Repair of Centerboard

[David]

I removed the centerboard from my 1980 O 23 in the fall. I have two issues: 1. It looks like the previous owner had run into rocks etc. with the bottom of the board. Surprisingly, the board seems to be made of plywood. According to Rudy, this is not an original CB although it looks great. What I plan on doing is sanding the plywood where it is damaged and swollen from water absorption. A friend recommended using Marine Tex to fill, protect and reshape the board. Any thoughts?2. When I removed the CB wedges they seemed to be glued in with a thick sealant. How should I remove this from the wedges and the inside of the CB trunk?Any help would be appreciated.Thanks,David

 

[James]

I'm doing my Centre-board

David, I have a 1982 23 and removed my CB in the fall and need to get on with the repair.1) I have heard of people using plywood as a form and then covering with glass. I think if you make sure that there are no cracks/holes then it will work fine. The cause of some failures is that the CB gets a crack - water gets in during the summer and does not drain completely when the boat is hauled. During the winter the water freezes and then opens the fiberglass and ... the damage gets worse year by year until something breaks. A couple of my frinds have done what you propose and it worked for them. Take some pics and share them with this audience i think a lot os us are interested in this kind of information.2) The stuff on the wedges - I think it is some kind of caulk like 5200. I had the same problem when I removed mine. I was able to scrape the wedges clean using a metal scraper. I was able to dig the residue out of the keel usinga flat screw driver and a wood chisel. A pain in the &%#@ but it is nice and clean now.If the wedges are really damaged then you can buy them from Rudy - I have seen them in his shop and they are about $50 for the pair. AND of course if you are independently wealthy you can buy the entire CB from Rudy for about $450! This was not an option for me so its repair the old one!Good luck and let us know how it turned out.

 

[David]

Hi James,

Thanks for the info. Except for the bottom of the CB, the rest of the CB looks to be in great shape. I will be doing just what you suggested with the wedges. What are you doing with your CB? David

 

[James]

David - Repairs required

Hi David, did you post earlier in the year - January time frame?My repair will be extensive. Not sure why but last year, late in the season I think, The CB opened up along the edges. I think mine was the original CB with lead incased in fibre-glass. When I pulled the boat the CB was jammed in the keel - an overly enthusiastic crew member - Anyway when the boat was on the stands and I was able to get the CB down I found that it had split open along the seams at the leading and trailing edges. The real problem is that the lead had dropped out - Approximately 40 lbs. That is somewhere on the bottom of Buzzards bay.My plan is to cast a replacement piece of lead, bed this into the existing CB, screw it all together then apply some new fibre-glass and epoxy over the front and trailing edges.I have a digital camera now so I will take some pics and post them when I have finished. The weather in the north-east has been really cold this winter and with work responsibilities have not really had the opportunity to work on the boat. It's the middle of March and if I don't get started soon the season will be very short for me.Let me know how things work out for you.

 

[David]

CB repairs

James,The weather has been lousy in the northeast!! The realization hit me recently that I need to get moving on this. With days like today, I can definitely think about sailing!!! I think I might have mentioned something about this in an earlier post in the fall. It sounds like your repairs will be more extensive than mine. Just be careful with the glass. The clearance is not too great in the CB trunk. Good Luck!David