Old O23 Centerboard Pivot

[ruidh]

I'm trying to remove the centrists on my '71 O23. This is an iron keel with a pivot pin that goes all the way through the c/b and not a lead keel with c/b wedges.

Sometime in the past, the pivot pin was replaced with a bolt and lock nut. I was able to remove the nut and bolt but it appears that there is some kind of a sheave that the c/b hangs on and it is out of round where it passes through the pivot hole.

Any ideas on how to get this out?

 

[Tom J]

Do you have the original fiberglass c/b? You should be able to drop the board out of the keel and work on it on the ground. I replaced the old c/b on my '71 O23 with a 1/2" steel c/b.

 

[ruidh]

Yes, I'm trying to drop the c/b so I can clean out the slot.

Is there some kind of a tube-like sheave passing through the hole in the c/b? How does one get it out especially if it's out-of-round?

 

[angera]

Yes, I'm trying to drop the c/b so I can clean out the slot.

Is there some kind of a tube-like sheave passing through the hole in the c/b? How does one get it out especially if it's out-of-round?

Yes, there is. I would suggest drilling it out. If it rotates with the drill bit have a companion use a chisel from the other side to keep the insert from spinning.

To re-install, my yard used a 1/2" stainless steel bolt and washers with a nylon bushing. The bolt will need to be inspected periodically for corrosion.

It seems like every two years is a reasonable preventive maintenance plan to drop the board and clear any rust, re-prime and re-paint the keel. While this is happening the bolt and shackle on the centerboard pendant can be inspected.

I know the consensus is that the later 23s with the fiberglass/lead keel are the cats meow, I believe the cast iron keeled boats can be as trouble free, if not more so, with regular maintenance.

I hope this helps. It would be nice to see some pictures of your repair before and after. Cheers.

 

[Tom J]

Ruidh, sounds like you are having the same problem we have all had with the iron keel on the O'Days. Rust and scale have built up inside the slot of the keel so that the c/b won't drop out after the pivot pin has been removed. The pivot insert is usually a little wider than the c/b itself, so it won't slide easily down the slot. You might have to chip and scrape the inside of the slot to make a path for the insert to drop down through. Typically, this rust and scale can build up to the point that the c/b won't easily rotate up and down. Mine once got to the point that I had to dive under the boat to pull the board down. As Angera pointed out, regular maintenance can prevent this buildup, but once it's there, it's hard to get rid of, because the slot is so narrow and deep. My solution was to replace the fiberglass board with a steel board fabricated from 1/2" steel plate. The new board worked fine, and having all that weight down low was nice, too. Another benefit was that I had to install a 10 to 1 winch in the cabin to handle the weight of the board, and I was able to run the control line into the cockpit, so no more running down into the cabin to raise/lower the board. Might be something to think about while you have the board out.

 

[ruidh]

That's not quite my problem. The c/b is fully lowered, not constricted by rust our barnacles in the slot and the bolt has been removed. The problem is that there remains something going through the pivot hole.

I think I'm going to do the drill out approach if I can find the right bit.

 

[ruidh]

Someone at my boat yard suggested cutting the sheave out with a hacksaw blade from below up through the slot. I found some 12" metal blades for a Sawszall and I'm going to give that a try next week.

 

[Tom J]

Sounds good. Let us know how it works out.

 

[angera]

Someone at my boat yard suggested cutting the sheave out with a hacksaw blade from below up through the slot. I found some 12" metal blades for a Sawszall and I'm going to give that a try next week.

That should work, but you need to be careful not to hack up your centerboard. Especially with a long sawzall blade, the tip can catch on the board and do some real damage. If you have enough room it may be worth trying to insert a piece of sheet metal between the centerboard and the keel to minimize any potential damage. Also, if you could hand saw it, you would probably have more control.

Curious how it all works out. Best of luck. And of course, Merry Christmas!

 

[ruidh]

Well, it didn't happen that "next week". I took my daughter skiing instead. but I got to it yesterday.

Before

Centerboard pivot bushing by ruidh, on Flickr

The sawzall made quick work of it.


Centerboard Removed by ruidh, on Flickr

I'm going back today to try to get this out.


