centerboard problem on a 23

[Wayne Steinhour]

Here are some photos of my board. The closeup shots show each side of the area I am working on at the bottom of the leading edge. When I chip away the old epoxy, I do get to some soft, dark gray metal. It's hard to see in the photos, but the metal part shines up when I hit it with the sander and it's soft enough to easily scratch with a screwdriver. If it's not lead, it's doing a pretty good impersonation of lead. I just assumed that the board is mostly wood covered with fiberglass, with a bit of lead in the bottom to make sure it sinks.

I'm not sure how much of the old epoxy I need to remove. I don't really want to redo any more than I have to. Does epoxy adhere well to lead? Should I chip or grind away the entire area that is not bonded well and redo it?

 

[HukilauMike]

Wayne: that sounds like lead to me too. How it got there doesn't seem so important at this point! Does epoxy bind to lead? I think so, as the ballast in the stub keel is lead, which is placed in the keel cavity, then covered over with epoxy. I am no expert fiberglass repairman, but it seems to me that you have to remove the material that has been damaged by water intrusion, then replace it with fresh epoxy. If there is a big gap between the lead insert and the surface of the board, you can fill it with core material (a piece of plywood that has been sealed with epoxy). Or, if the gap is narrow enough, perhaps just with thickened epoxy.

 

[Indysailor]

Sure looks like the original board. Maybe there's some weight in the leading edge to help it stay down. I think it's just a matter of grinding out all the stuff that's damaged and repairing with epoxy. There is a lot of good information out there on doing this and look on the bright side- you'll get to learn about repairing with epoxy in a place that no one will ever see.

 

[RichBone]

Doesn't look like my board or the one that Rudy has on his web site. I would think that the boards from the 25 and 23 would be similar.

Rich

 

[Indysailor]

In Wayne's picture, the left side of board looks just like mine, except now that Rich mentions it, it seems short. Look at this pic. Shouldn't the board extend further aft?

 

[Wayne Steinhour]

Just an update for anyone interested. I figured out why the pendent on my board was attached near the leading edge. My centerboard is too short to attach it at the trailing edge. I don't know whether the board came that way originally or it was cut off after being damaged. I tried attaching the pendent at the trailing edge at the very bottom of the board, but it made too much of an angle with the tube to be able to pull it all the way up. I wound up grinding out a little slot for the shackle at the bottom of the board near the leading edge. It seems to work fine. I just got the board in and the boat lowered back onto the trailer this weekend. The raising and lowering was pretty tedious using 4 jacks with heavy timbers positioned crossways under the keel.

Thanks for the advice, everyone. That was a big help.

 

[Joe11688]

In Wayne's picture, the left side of board looks just like mine, except now that Rich mentions it, it seems short. Look at this pic. Shouldn't the board extend further aft?

Yes. I think it should. The bottom of the centerboard should be right up close to the slot when the board is in the up position.
The PO must have damaged that board and fared it out shorter than it should be instead of reconstructing it to the full length. The board could probably be reconstructed, but I'm not sure how you could go about doing it. You could also buy a new board for it which is kind of expensive and the boards that Rudy sells don't come with the pivot pin hole drilled. You would need to match up the tops of your board with the new one to spot the hole and then you would need to drill it.
Cutting the V notch in the board for the shackle is a smart idea because it will insure that the shackle has adequate room and doesn't get jammed in the slot. As long as the pendant line is coming straight down from the pipe, it should be OK. Otherwise, the line could fray on the edge of the pipe opening. I'm not sure if I have any pics of my centerboard in the up position taken from under my keel, but I can assure you that my board pretty much fills up that whole centerboard slot from end to end when it is all the way up. Here's a sketch of my centerboard. If your's is shorter than mine, it shouldn't be, but I could be wrong about that.
Joe

 

[Sunbird22358]

Wayne, if your centerboard has a wooden core it probably is not original, O'DAY used a hollow fiberglass centerboard on all years of the 23. The CB is made like our fiberglass rudders, in 2 parts then glued togther with a thick resin paste around the edges (rudders are usually filled with foam instead). The 23 CB has about 10-15# of lead flashing inside to allow it to lower easily. Rudy showed me a broken 23 centerboard one time when I visited with him, no wood.

 

[Wayne Steinhour]

Actually, I was wrong about the wood core when I first started on this project. As I ground away some of the fiberglass that was cracked, I only found lead under it, no wood. I wound up grinding away some of the surface fiberglass, then chipping away some of the resin that was not well adhered to the lead. Then I replace what I had chipped away with several layers of new fiberglass. On the top layer, I slathered on some resin with filler that I could sand fair. It came out looking pretty good. I guess I'll see how it holds up. I'm no expert in repairing fiberglass.

 

[Joe11688]

Wayne, if your centerboard has a wooden core it probably is not original, O'DAY used a hollow fiberglass centerboard on all years of the 23. The CB is made like our fiberglass rudders, in 2 parts then glued togther with a thick resin paste around the edges (rudders are usually filled with foam instead). The 23 CB has about 10-15# of lead flashing inside to allow it to lower easily. Rudy showed me a broken 23 centerboard one time when I visited with him, no wood.

Rod,
There was a guy on this forum a few years ago who lived in Providence RI who was trying to fix up a 1973 O'Day 23 cast iron keel/centerboard sloop. He wound up breaking the centerboard in half trying to get it out of the keel slot. He went by the name of Bay Salor Bill. He made another centerboard out of plywood and epoxy I think and he was able to bring that boat back to almost new condition. He likes to fix up boats and he does excellent work.
I'm thinking that it's possible for Wayne to do the same thing to his centerboard. He may be able to reconstruct this board to it's full length, or even use the board as a pattern to make a new one.
One of the guys in my YC built a spade rudder for a 1974 O'Day 27 that he picked up cheap. He used foam, FB cloth, and epoxy with fillers to construct it. He had nothing to go by when he constructed it. It was the cheapest way out for him and the boat sailed good when he got it back in the water.
Joe

 

[Sunbird22358]

I can add my opinion that Wayne's centerboard is, well...... pun intended...not all there! The 23 CB should be about the same proportions as the 25/26 centerboard (might even be the SAME centerboard?). Obviously, a previous owner broke the Cb somehow and just repaired it shorter (must have lost the part the broke off...... although it would seem that the pendant would have been attached?). See pic below.
Yes, Joe it would be possible to rebuild the board as you state, getting it strong enough at the transition from new to old without being too thick for the slot is the challenge. Maybe Rudy has an idea........ well ,besides selling him a complete new CB?

PS: a friend of mine used to have a 1977 O'DAY 20, the CB on that boat was about 1/2 size.......and I never succeeded in convincing him of that even after showing him the drawing in the brochure!

 

[Joe11688]

I was going to mention that the O'Day 23 and O'Day 25 might have the same centerboard, but I'm not sure. If Wayne could take some measurements of his centerboard and compare them with what is on your sketch, this question could be answered. Getting the right thicknesses while trying to duplicate a new board, would be a challenge.

 

[JohnSharon]

Wayne,
I am rebuilding my 23' pop top 1973. I came across another 23' 1973 fixed cabin that had near rotted into the ground. I bought her for the sails, back rail and spare mast, etc. I have the centerboard, make me an offer if you are interested. I live in MA and I am sympathetic to a fellow old boat restorer.