O'Day 23 Centerboard

[Patrick Maier]

We acquired our O'Day 23 last Summer from a non-profit in Baltimore. A donated boat, it was in pretty rough shape but the price was right. It had been hauled and the bottom painted prior to our purchase. Work had also been done on the "sticking" centerboard to free it up. We sailed/motored to Southern Maryland having various adventures and mishaps along the way, including having the centerboard drag in mud or sand on a couple of occasions. Our last groaner was to have the cable lifting the centerboard pull out of the attachment point and join us in the cabin as we approached our dock in Southern Maryland. When we hauled the boat,we discoverd the c-board had broken off and we need to replace it. I intend to build a new board but I need plans, dimensions,etc. Any ideas?

 

[Mike Basham]

I can tell you that.....

the centerboard is heavy! I have a 1972 23'. I couldn't get mine all the way out, since it was only jacked up above the trailer, but I do know that it was about 14 inches "tall" and was only an inch shorter than the trunk on the aft end. The bottom of the board is relatively square, the top is rounded around the pivot bolt. The outside looked like solid epoxy, but it may have had a steel/cast iron center to it for strength. Seems like I read somewhere that someone made a replacement out of a sheet of steel. Sorry to hear yours just broke off! BTW, I sailed mine for over a year with the board stuck in the up position. It was tender and it would drift leeward quite a bit, but I still had a lot of fun! Good luck

 

[Mike]

I think it makes a difference

what model of the 23 you have. The later, non-pop top boats had a significantly different looking centerboard control system than the earlier pop-top model. The earlier non-pop top may also have been different, but I don't know. The later boats control the centerboard with just a standard line which runs from the board to the bridge deck, which is simply tied off to a cleat. The earlier pop-tops that I have seen control the board with a crank mounted in the cabin on the center leg supporting the fold down cabin table. The line controlling the board also seemed to me to be made of steel wire. Crank plus steel wire makes me think that the earlier board may have been significantly heavier than the later board. Obviously this makes a difference in deciding what material use in making your new board. Your best source of info is Rudy at D

 

[Bill Yale]

Centerboard repair

My centerboard broke on my 20" , we pulled it and using stainlees and hardwood rods, drilled matching holes in each end and fitted it back together with epoxy. We then dutchmanned it back together using stainless plates countersunk into the surface. after a coat of fiberglass and paint, you cannot tell the CB was ever broken. It drops and nests just fine in the well.We had to jack the boat up off of the trailer using an 8x8 and two floor jacks. We then used blocks to keep the boat up off te trailer.

 

[Greg Ward]

O'Day centerboard

I have done just about everything one can do to a centerboard, short of losing it. I have a 23"O'Day made in 1974. Check out that website, I have heard good things about them. If they can't help let me know, my boat is 'high and dry' take the measurements from of my Centerboard, I'm relatively close to you.gjward63@aol.com