Need any advice. my 1978 23' O'Day centerboard is in the down position at the slip because my pendant broke while I was pulling it up. How do I get this centerboard up so I can get the boat from slip to get to marina. Boat is sitting in 4' of water and muddy bottom.I'm afraid if I back boat up, the centerboard might break off. Do I need to get centerboard up all the way? Will it harm the centerboard if I motor to marina about 4 miles away. with centerboard up draft is 2'5 and centerboard down is 5'+. Also,does anybody have a manual for this boat. I just purchased 2 months ago.
Centerboard problem on a 23 foot
- Thread starter Reg18756
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Rope?
Reg...What if you get the board up, and then hold it in place with a long peice of rope going around the whole boat. This way you will at least be able to move to the marina to get the work done right anyway. Not much for manuals out there.
Reg...What if you get the board up, and then hold it in place with a long peice of rope going around the whole boat. This way you will at least be able to move to the marina to get the work done right anyway. Not much for manuals out there.
Stuck
If the boat is in 4 feet of water, then the centerboard is now resting on the bottom, only partially extended. If the bottom is really soft mud, you might be able to back out as the path of least resistance is that the boat's weight will keep the board from fully extending and allow the centerboard to push through the mud backwards. Once moving forward, you will be fine, probably doing only cosmetic damage by dragging the board along the bottom. However, I wouldn't try backing up; too much stress on the pivot pins to work. Two things to try: do you know if the pennant line came undone at the centerboard, or did it break in the tube? you can see if the end of the pennant is retrievable from the cockpit. Remove the plastic gromment from the bridge deck (where the pennant line goes into the boat in the cockpit). There is a lot of room in there; can you see the end of the pennant line? can you reach it? If not, then my other suggestion involves you getting wet. Dive into the water and push the centerboard into the keel yourself. Hold it there by passing a line around the keel and over the topsides of the boat. Or you can hold it there by attaching a line to the metal loop on the centerboard (where the pennant line is usually fastened), and bringing that line back around the transom and secure it topsides at the stern. it doesn't have to hold the board all the way up, only enough for you to motor out of your slip. Good luck.
If the boat is in 4 feet of water, then the centerboard is now resting on the bottom, only partially extended. If the bottom is really soft mud, you might be able to back out as the path of least resistance is that the boat's weight will keep the board from fully extending and allow the centerboard to push through the mud backwards. Once moving forward, you will be fine, probably doing only cosmetic damage by dragging the board along the bottom. However, I wouldn't try backing up; too much stress on the pivot pins to work. Two things to try: do you know if the pennant line came undone at the centerboard, or did it break in the tube? you can see if the end of the pennant is retrievable from the cockpit. Remove the plastic gromment from the bridge deck (where the pennant line goes into the boat in the cockpit). There is a lot of room in there; can you see the end of the pennant line? can you reach it? If not, then my other suggestion involves you getting wet. Dive into the water and push the centerboard into the keel yourself. Hold it there by passing a line around the keel and over the topsides of the boat. Or you can hold it there by attaching a line to the metal loop on the centerboard (where the pennant line is usually fastened), and bringing that line back around the transom and secure it topsides at the stern. it doesn't have to hold the board all the way up, only enough for you to motor out of your slip. Good luck.
Centerboard
I am assuming high tide is no help. I ran a 1/4 line back down from the deck thur to the keel. Don't use anything to force the line down. No metal rods are anything like that. You don't want to crack the tube. The 1/4 line is smaller than the orginal line and should drop down easily with a little rotation. See if your diver will attach the line to the c/b with just a small knot. You should be able to lift the c/b enough to clear the botten. I had my yard install a new pendant (rope to wire) just like the orginal and it works great.
I am assuming high tide is no help. I ran a 1/4 line back down from the deck thur to the keel. Don't use anything to force the line down. No metal rods are anything like that. You don't want to crack the tube. The 1/4 line is smaller than the orginal line and should drop down easily with a little rotation. See if your diver will attach the line to the c/b with just a small knot. You should be able to lift the c/b enough to clear the botten. I had my yard install a new pendant (rope to wire) just like the orginal and it works great.
Go in the water
Get a mask and tuba and go in, depending where you are you might join the polar bear club at the same time, push the board up and wedge a small piece of wood to prevent it sliding out. You could also purchase new SS cable and replace it. I used a small fiberglass rod to push down a small wire than tied the new ss cable with small shackle at the end, my friend pulled the wire and I attached the new shackle to the center board. Of course, I did that in July and the water temp was around 80 degrees. I have a 23 also, you can't access the centerboard once she is on the trailer, if you don't do it while she is in the water, you will have to hire a crane to lift it, fix the cable while the boat is suspended and the lower back down on trailer. The cost of hiring the crane might be more then you buying or renting a wet suit. Water Temperature Exhaustion or Unconsciousness in Expected Survival Time 70–80° F (21–27° C) 3–12 hours 3 hours – indefinitely 60–70° F (16–21° C) 2–7 hours 2–40 hours 50–60° F (10–16° C) 1–2 hours 1–6 hours 40–50° F (4–10° C) 30–60 minutes 1–3 hours 32.5–40° F (0–44° C) 15–30 minutes 30–90 minutes <32° F (<0° C) Under 15 minutes Under 15–45 minutes
Get a mask and tuba and go in, depending where you are you might join the polar bear club at the same time, push the board up and wedge a small piece of wood to prevent it sliding out. You could also purchase new SS cable and replace it. I used a small fiberglass rod to push down a small wire than tied the new ss cable with small shackle at the end, my friend pulled the wire and I attached the new shackle to the center board. Of course, I did that in July and the water temp was around 80 degrees. I have a 23 also, you can't access the centerboard once she is on the trailer, if you don't do it while she is in the water, you will have to hire a crane to lift it, fix the cable while the boat is suspended and the lower back down on trailer. The cost of hiring the crane might be more then you buying or renting a wet suit. Water Temperature Exhaustion or Unconsciousness in Expected Survival Time 70–80° F (21–27° C) 3–12 hours 3 hours – indefinitely 60–70° F (16–21° C) 2–7 hours 2–40 hours 50–60° F (10–16° C) 1–2 hours 1–6 hours 40–50° F (4–10° C) 30–60 minutes 1–3 hours 32.5–40° F (0–44° C) 15–30 minutes 30–90 minutes <32° F (<0° C) Under 15 minutes Under 15–45 minutes
Sink a line
You can usually retrieve a dropped CB by sliding a rope under the boat from the bow. Use a sinking line, not floating, with two people, one holding each end of the line from each side of the boat. Walk from bow to stern, allowing slack so the line hooks the CB on the muddy bottom. Tie off one end of the line and use a sheet winch to pull in the line and raise the CB. You might need to experiment a few times with depth and/or angle if the line slips past the CB. Once you are on the hard you will need to jack up the boat's stern clear of the trailer in order to replace the pendant.
You can usually retrieve a dropped CB by sliding a rope under the boat from the bow. Use a sinking line, not floating, with two people, one holding each end of the line from each side of the boat. Walk from bow to stern, allowing slack so the line hooks the CB on the muddy bottom. Tie off one end of the line and use a sheet winch to pull in the line and raise the CB. You might need to experiment a few times with depth and/or angle if the line slips past the CB. Once you are on the hard you will need to jack up the boat's stern clear of the trailer in order to replace the pendant.
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