Now. How to get this out? by ruidh, on Flickr

The remaining question is what to replace it with? I thought I remembered someone suggesting a nylon rod. Maybe something like this Delrin rod

 

[Joe11688]

What I would do first is clean the board up well and scribe some lines on it to mark the center of the hole. Sort of like the cross hairs on a rifle scope. Once you get the bushing removed you're going to need to fill it in with epoxy.

Actually, why even try to bang it out? You're going to need to widen the hole anyway and fill it back in with epoxy and filler so that you can re-drill the hole again for the new fiber pivot pin, right? All you need to do is use a hole cutting saw on your electric drill, and drill that bushing right out of there.

I hope that I was able to be of some help to you on this one.
Good Luck!
Joe

 

[ruidh]

I must have been unclear. It was rather easy to cut the sheave and remove the centerboard. A pair of pliers pulled out the out of round piece still in the centerboard hole without much effort. The hole doesn't look like it needs filling and redrilling. It measures 7/8" in diameter. The remainder of the sheave was still in the shoal keel and that is what I needed to get out.

I went down today with my sawzall, a few thin metal cutting blades, a hacksaw blade handle and a punch and hammer. I managed to cut/rip/mangle the remainder of the sheave out of the keel. The hole is a little less than 7/8" because of rust buildup. I'll need to ream out that hole if I'm going to use the 7/8 diameter nylon rod I'm eyeing.

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The Sheave is removed by ruidh, on Flickr[/img]

The shoal keel is 6" wide at that point. I'm thinking of cutting the rod down to 5 3/4" and filling 1/8" on either side with epoxy to hold it in after reinstallation. Alternately, I could use some kind of marine caulking compound.

 

[Joe11688]

A friend of mine used this stuff on the keel of his O'Day 30 and he swears by it.

http://www.westsystem.com/ss/new-six10-epoxy-adhesive/

 

[ruidh]

I don't mind mixing epoxy, but I do want something with a different color than the thickened epoxy I used to seal the keel a few years ago. This looks like it would fit the bill.

Next to come up with a way to clean out the slot and apply epoxy to seal the inside. I think I'll be wearing a full body condom for that job.

 

[Joe11688]

According to my friend Jerry, this six 10 is really great to apply. It goes in beautiful and levels right out. It won't run like the stuff you have to mix. You only need a regular caulking gun and have extra screw on spouts. This guy is a cabinet maker by trade but he's done some remarkable work on the boats that he's owned.
Good luck with the repair. I'm sure that it will work out just fine.

Joe

 

[ruidh]

Heh. I ordered a 1' long, 7/8" acetal rod. I paid as much for shipping as I did for the rod. They send me a 1 1/4" rod. I could tell just from opening the box and looking in that it was too big. I hope they don't make me pay to ship this back.

The six 10 is high on my list. $22 a pop.

 

[Joe11688]

What a bummer Roy. You'd think they'd know better. Six 10 is pricey but it's supposed to be good stuff.

 

[ruidh]

Got another rod from a different supplier. The first got a mislabeled shipment from the fabricator. All their 7/8 rods were 1 1/4". They said keep it.

Got some 610 from Defender. Now if my protective gear would just get here, I could get under the slot this weekend, scrape it clean and try to seal it with epoxy before I reinstall they'd c/b.

I've already repaired the chunk missing from the c/b near the shackle hole. I have as fiberglass rod (like you would use to mark a driveway for plowing) . That I used to use to stick down the riser pipe to try to free the stuck c/b. It chewed as nasty hole in the back of threes board. All fixed now and I left as little depression for the rod for future encouraging pushes.

One of the old hands in the boat yard thinks I should get some kind of a cap instead of the 610 because epoxy won't stick to delrin. But I think that if I cut the rod 1/4" short and round off the edges, I'll be able to epoxy a little cap right in place. 1/8" thick and gripping around the bulbous into the iron.

 

[Ready2Sail]

Does anyone have a "pattern" for making a new centerboard. I hope to embark on the project of removing old broken centerboard on a fixer upper 23 cast iron keel in the next couple weeks. It sounds like a scary project after reading all these posts.