Centerboard up or down?

[Jim]

Hi...I have a 1973, 23' O'Day and have had problems with the centerboard sticking and thus difficulty getting it up and down. My question was should I keep the centerboard down all the time or up all the time to avoid repairs issues? I think where I moor the boat I should be able to keep it down due to depth considerations, but my main consideration is how well or poorly it sails? Several people have told me they don't get much benefit with the board down anyway so they just leave it up? (except maybe in upwind) So I am looking for some more opinions and insight as I am fairly new to sailing.Thanks and look forward to hearing from you all out there. Jim

 

[James]

I'd fix it

Hi Jim - I have a 23 and sail in Buzzards bay - not too far from you - I can tell you from experience that you need the CB down when sailing in medium seas with current and wind 15 to 20 knots. A couple of years ago I had a lot of trouble coming about on my last sail of the year when my CB was not working properly. The boat would not turn through the wind as we tried to tack. After several attempts in the waves which were about 5+ ft where the boat would struggle to go through the wind the possibilitiy of falling off and running downwind and jibing was being considered. We finally tacked fairly swiftly and it was okay but it taught me that I needed that board to work and I needed it to be down. Given your question I would leave it down if you canBut the real question is ... why is your board sticking? There are a couple of causes - Barnicles and other growth - this can be removed when you pull the boat. Cleaning the CB itself is easy but getting into the trunk where the board goes is a bit tricky - I use a piece of stainless sheet metal 2"*24" about 1/8 thick to slide up into the gap and scrap the sides - lots of "stuff" came out the first time I did this - now its relatively easy each year. The other cause is swelling of the CB. This occurs when water gets inside the board. If this is occuring - and it is difficult to see -then, when you store the boat in the north, this water does not drain out and it can freeze and cause small cracks in the front and rear edges of the CB - then the next year more water is absorbed and when you store it freezes again.... the situation gets worse and worse. Finally the board can split open along the front and rear edges - This happened to me. A new CB from Rudy is about $400 or you can repair it yourself. Good luck and happy sailing I love this boat for just puttering around in James

 

[Bob V]

Centerboard

I agree with James. Fix it. It can only get worse. I rebuilt the CB in my '78 O'Day 23 just last spring. It sailed a lot better last summer. I just found some cracks on the inside of the CB trunk underneath the companionway. Little tough to get at, but I'm sure I can repair it. I used an old carpenter's saw to reach up inside the CB trunk to scrape off the zebra mussels. Had to have it on a lift to get the CB off and complete the job. Good Luck and Good sailing.

 

[Keith]

Need it for upwind

I agree with the previous posts on the use of the centerboard...and join the club if yours sticks now and then.The centerboard only weighs about 50 lbs, so it is not about ballast or healing. All that is in your keel. Having the centerboard down does make a huge difference in getting the boat to point when sailing upwind, and hold a beating tack. When sailing downwind, raising the centerboard back up will get you a hair more speed. I tend to put it down and leave it down on my 23, each time out.Make sure you have depth...including at low tide with a full moon...if you plan to leave it down when on the mooring. I replaced mine last year, after breaking the pendant and leaving it down while on the mooring. Lunar low tide and a chop on the water destroyed the end beyond repair.The previous tips on cleaning out the centerboard slot while in the air before launch are good ones.