We have a 1982 Irwin 40 MK II with the centerboard intact. We last had the boat in the water 2 seasons ago for one week of sailing. Prior to that it was purchased by us the season prior and in the water for one week that year. Prior to us purchasing it was lightly used every season and hauled out every winter by the previous owner. When we purchased the boat the owner stated he never used the centerboard. During our test sail we lowered and raised the centerboard sailing with the board in different positions during our test sail. The reason we have not sailed the boat more is the year we bought the boat my mother in law became ill and we focused on her as much as possible. We are moving from the west coast to the boat to live full time and to cruise full time. We will be doing this in June of 2016 so my question is while it is still out of the water and easily accessible should I replace the halyard to the centerboard not knowing it's true age? Right now all I know about it is that it is a rope halyard from what we dealt with on the test sail. Would a wire halyard be a better choice with us heading south this year? I have never dealt with a centerboard before but I do know dropping one would be a bad thing. Do I need to worry about the pivot pin? What about growth in the chamber where the board resides when retracted?