25 Oday swing keel jammed

[Captain25]

When my 25 O'Day was hauled last fall, the keel became jammed when the hauler forced it into the box, probably barnacles. I have cleared as much as I can reach inside the box using a dull hand saw blade however it won't budge. My next strategy is to use a rod down the tube for the keel line but I haven't tried anything yet.

Anyone have any thoughts?

 

[Ward H]

It sounds like your boat is on stands and raised enough for the keel to drop. Can you work a small crow or pry bar into the end between the end of the CB and the keel trunk and pry it down?
My board has gotten stuck up a few times. the yard guy thinks the pendant line has worn a groove into the fiberglass so when it is pulled all the way up the thicker part where the eye was spliced gets stuck in the groove. I like the idea of trying to push a rod down the pendant tube, especially if the boat is on the water.
Let us know how you make out.

 

[HukilauMike]

I have a 79 Oday 23, which has the same centerboard setup as the 25. I've used the "rod down the tube" approach alot. When I first bought my boat, the centerboard seemed to stick in the slot frequently. I went to the hardware store and bought a three foot length of 1/4" rod. Take off the grommet that surrounds the pendent line in the cockpit; you'll see that the hole for the line is acutally quite large. Put the rod down the hole gently; some of the Oday's have flexible hose as part of the conduit. Once the end of the rod hits the edge of the centerboard, tap on the end of the rod. Sometimes, its taken only a light tap to dislodge the board; sometimes I had to give it a good whack. I think at one point, I made a cushion for the end of the rod out of duct tape so it wasn't sharp metal on fiberglass. After cleaning out the slot and replacing the pendent line and shackle, I haven't had the problem for a number of years.