What is the usual time frame for having to change out a centerboard pin, wedges, and plates on an O'day 25? How difficult is this? I don't see any corrosion around the plates, so do I leave it alone? Butis sailed in salt water during summer but out of water in winter.
Centerboard Pin replacement O'dat 25
- Thread starter danlisa0529
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Replaced my pin, pendant and wedges In a weekend, which included raising the boat high enough off the trailer to remove the board and doing some repair to the area around the wedges and plates.
If you're not in the habit of leaving your centerboard down when your boat is at the slip or mooring, I wouldn't touch any of it. Wedges and plates never need replacing. If the wedges get a little damaged, you can reconstruct them with epoxy and filler.
I suppose it wouldn't be a bad idea to get the boat into a position where you can let the centerboard down and check it for sloppiness. You're going to have some side ward play on your board. My board has it and I suspect that they all do. Just grab the board and push it toward the pin back and forth. This will give you some idea of the condition of the pin or the hole in the board without pulling the board completely out unless you want to pull your board out and that's OK.
I pulled the board out of my 1986 O'Day 222 years ago and found nothing wrong with my pin. It gave me a chance to bottom paint inside the keel slot and also gave me a better understanding of how this system works. I thought it was pretty ingenious myself. Check my Photo Album on this site for pics of the whole set up and some tips and ideas on how to remove the board.
I'm pretty sure that your centerboard is set up the same way inside the keel slot with the exception of the sheave in the keel slot and also the pendant line.
Your 1975 O'Day 25 has a cable coming off a winch mounted on the table stanchion down below and it's a straight shot right down to where it is attached to your centerboard.
My pendant line comes down from a step in front of the companionway in the cockpit via an "L" shaped pipe to a sheave in a small pocket tucked up inside the keel slot. The O'Day 26 has the same set up.
Your centerboard being Fiberglas is no heavier than any later model O'Day 25s and you can very well replace the metal cable with a braid line on your winch. You may want to talk to Rudy at D&R Marine about this. http://www.drmarine.com/
My pendant line has a long shackle at the end of it that is attached to my centerboard. I'm not sure what you have at the end of your cable or how it is attached to you centerboard. O'Day Mfg was forever making changes back then.
I would be more concerned with the condition and attachment of the cable to your centerboard if anything. It doesn't hurt to check it and this is the best time to make repairs to it if it needs repair. If the cable checks out OK, I'd stick with it for a while but if it needs replacing, I'd go with a braid pendant line instead of a wire cable.
I suppose it wouldn't be a bad idea to get the boat into a position where you can let the centerboard down and check it for sloppiness. You're going to have some side ward play on your board. My board has it and I suspect that they all do. Just grab the board and push it toward the pin back and forth. This will give you some idea of the condition of the pin or the hole in the board without pulling the board completely out unless you want to pull your board out and that's OK.
I pulled the board out of my 1986 O'Day 222 years ago and found nothing wrong with my pin. It gave me a chance to bottom paint inside the keel slot and also gave me a better understanding of how this system works. I thought it was pretty ingenious myself. Check my Photo Album on this site for pics of the whole set up and some tips and ideas on how to remove the board.
I'm pretty sure that your centerboard is set up the same way inside the keel slot with the exception of the sheave in the keel slot and also the pendant line.
Your 1975 O'Day 25 has a cable coming off a winch mounted on the table stanchion down below and it's a straight shot right down to where it is attached to your centerboard.
My pendant line comes down from a step in front of the companionway in the cockpit via an "L" shaped pipe to a sheave in a small pocket tucked up inside the keel slot. The O'Day 26 has the same set up.
Your centerboard being Fiberglas is no heavier than any later model O'Day 25s and you can very well replace the metal cable with a braid line on your winch. You may want to talk to Rudy at D&R Marine about this. http://www.drmarine.com/
My pendant line has a long shackle at the end of it that is attached to my centerboard. I'm not sure what you have at the end of your cable or how it is attached to you centerboard. O'Day Mfg was forever making changes back then.
I would be more concerned with the condition and attachment of the cable to your centerboard if anything. It doesn't hurt to check it and this is the best time to make repairs to it if it needs repair. If the cable checks out OK, I'd stick with it for a while but if it needs replacing, I'd go with a braid pendant line instead of a wire cable.
Joe: the later model 25's (maybe all of them; I'm not as familiar with the older 25's as I am with the 23's) had the same centerboard set up as the Mark II Oday 23: single-line pendent, lead from the centerboard directly to the bridge deck in the cockpit. No pulleys, ratchets or winches.
The pin and the wedges are made of delrin plastic. It may wear, but will never rot or corrode. Like Joe says, if your centerboard doesn't wiggle/wobble uncomfortably, then don't sweat it.
The pin and the wedges are made of delrin plastic. It may wear, but will never rot or corrode. Like Joe says, if your centerboard doesn't wiggle/wobble uncomfortably, then don't sweat it.
I'm pretty certain that his 1975 O'Day 25 has the winch on the table stanchion for pulling up the centerboard. As far as I know, the later model 222, 192, and the O'Day 26 has the sheave in the keel slot for the pendant line to ride through.
I only mention this because he's going to see this sheave in my picture album on this site that I recently uploaded if he chooses to check it out.
I know that the later model O'Day 25s have a similar setup as my boat with the exception of the single sheave in the keel slot. One of our members has a late model O'Day 25 with the pendant line in the cockpit. Another member owns a 1975 O'Day 25 with the winch mounted on the table stanchion down below. I can tell you one thing about that boat. It's a fast boat. I know. I sailed it up from the Cape years ago to our club.
I only mention this because he's going to see this sheave in my picture album on this site that I recently uploaded if he chooses to check it out.
I know that the later model O'Day 25s have a similar setup as my boat with the exception of the single sheave in the keel slot. One of our members has a late model O'Day 25 with the pendant line in the cockpit. Another member owns a 1975 O'Day 25 with the winch mounted on the table stanchion down below. I can tell you one thing about that boat. It's a fast boat. I know. I sailed it up from the Cape years ago to our club.
Ok. Ididn't know he had the '75, or for sure if the older 25's had the same centerboard setup as the old 23's. Thanks.
1976 must have been the year that the O'Day company made that change. I've asked a few on this forum who own 76 O'Day 25s and never got an answer on that and now I know. Thank you. I always thought that maybe that change came much later on in the 1980s.
This is a very convenient feature on any keel/centerboard sloop.
My 1980 25 has the pendant into the cockpit. The yard sandblasted the bottom and while they had it in the sling, they dropped the board out for me. Don't know what the pin and wedges look like but the hole in the board is not worn at all. I would be more concerned about the pendant attachment and it is much easier to check.
You would need to look up at the bottom of the keel at the pivot area to see the wedges and the plates Ward. The condition of the pendant line and the attachment to the board is very important. If that's OK, everything else is probably OK as long as the wedges and plates are in place.
I'm going to have to replace my pin and likely the wedges on my '76 25 O'Day. The pin is gone and although I haven't gone under the boat to see, assume that the wedges are likely gone as well. Is this work that can be done with the boat raised on blocks or does the boat need to be completely suspended? Thanks.
You're going to need to get the boat raised up to where the keel is at least 18" off the ground.
http://forums.oday.sailboatowners.com/album.php?albumid=2692
http://forums.oday.sailboatowners.com/album.php?albumid=2692
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