Centerboard Pennant replacement
John: I replaced my centerboard pennant while on the hard during the off season. It's a fairly simple process but must be done with the boat hauled. When I changed mine (for the very same reasons that you want to) the line ran into the centerboard blade and literally disappeared into the edge of the blade, no stopper knot, no nothing! I noticed a lump on the blade about 6" in from where the line entered the edge of the blade (on a straight line). I drilled out the lump and discovered that the lump was a mass of putty that encapsulated a small stopper knot embedded into the putty. The blade already had a 1 to 1.5" diameter hole drilled through it with a pilot hole that lead to the blades trailing edge where the pennant ran in. It was easy to replace the line by going into the cockpit and feeding the new line (with a stopper knot in the cockpit!) down the tube and then going under the boat to fetch the line and feed it through the blade's pilot hole. From there I tied a very secure stopper knot on the new line and did not bother to fill the hole in the blade smooth with putty. I did slop bottom paint on the opening and the line to retard marine growth however. The blade behaved OK however there is a noticable vibration as the boat points to weather at full speed with the blade down all the way. That could be caused by turbulence around the new line and the exposed knot, and it does not seem to to affect the boat's performance too much. After all, I'm not trying the boat out to beat the Kiwi's (or the Swiss!) in 2005 in an O'Day 22! Raising the blade and tensioning the pennant line reduces the vibration a bit. Can this be done while the boat's in the water? I suppose so, although you'd need a scuba tank and respirator because the job involves protracted time below the waterline. And uisng a power drill under water is a no-no! Also if doing the job on dry ground, make sure the boat yard or your own blocking raises the boat high enough to permit the blade to drop out of the keel pocket enough to expose the trailing edge of the blade completely. Usually that's about 18 inches clear under the bottom of the keel (with the blade fully retracted). The O'day 22 is flat bottomed, so it's easy to raise up with screw jacks stands. Hope this helps! Enjoy the winter and best wishes for a great Spring. Regards; Stu Timm "Karakahl" 1979 O'Day 22 CB Centerport, Ny
