Broken Centerboard

[Michael Kretschmer]

I own a 1979 23' Oday. The centerboard had broken while I was backing out of my slip in shallow water. The centerboard was down because the pendant (line holding the centerboard up) had apparently broken away without me realizing it. I need to remove and replace the centerboard while it is dry docked, however I am having problems removing the board. Does anyone have experience with this? I would specifically like details on how the board is attached to the shoal keel. Thank you.

 

[Rod Johnson,]

2 plates, screws, wedges

The CB on the 1977-1985 O'Day 23 is removed by unscrewing the 2 stainless-steel screws on each side of the CB slot in the keel. There are 4 screws total. They are on the bottom of the keel, and when you remove the screws, the stainless-steel plates that hold in the wedges should pop off (may need a bit of persuasion?), the wedges should slide out now, allowing the CB and it's pin to drop out. To reinstall the CB the process is reversed. This is the theory, fro mwhat I've been told. However, a call to Rudy at D & R Marine may be your best bet! Rudy can make you a new CB and he also sells the pendant (line to raise board). Rudy used to be the Parts Manager for O'Day. He also has the Owners Manual for the 23. I'll add a link to D&Rs website.

 

[James]

Mine broke too - Any recomendations on how to fix?

Rod, I have a 1982 23 and I have the same problem. During my last sail in November (yes I was that crazy and yes it was that cold) I had difficulty coming about in the high seas and 20 knot winds - When I pulled the boat and had it up on stands I inspected the CB after power washing the keel to see if it was okay and not too filled with barnacles etc etc. I noticed that the centre-board was stuck in the keel and would not drop down. I got it down after a little effort and then noticed that is was cracked along the leading edge. This warranted removing the CB to get a closer look at the damage.So ... First to answer your question - How to remove the CB. The first posting was correct. There are two stainless steel plates near the front of the opening in the keel. These are held in place with some screws. Remove the screws and the plates will come off. The plates hold two tapered wedges in place. The wedges hold a pivot shaft in place which goes through the center-board. When the plates are removed the wedges should easily come down - be careful since the entire weight of the center-board will be ready to fall. The wedges in my boat has been held in place with some caulk so they took a little bit of effort to get out.Once I had the board out I noticed that it was split along it length - right along the leading and rear edges. Further inspection showed that the lead had fallen out! I thought about replacing the CB but at approximately $500 ..... it seemed a little expensive. I was planning going to replace the lead and then glass over the leading edge and make the best repair I could. After discussing this with a friend he suggested making a new CB our of marine ply - cutting a hole in the middle for the lead (the original piece was 34"*8"*1/4" thick - approximately 30 lbs) and then glassing the entire assembly. He suggested this because of the way the original had been made and the potential difficulty of applying the pressure which will be necessary to held the two halves together if I simply try to repair what I have.So far I have not decided on the approach I will take - the winter has just started and I have about 90 days before I think about launching.Let me know what you plan to do - If anyone else has repaired a CB I would be interested ion your experience and recommendation of how repair.