Can anyone share the best way to get the center board free? It was pulled up by an over stimulated crew member!
Thanks in advance!!
O
Thanks in advance!!
O
oday 23 centerboard stuck
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We sail on a lake and occasioanlly ours will get stuck from weeds. We just leave the center board line slack a few inches and it drops on it's own with a bit of time. What do you think is stuck in yours?
Maybe some sand or a shell? We bumped a sand bar and pulled up the center board to get over. Can you pull it up so tight that it won't drop, or is something stuck in the box?
No you can not pull it so far up that it will jamb. You have to have picked up something that got it stuck. I am assuming your boat is 1978 or newer. Prior to 78 the 23 had a cast iron keel. If that is the case you will potentially have a greater problem for the cast iron would swell up and reduce the opening.
78 or newer you have a lead encapsulated keel. We did on one occasion snorkle below our boat to free it of weeds. We used an oak stick to pry the end of the board out of the slot. If you just have sand or a shell just leave a few inches of slack in the line and it really should come down on its own.
78 or newer you have a lead encapsulated keel. We did on one occasion snorkle below our boat to free it of weeds. We used an oak stick to pry the end of the board out of the slot. If you just have sand or a shell just leave a few inches of slack in the line and it really should come down on its own.
Scott is right. The best thing to do is leave a little slack in the centerboard pendant line and wait for the board to drop down a little of it's own accord. You could also take the boat out into some choppy water and let the pounding of the waves against the hull free it. I'm sure it's just dirt and pebbles that are binding it up. It's happened to my centerboard a couple of times. If you know someone who does SCUBA diving all it takes is a small piece of wood about 1" wide to pry the centerboard a little from the back of the keel slot just enough to grab hold of it with his hand and pull it down. Once he gets it to move a little, it should drop down pretty easy. If you happen to get a diver, have him check out the shackle to make sure that it's not bent. If it's bent, it can be straightened out pretty easy with pliers underwater.
In the past, I have used 2 lengths of 1/4 inch dowel secured with duct tape (the handyman's secret weapon) and inserted it through the tube the centerboard pendant travels through to GENTLY push the centerboard down. Do not force the dowel down the tube or bad things could happen. Usually, it is the slack in the pendant that jams alongside the centerboard in the slot in the keel.
Shine On!
Don
Shine On!
Don
Don't feel bad John. I've got my anchor line caught in my centerboard at least two or three times. I just need to always remember that when I try to coast up to a spot under sail and drop anchor, I need to pull my board up first. I've always been lucky in getting it free by remembering which way the boat turned around and turning it back in the opposite direction with the aid of my outboard. Of course, if you don't want to get in these kind of predicaments you can just drop the sails and motor in to drop the anchor but you miss the beautiful experience of being able to drop your anchor under sail, and to be able to pick it up and sail right off. Good luck in freeing up your board John.
Joe
Hi Joe,
Can't remember where we were talking about replacing the CB, but I had my 222 hauled out today and had a look down there. Was able to take out all but one screw (head broke off it) and got the old CB remnants out. The plates, wedges, and pin were all good, thankfully. We will drill a new hole next to seized screw remnant, through the plate, etc, so that should be good to go.
Also noticed that I actually have no block/pulley for the CB pendant...I don't even see a place where it would go. No wonder the CB pendant is already fraying a bit...bummer. Also, it looks like there is some damage to the keel where the clevis pin for the shackle hits the inside of the keel. Should I try to repair/cover this? It's lead under the paint, etc. Check out the pics:
'Talk' to you soon,
Michelle
Can't remember where we were talking about replacing the CB, but I had my 222 hauled out today and had a look down there. Was able to take out all but one screw (head broke off it) and got the old CB remnants out. The plates, wedges, and pin were all good, thankfully. We will drill a new hole next to seized screw remnant, through the plate, etc, so that should be good to go.
Also noticed that I actually have no block/pulley for the CB pendant...I don't even see a place where it would go. No wonder the CB pendant is already fraying a bit...bummer. Also, it looks like there is some damage to the keel where the clevis pin for the shackle hits the inside of the keel. Should I try to repair/cover this? It's lead under the paint, etc. Check out the pics:
'Talk' to you soon,
Michelle
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Michelle,
Is there any way that you can use an EZ-Out to remove the broken bolt, or drill right through the old bolt. The O'Day factory may have embedded a regular stainless steel nut into the lead and there might not be enough nut to drill though next to the broken bolt.
So what your telling me is, there is no recess area with a single sheave up inside the keel slot, similar to the way my keel slot is set up? How about inside the cabin near the step? Is there a hump where the pendant line pipe enters with a small metal strap on top for the block?
In my first picture it is pretty hard to see, but there is a square slot up in the centerboard slot where the sheave is located. If your pendant line pipe is similar to mine, you really need to have that sheave in there. When they first started building the older O'Day 22s with keel/centerboards, I think that they had the pipe going straight down from the cockpit companionway and had no need for the sheave. Then, I think when they first came out with the O'Day 222s, they moved the pipe back and added the sheave. This gave them room to put a cooler behind that Teak step in the cabin.
