I am interested in purchasing a 1969 Morgan 28'. I am not sure about how the c/b operates. Can anyone explain? Has anyone had any problems with the operation or maintaining the c/b? What are the sailing characteristics of the boat? How well does it tack? What is the weight of the c/b?
centerboard problems
- Thread starter Bob14618
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I find the centerboard does cut down on leeway, but doesn't much affect the balance of the boat. It's quick and easy to raise or lower. It takes 4 turns on the winch - not a lot of force required, but obviously, you can't raise or lower it while on a tack with the sails drawing. There is a trove of information on the CBs at http://checa.us/sch1.htm A lot of people have had minor issues with the CBs. The design is just fine, but they are almost 40 years old and people have skimped on maintenance over the years. Maintenance consists of lubing the winch and turnblocks, packing the stuffing box, and checking/replacing the lift cable. Pretty much any CB problem can be fixed without too much time or expense. From the bottom up ... the board is fiberglass, weighs about 55lbs, and has an attachment point for a wire cable at the top. The board itself can (rarely) crack at the top, and an internal steel shaper can rust out. If so, the board can be fixed with rudimentary fiberglass skills (I speak from experience here). It pivots on a length of SS rod that is driven into a hole from the right side of the keel. The hole is often obscured by putty and paint, but it can all be dug out. There is a smaller hole on the port side to stick a length of rod into to drive the pin out. It took me a lot of banging with a sledge and several lengths of steel rod before I got my pin out, but the pin was in perfect condition when I did. The stock lifting system is as follows: a length of wire is lead through a piece of 3/4" SS tube and epoxied into place (the entire tube is filled with the epoxy). A swaged fitting attaches to the board. The tube enters the hull through a stuffing box (push-pull instead of turning). The wire continues forward to a steel turnblock that is attached to the hull just aft of the mast step. The wire then runs aft under the cabin floor to another turnblock on the starboard side of the engine compartment, where it runs to a small winch mounted in the starboard cockpit seat. Pretty much each part of this system could need maintenance. The wire eventually frays/rusts/breaks where it exits the tube on the outside. The lifespan can range from 3 years in Florida to several decades in the Great Lakes. Normally, the whole cable/tube setup is replaced, but several alternative systems have been created, which rely on a solid SS shaft with a short wire on the outside, so that only the length of wire outside the hull needs to be replaced. The turnblock at the base of the mast can be very rusty, but on my boat, it was restorable. The wire and other blocks inside the boat should be fine. I don't have an answer for replacing the little winch, as it works well on my boat. Full down to full up with the supplied handle doesn't require a lot of force and takes about 4 turns. ~~~~~~~~~~~~ The boat tacks just fine. She doesn't point high with a genny due to the lousy sheeting angle (chainplates at the gunwales are Almag 35 alloy and will probably last 100 years - so it's not all negative here), but she's fast. Typically other boats can outpoint me, but I'm generating more boatspeed than they are and can get to a mark in about the same time they do. She'll do 4 knots close hauled in a zepher. She can do 5.5 - 6.2 knots close hauled in moderate winds. Off the wind, in 35-40 knots and calm seas (in the lee of an island), she exceeded 8 knots in the gusts under full genny and reefed main. She's overcanvassed, so she's fast and tender. Especially in light winds, I've run clean away from larger boats on a number of occasions. She needs to be reefed early, or she'll sail on her ear, which is neither comfortable nor fast. I reef the jib in anything over 12 knots of wind, and tend to motor upwind in anything over 18 because I don't have a smaller jib to hoist. A detachable inner forestay with a staysail, with a reefed main, and you'd have a rig that would sail will in really heavy winds. She needs both the main and the jib hoisted to sail well upwind because the sails are so big that you can't really balance the boat with only one. Offwind or on a reach, anything works. She's a dry boat, too. The only time I get spray regularly is when motoring directly into 16 knots of wind or more. ~~~~~~~~~~~ I think the boat tracks reasonably well, but this is not a boat that lets you drop the tiller and go make coffee. She doesn't require the same level of attention as a boat with a short fin keel, but she's not as stable on course as a full keeler. She'll go reasonably straight for a few seconds if you have some kind of a tiller lock, but if you just let the tiller go, she'll chase her tail in no time. I installed a tillerpilot, which has worked well for me (as a singlehander). It isn't good enough to sail a truly efficient close hauled course, but it works for other courses and, of course, for motoring. It uses very little power, and is portable. I hope this is the information you need. In general, she's got a high powered rig, so requires a little more finesse than a lot of boats this size, but you reap the rewards in speed and responsiveness. Rich
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Bob
Rich, Thanks for your knowledgable info. I feel more comfortable now that you shared your experience. We are going to see 2 morgan 28's on Sunday. Here something to think about. Can you compare a seafarer 26 3'8" draft to a morgan 28c/b boat? We also like this boat. Hope to be in touch. Thanks again Bob
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