Pearson 33-2 Centerboard cable and repairs

[sailjoe]

I own a 1988 Pearson 33-2 CB boat.

1) Can anyone tell me the lenghts of the CB wire and rope and how to replace the CB cable. How do you feed the cable?

2) The centerboard has a tremondous amount of play. Can anyone shed some light on what is the "normal" amount of play? Also if anyone has taken the CB out to repair it, could you please describe the procedure and what you found?

Thanks.

 

[Ariel]

Sailjoe,

We have a 87 P36-2 that I don't think is much differant from your P33-2, at least as to the CB and cable.

I estimated the cable length by just measuring each length of tubing that carries the cable from the bilge to the deck, then added about three feet for the part hidden in the keel and then added five feet for safety. Cable is cheap. When I replaced it I had about five feet left over.

I had a rigging shop back splice a 3/8 inch thimble in the cable end that attaches to the CB rather than use nicro press sleeves as I did not like the idea of dissimilar metals under water. Pulling the old cable out with a tag line attached was easy and just as easy was pulling the new cable back up. The old cable had very little deterioration after twenty two years and lots of miles. It would have lasted for many more years. At least we now sleep better knowing the cable is good.

The CB in our boat also beacme very loose so while in Texas we had the boat hauled and found that the three inch (+/_) bronze pin that holds the CB had wallowed out the lead around the pin. The yard cleaned out the keel cavity and filled in around the pin with thickened epoxy. With the larger bearing area around the pin, things have stayed in place for over ten years now.

Hope this is of some help to you.

Dave
s/v ARIEL