1994 MacGregor 26S Center Board Deterioration

[EricF9667]

Hello,

My wife and I just purchased our first sailboat. We selected a 1994 MacGregor 26S. The prior owner told me that the CB would sometimes stick and he would have to jump in the water and assist the CB into down position.

I took the boat to the shop and asked for an inspection. The findings were severe damage to the area on the CB where the cable is connected. It appears that the prior owner rigged a make shift cable attachment that may have caused the CB to hang up and not freely drop down.

Is this a common problem for this type of boat? I am having a new CB and all new hardware installed. Why did this happen and what can I do to prevent this from recurring?

Thanks,

Eric

 

[ed on manitoulin]

My centerboard (92) has not dropped a few times as well....I raise the clear plastic sleeve & push something thin down thru the hull. Doesn't take much to release it. I need to inspect mine @ some point.

 

[MrBill_FLL]

recommend you post on the mac board.

The centerboard pivot bolt should not be very tight. it designed to have some movement.

that doesn't look too bad. some fiberglass should fix it right up. its hollow you know.

 

[walt]

Everything Mr. Bill said plus..

I would have also repaired the centerboard with glass and epoxy. The hard part is getting access as you probably want to remove it from the boat to work on it - but its easy to handle weighing under 50 pounds.

This thread (from the forum suggested) might be useful if you wanted to attempt something like that..

http://forums.macgregor.sailboatowners.com/showthread.php?p=1134012&highlight=centerboard

 

[Crazy Dave Condon]

second Mr. bill.

 

[Meriachee]

It does look like something was attached there. That's one of the nice things about what Roger designed, it's simple, and people do tend to overthink "solutions" instead of just replacing. We busted our keel cable a number of times, and it is replaceable quite easily on the trailer.
You would, as a new owner, be well advised to have a keel cables and a couple of rudder cables in your toolkit. Usually when encountering the dirt, the keel will simply swing up, but by the time you feel the rudder getting stiff, the cable is already under good tension and will break if tied off tight. Busting a rudder cable is a right of passage for a Mac owner. You don't get the t shirt until you do. Ha.
Enjoy the boat.

 

[Roadking Larry]

When I had my 26S I rigged a break-away cleat on the tiller for the down-haul line. I also used 1/4" yacht braid for both the up-haul and down-haul lines. Easier to replace than a piece of SS cable and cheaper too.

 

[Sock Puppet]

When I had my 26S I rigged a break-away cleat on the tiller for the down-haul line. I also used 1/4" yacht braid for both the up-haul and down-haul lines. Easier to replace than a piece of SS cable and cheaper too.

This is exactly what I've done on mine as well.