My centerboard on my 1973 23' O'Day was stuck right from the beginning of the season. Had worked a very little at first but then got jammed possibly from a branch or something. I made a huge blunder and misunderstood several people I spoke with that placing a rod down the winch shaft and banging on it could free the centerboard. What I did not do was to go through the tube the cable goes through, but instead to the side of it and I started taking on water? I fear I went through the fiberglass floor probably. The boat is now out of the water. What am I looking at for repair if the board is able to be lowered? Can the floor be repaired from the cabin side or does it have to be done through the keel? I just have no idea what the construction engineering is down there. I can't believe I did this. I am always so careful to check everything out but I missed the boat on this one. Probably if I had a strong flashlight or better yet had taken off the winch I would have seen more of what I was doing. Oh well live and learn. I keep my boat in salt water. Look forward to hearing from anyone. Thanks John
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Don Evans
Damn Hole in the Boat
John, sorry to hear about your problem. I think you will have to be the best judge of the repair, as you can see both sides of the boat (inside and out). You may want to get some professional advice here, but it sounds to me that you will only be able to repair from inside, if I'm reading your description properly. Can you see the puncture from the inside? Just where was the water entering from after the puncture? The glass in that area is about 3/4" thick, as it must support the keel. You would have really had to reef on that rod to put it through that much glass. It sounds like you put the rod either ahead or behind the cable access hole as if it was on either side it would have hit the encapsulated lead and stopped the rod. So if I'm reading this right you can see no puncture through the hull from the outside? Any further descriptions may help. don
John, sorry to hear about your problem. I think you will have to be the best judge of the repair, as you can see both sides of the boat (inside and out). You may want to get some professional advice here, but it sounds to me that you will only be able to repair from inside, if I'm reading your description properly. Can you see the puncture from the inside? Just where was the water entering from after the puncture? The glass in that area is about 3/4" thick, as it must support the keel. You would have really had to reef on that rod to put it through that much glass. It sounds like you put the rod either ahead or behind the cable access hole as if it was on either side it would have hit the encapsulated lead and stopped the rod. So if I'm reading this right you can see no puncture through the hull from the outside? Any further descriptions may help. don
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John
Don thanks for the info. Actually I have not as yet seen what happened (I have not seen up into the keel or what is going on in the winch tube) I had placed a 1/2" round steel rod in front of the tube where the cable goes down...that is toward the bow of the boat as it was the only place it would fit. And yes I did hit it pretty hard and it did eventually stop so I am guessing that I did not go all the way through as you suggested it might not have. Is that good news hopefully in terms of how difficult the repair is likely to be? We noticed the water coming out of the base of the winch tube down near the flat plate that holds that tube to the floor. There appears to be a seam where the tube meets the plate and it was corroded and the water was coming through there and a fairly fast rate but with a towel and constant hand bilging as we got underway to the haul yard we really did not take on that much water. However as they were hauling it in the half hour or so it took to get it out of the water there probably was 12" or more as no one was bailing the water at that moment? Had one more unrelated question. In the rush of it all that day I left the sails unbagged in the cabin and v-berth...will that cause any problems from the sun coming in probably just through the side windows. Could be a week or more like that as I am a distance away? Thanks again and look forward to your reply especially on how involved the glass repair appears from my description. John
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Don Evans
Wish I Could Tell You...
Exactly what you may have done, but I'm still having difficulty picturing where you might have punctured the hull. I have a 25 by the way which I understand is very similar to the 23, but there have been modifications done over the years to both models...the winch tube being one of them, so all my experience relates to my model. You talk of the base winch tube plate like it's a metal plate (I do not have this). You mentioned corrosion. Is it possible you have punctured this and not the fiberglass hull? I'm thinking that if this was holed than of course water would pour in as it is below the waterline. If thats the case than the repair should be easier as you could epoxy a new winch tube on top of the old one. I have done this to my boat, redirecting the tube carrying the CB cable past my inboard. I'm gonna defer this to any other 23 owners who want to jump in on this one. Don
Exactly what you may have done, but I'm still having difficulty picturing where you might have punctured the hull. I have a 25 by the way which I understand is very similar to the 23, but there have been modifications done over the years to both models...the winch tube being one of them, so all my experience relates to my model. You talk of the base winch tube plate like it's a metal plate (I do not have this). You mentioned corrosion. Is it possible you have punctured this and not the fiberglass hull? I'm thinking that if this was holed than of course water would pour in as it is below the waterline. If thats the case than the repair should be easier as you could epoxy a new winch tube on top of the old one. I have done this to my boat, redirecting the tube carrying the CB cable past my inboard. I'm gonna defer this to any other 23 owners who want to jump in on this one. Don
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James
I have seen the inside and out