I hope that you're able to correct these problems. If something else comes up let me know. I have pics up the ying yang and I'm always willing to share them with anyone.
Joe
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Michelle,
Now that I've taken a real closer look at one of your pictures, it looks to me that the square slot is there but the sheave is missing. I'm wondering if the previous owner removed it or whether the guy at the O'Day factory went on a coffee break that day and forgot to install it. I can almost make out the two filled screw holes in that little pocket where the sheave is suppose to go. There is supposed to be a small eye strap that holds the sheave up inside with bolts that go up through the hump. In the cabin, there should be a small flat plate where the bolts come through for the nuts and washers. Ed K., one of the members on this forum claims that he was able to remove his sheave and replace it on his O'Day 26. I would talk to Rudy about this and if you don't have the sheave, eye strap and small flat plate, I'd have him send it to you. I think that Ed was able to get it in there with a long screw driver I'm not sure. Maybe he'll chime in about this. Meanwhile, you should start a new thread on this forum and he'll find it and chime in.
Joe
Now that I've taken a real closer look at one of your pictures, it looks to me that the square slot is there but the sheave is missing. I'm wondering if the previous owner removed it or whether the guy at the O'Day factory went on a coffee break that day and forgot to install it. I can almost make out the two filled screw holes in that little pocket where the sheave is suppose to go. There is supposed to be a small eye strap that holds the sheave up inside with bolts that go up through the hump. In the cabin, there should be a small flat plate where the bolts come through for the nuts and washers. Ed K., one of the members on this forum claims that he was able to remove his sheave and replace it on his O'Day 26. I would talk to Rudy about this and if you don't have the sheave, eye strap and small flat plate, I'd have him send it to you. I think that Ed was able to get it in there with a long screw driver I'm not sure. Maybe he'll chime in about this. Meanwhile, you should start a new thread on this forum and he'll find it and chime in.
Joe
Sheaves, and whatnot
Well, I hadn't thought of looking in the cabin...I wondered how they got the sheave in there. I agree it's way better than chafing the be-hooey out of the pendant.
On another note, I went to install the new CB...I opened the box and it's just a board, no drill holes, nothing. So I drove boat (no wind) halfway up the lake to get it lifted out, for no reason. I can't just slap a hole in it and put it in, the water will get in and freeze/burst like what happened with the first one. Someone just drilled a hole, exposing the core, and slapped it up in there. Anyway, I am going to call DR Monday to see what they say. Wish I had known it was a unfinished board, I would have planned differently. Oh well, right?
If I'm 'on my own' with this board, I will drill a hole bigger than what I need for the pin, epoxy a pvc bushing into it, and same for pendant shackle hole. Should be protected from water and good to go...just have to pay to lift again (ugh). Worry bout that in Spring, hehe.
Thanks for the pics, I will start a new thread re: replacing the sheave.
See you there, probably, *grin*
MB
Hi Joe,
Well, I hadn't thought of looking in the cabin...I wondered how they got the sheave in there. I agree it's way better than chafing the be-hooey out of the pendant.
On another note, I went to install the new CB...I opened the box and it's just a board, no drill holes, nothing. So I drove boat (no wind) halfway up the lake to get it lifted out, for no reason. I can't just slap a hole in it and put it in, the water will get in and freeze/burst like what happened with the first one. Someone just drilled a hole, exposing the core, and slapped it up in there. Anyway, I am going to call DR Monday to see what they say. Wish I had known it was a unfinished board, I would have planned differently. Oh well, right?
If I'm 'on my own' with this board, I will drill a hole bigger than what I need for the pin, epoxy a pvc bushing into it, and same for pendant shackle hole. Should be protected from water and good to go...just have to pay to lift again (ugh). Worry bout that in Spring, hehe.
Thanks for the pics, I will start a new thread re: replacing the sheave.
See you there, probably, *grin*
MB
I don't think the 23 or 25 ever had sheaves. And I do think that centerboards can get jammed in the trunk even without barnacles or debris. All it takes is a misaligned shackle or a slightly swelled board to do it. Like Don, I have used a dowel to free my board a few times. I bought a three foot length of 1/4 inch steel dowel at the hardware store, put a pad of duct tape on the end to spread the load and soften the blow, and pushed it down the pendent line pipe, and GENTLY pushed or struck the board free. After seeing Joe's pictures of his 222 awhile ago, I saw that this advice is probably only good for the Mark II version of the 23 (i.e., post-1977): no sheaves or rubber tubing to worry about. Just a straight shot thru a fiberglass pipe to the open centerboard slot.
You might not have one Rich. Like Mike said, it may be a straight shot down to the board on your boat. Now, my friend Ray has a 1986 O'Day 26 keel/centerboard and he told me that his keel slot has a small pocket with a single sheave very similar to my 222. He removed his centerboard a few years ago to check the pin. So Mike is probably right. Some of the older 23's and 25s probably don't have a sheave. I doubt if the 1975 OD 25 has a sheave because the winch is on the table stanchion and it's a straight shot down to the shackle.
Joe
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