Again with the Centerboard

[HukilauMike]

Arrgh! The centerboard on my Oday 23 stuck when I retracted it into the well. It hasn't happened for years, and I thought it wouldn't happen at all this year especially since I cleaned the slot of all barnacles and crap before launching. Most troubling is that my surefire fix failed to work for the first time. I have always been able to free it up in the past with a three foot steel rod thru the pendent hole. Didn't work this time, and I don't know why. I stuck the rod in, and it hit the centerboard. A couple of gentle whacks, and the rod moved freely down. Usually, this means that the centerboard too moves freely, although this time the pendent did not move; it just lay slack. I can only think of two reasons why it would do this: the rod is missing the centerboard and is just moving past it, or the centerboard is free, but the pendent has become separated from it. The big question now is: do I pay to have the boat hauled now so I can see, or do I just sail her the way she is and check things out after the season is over?

 

[Terry in Naples]

centerboard

I sailed an Oday 30 centerboard for 15 years. From whre you are Now you need to dive over the side and see if the board is down or not. Then go from there. If the pennant is undone you need to haul and reattach it or replace it. If it is still stuck you probably missed the board with the probe. (I used to dive under the boat with a crowbar and wedge it in the slot and pry it down.) then scrape it good and free of growth. Another trick is to leave a little slop at the top when you reel it up. then if you get stuck you can roll it free by raising it up and then drop it down.
Good luck, I loved the centerboard but it was a lot of trouble.
Terry

 

[Marcia]

I've also had trouble........

with my CB. When I bought my PY23 the CB had been stuck for years. I finally had it hauled in April and the shipyard used a machete and power washer to get rid of years of barnacles and rust. I saw a machete at Home Depot for about $20.00. I figure it's a handy thing to have on hand in case this happens again. I also keep about 6 -8 inches of slack in the pennant line so I can work the CB up and down gently to keep it free during the between sail days.