an air-chisel to clean all of the rust from the keel. After cleaning the metal I used a multistage treatment from RUST-BULLET to clean, prepare and prime the keel. Make sure to follow the instructions to the letter and apply fresh “Ablative” Bottom Paint every season to keep the barnacles from eating into the metal and starting the rust all over again. I talked to the man who bought the boat, he keeps it moored on Long Island all season. As of the end of last season, the keel is holding up perfectly.

The Web Site Address for Rust Bullet is:
http://www.rustbullet.com/?source=adwords&gclid=CIL8_bDVgagCFYbb4AodUhvZqg

I will dig out some pictures and re-write a blog on the site to help out some of the guys.

Happy Sailing ans I hope to see you on the bay this season,
Bill






I had some pics of Bill's boat sitting on a slip but they're nowhere to be found right now. He had a Blog which was chuck full of pics of the boats that he restored several years ago and he must have discontinued it.

That O'Day 23 came out looking beautiful when he got through with it. Of course, he had to build a new centerboard for it but he didn't stop there. He built a new classic style forward hatch for it as well.
He later sold the boat and I think the guy who owns it now is located somewhere on the Jersey Coast. The new owner is very happy with the boat.

 

[Sunbird22358]

Joe, I had saved at least some of Baysailor Billl's pictures, those are the ones that I posted above. He did get the CB out......too bad it was then in 2 pieces <GRIN!>.

 

[Joe11688]

Joe, I had saved at least some of Baysailor Billl's pictures, those are the ones that I posted above. He did get the CB out......too bad it was then in 2 pieces <GRIN!>.

Hi Rod,
I still get emails from Bill every once in a while. He bought a Catalina 27 the last I heard, and he fixed it up real nice. Maybe I'll run into Bill some day in Potter's Cove on Prudence Island.

Joe