My Montgomery 17 had a nasty habit of splashing water inside the cabin through the hole that the centerboard lifting lanyard runs through. I tried stuffing a rag in there (low tech) and temporarily duct taping the lanyard to close up the hole around it (very low tech). This winter I decided to take the bull by the horns and fix the situation.
After blocking the centerboard from underneath I freed the lifting lanyard and let it slide down through the hole it had worn in the top of the centerboard well which allowed water to constantly splash across the cabin sole during vigorous sailing moments. I then used an electric vibrating end cutter which have become very popular tools of late and for good reason. I sliced off the top shoulder of the centerboard well just enough to remove the top layer of fiberglass. Now I had a flat surfaced perimeter hole that I could epoxy a 1 1/4 section of pvc pipe onto. I used "JD Weld" to tack the 2 inch piece of pvc over the hole in the top of the cb truck. I then cut up 2inch x3inch sections of 4 oz.fiberglass and used them with epoxy to securely attach the pvc to the existing trunk. A rotary rasp drill bit allowed me to fair off the inside of the connection between the pvc and the existing fiberglass hole.
I then modified a 1 1/4 pvc cap to fit over the new sleeve fiberglassed to the cb well. I cut it down to fit as space around the top of the cb well is limited here. You can leave the cap on with a friction fit or you can glue it in permanently though you won't be able to inspect the rig at a later date with the cap glued on. I also had to carefully sand off the inside bottom corner of the cockpit well. Be careful doing this so as not to create a hole in your self draining cockpit. The lifting lanyard is 3/8 inch doublebraid so I drilled a 3/8 inch hole in the middle of the cap for a snug fit. I can now raise and lower the board via the lanyard going through the hole yet water will not splash through the same opening.
As an added bonus I discovered that when I raise the board all the way up I can now inspect the knot, the line and the shackle on the end of the lanyard for wear and chafe. You can just see the knot in the third picture. The first picture shows the 1 1/4 inch pvc sleeve already attached to the cb trunk, the second shows the cap installed on the sleeve. The third shows the lifting lanyard and tackle ready for inspection.
A small heater in the cabin makes this a fun project for a winter day.
After blocking the centerboard from underneath I freed the lifting lanyard and let it slide down through the hole it had worn in the top of the centerboard well which allowed water to constantly splash across the cabin sole during vigorous sailing moments. I then used an electric vibrating end cutter which have become very popular tools of late and for good reason. I sliced off the top shoulder of the centerboard well just enough to remove the top layer of fiberglass. Now I had a flat surfaced perimeter hole that I could epoxy a 1 1/4 section of pvc pipe onto. I used "JD Weld" to tack the 2 inch piece of pvc over the hole in the top of the cb truck. I then cut up 2inch x3inch sections of 4 oz.fiberglass and used them with epoxy to securely attach the pvc to the existing trunk. A rotary rasp drill bit allowed me to fair off the inside of the connection between the pvc and the existing fiberglass hole.
I then modified a 1 1/4 pvc cap to fit over the new sleeve fiberglassed to the cb well. I cut it down to fit as space around the top of the cb well is limited here. You can leave the cap on with a friction fit or you can glue it in permanently though you won't be able to inspect the rig at a later date with the cap glued on. I also had to carefully sand off the inside bottom corner of the cockpit well. Be careful doing this so as not to create a hole in your self draining cockpit. The lifting lanyard is 3/8 inch doublebraid so I drilled a 3/8 inch hole in the middle of the cap for a snug fit. I can now raise and lower the board via the lanyard going through the hole yet water will not splash through the same opening.
As an added bonus I discovered that when I raise the board all the way up I can now inspect the knot, the line and the shackle on the end of the lanyard for wear and chafe. You can just see the knot in the third picture. The first picture shows the 1 1/4 inch pvc sleeve already attached to the cb trunk, the second shows the cap installed on the sleeve. The third shows the lifting lanyard and tackle ready for inspection.
A small heater in the cabin makes this a fun project for a winter day.
