I Just Recently Purchsed A Oday 23 How Ever I Discovered The Cable For The Centerboard Was Broken And I Was Wondering How Big Of A Project Is This Going To Be To Fix This.
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I was afraid of that, and the reason that I say this is because during the years that the O'Day factory built this boat prior to 1974, they built them with cast iron keels. Consequently, the keel would rust and swell up so bad, that the Fiberglass centerboards would get stuck in the keel slot. I've been told that from 1974 on, O'Day started building their 23s with lead keels and this quickly cured the problem. In all probability, your boat may have other issues besides the centerboard pendant line cable. Does this mean that all is lost, or it's an inferior boat? No. A lot of people own these boats, including two of my friends. The older O'Day 23s are still a great boat and there are ways to get around this problem. Check out "Bill's Space" http://baysailorbill.spaces.live.com/ and you will see that this boat really has the same potential as any later model O'Day 23. In answer to your question though, you would have to be able to get at the keel to get the board down if it isn't stuck. This would involve having it lifted and placed on supports that would enable you to do so. I might point out to you that this boat will still sail pretty well without a centerboard. Also, parts and info are available through D & R Marine in Assonet Ma. http://www.drmarine.com/ run by Rudy Nickerson. Rudy is very knowledgeable about O'Days having worked for that company years ago. One of our yacht club members owned an O'Day 23 with these same issues, and he loved this boat and sailed it quite a bit on the river. I think that he kicks himself now that he no longer has it. I've always loved the interior of this boat, and I think that he did also. Good luck!
Joe
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I have the same year boat and have gone through that problem. Took the board out and made a skinnier one, but after several years, same issue-the CB well expands due to rust.
Now I use no board and she handles fine. CB helped in heavy winds, but now in that kind of wind I reduce sail.
Take it out-most likely you will never miss it.
Now I use no board and she handles fine. CB helped in heavy winds, but now in that kind of wind I reduce sail.
Take it out-most likely you will never miss it.
There was another O'Day 23 owner on the forum last year that had the same issue with his 1973 O'Day. I think that he removed his keel, sand blasted it, and used a special paint on it. He also built a thinner centerboard for it. He did a fantastic job of restoring this boat. It's like you said though; If the board doesn't work, just use the boat anyway. It'll sail just fine. One of our club members who owned an O'Day 23, had it stored at a boat yard, and didn't pay his storage bill. So the boatyard owner took possesion of it, removed the keel from the boat and bolted on another keel, and sold the boat. I used to sail my O'Day 222 in the lake near my house, and I never put the centerboard down. She always sailed just as well without it.
Joe
I got in contact with baysailorbill for some advise on the keel. Got his email from his web site great guy wrote right back.
The pictures on his web site were great and he did a beautiful job restoring his 23.
he took the keel completly off the boat so he could get at both sides of the center board slot clean up the rust and paint it with the proper paint
Bill did it right but sounds like a lot work that I may not have time for right now.
I'm was thinking about adding 3 or 4 inches more draft using lead and making it a fixed keel boat or maybe just fine in the slot and paint not sure
Most are reporting that it sails well with out the board any way and for me right now I want to spend my spare time sailing not fixing.
good luck with it.
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