Hello John, Sorry to hear about your crisis. I have a 1973 O'day 23 fixed top. During the restoration, I removed the keel of the boat. My centerboard was stuck beyond comprehension from rust as my boat is in salt water as well. From your description, it would be hard to tell exactly what you were pounding on. I would remove the winch tower/table post by disconnecting the c/b cable from the winch. Then I would remove the post bolts from floor. Lift straight up to clear the tube and cable. There you should see more clearly. It is a very simple job. OK, as for the looks of things from bottom to top. The bottom outside of the boat has a channel that the cast keel fits up into. It is about 2 inches deep. The channel is square with flat sides and top or bottom depending on how you look at it. The c/b tube is flush with the gelcoat from the bottom. On the inside under the floor liner, the chanel is domed. (sort of like a upside down 'U') You can see the edges of it from inside the seatee storage boxes. This domed top meets the floor liner giving the floor strength. Where the c/b tube comes up there was a hole cut in the liner. Here is where the problem is!! The tube was fiberglassed to the bottom of the boat and some excess fiberglass was packed on top of the dome to fill the voids where the liner meets the top of the boat bottom. This gives the appearance of a flat surface at the level of the floor liner. In fact, all this is stuff is above the actual inside bottom of the boat. What did you hit?? You could have caught the edge of the tube and forced it down till it snaped midway below the water line but still ok at floor level. You could have punched a hole beside the tube and found the c/b where it stoped. You could have cracked the fiberglass filler and unsealed the bottom of c/b tube. It all sounds pretty serious but with some fiberglass and some patience I am sure you can make a good repair. I am not sure if you would need to remove the keel. I have removed the keel on my boat. It was way heavier than I could have imagined. I was prepared for what I did but just enough. It is dead weight and that is how you have to manage it. All in all, it was not too bad but something that had to be done. I would have never removed the c/b from its rust filled coffin. That was another long story. Good luck. James
Hello John, Sorry to hear about your crisis. I have a 1973 O'day 23 fixed top. During the restoration, I removed the keel of the boat. My centerboard was stuck beyond comprehension from rust as my boat is in salt water as well. From your description, it would be hard to tell exactly what you were pounding on. I would remove the winch tower/table post by disconnecting the c/b cable from the winch. Then I would remove the post bolts from floor. Lift straight up to clear the tube and cable. There you should see more clearly. It is a very simple job. OK, as for the looks of things from bottom to top. The bottom outside of the boat has a channel that the cast keel fits up into. It is about 2 inches deep. The channel is square with flat sides and top or bottom depending on how you look at it. The c/b tube is flush with the gelcoat from the bottom. On the inside under the floor liner, the chanel is domed. (sort of like a upside down 'U') You can see the edges of it from inside the seatee storage boxes. This domed top meets the floor liner giving the floor strength. Where the c/b tube comes up there was a hole cut in the liner. Here is where the problem is!! The tube was fiberglassed to the bottom of the boat and some excess fiberglass was packed on top of the dome to fill the voids where the liner meets the top of the boat bottom. This gives the appearance of a flat surface at the level of the floor liner. In fact, all this is stuff is above the actual inside bottom of the boat. What did you hit?? You could have caught the edge of the tube and forced it down till it snaped midway below the water line but still ok at floor level. You could have punched a hole beside the tube and found the c/b where it stoped. You could have cracked the fiberglass filler and unsealed the bottom of c/b tube. It all sounds pretty serious but with some fiberglass and some patience I am sure you can make a good repair. I am not sure if you would need to remove the keel. I have removed the keel on my boat. It was way heavier than I could have imagined. I was prepared for what I did but just enough. It is dead weight and that is how you have to manage it. All in all, it was not too bad but something that had to be done. I would have never removed the c/b from its rust filled coffin. That was another long story. Good luck. James
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John
Thanks for all the info
Thanks to both Don and James for the insight....I really appreciate it and it is giving me a lot more hope that the damage may not be all that bad. I'm trying to surmise from everything that has been said that maybe all I did was put a 3/4" deep by 1/2" hole in the liner (that is what the fiberglass floor is called right?) and then hit the upside down U of the keel? (James you mentioned hitting the centerboard but is that likely if the steel rod I used was just ahead of the CB tube as Don suggested? Although it was pretty tight there I suppose I could have done some damage to the CB tube not realizing it) I'm guessing but I'm thinking that even though the keel is up against the bottom of the boat it is not water tight to the bottom and that hole I put in is letting some of that water in? I'm thinking as James suggested taking off the winch tube and hopefully just re-fiberglassing or expoxing up the hole that I made will stop the water. Then re-seat the winch tube and seal any leaks off from it. Then the next job will be to get the Center Board freed and be sure the cable is OK and working fine and hopefully I should be back in business. The only thing I am a bit concerned about is what James mentioned about the CB tube possibly being damaged between the keel and the liner which could necessitate the keel coming off...I hope not it sounds a bit much from what James described. Any other thoughts would be appreciated. Thanks, John
Thanks to both Don and James for the insight....I really appreciate it and it is giving me a lot more hope that the damage may not be all that bad. I'm trying to surmise from everything that has been said that maybe all I did was put a 3/4" deep by 1/2" hole in the liner (that is what the fiberglass floor is called right?) and then hit the upside down U of the keel? (James you mentioned hitting the centerboard but is that likely if the steel rod I used was just ahead of the CB tube as Don suggested? Although it was pretty tight there I suppose I could have done some damage to the CB tube not realizing it) I'm guessing but I'm thinking that even though the keel is up against the bottom of the boat it is not water tight to the bottom and that hole I put in is letting some of that water in? I'm thinking as James suggested taking off the winch tube and hopefully just re-fiberglassing or expoxing up the hole that I made will stop the water. Then re-seat the winch tube and seal any leaks off from it. Then the next job will be to get the Center Board freed and be sure the cable is OK and working fine and hopefully I should be back in business. The only thing I am a bit concerned about is what James mentioned about the CB tube possibly being damaged between the keel and the liner which could necessitate the keel coming off...I hope not it sounds a bit much from what James described. Any other thoughts would be appreciated. Thanks, John
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