Stuck Centerboard on a Widgeon

[kgray9]

Hello all!

I bought a widgeon this spring, and have used it several times. The centerboard gets jammed in the case if it is pulled up all the way. The only way to get it back down, is to try and stomp on the handle several times, to dislodge it and drop it again. How do I fix this problem? I already climbed underneath and check up in the case with a flashlight; all I found was some mini barnacles on the lower part of the CB. It looks clear all around it.

Any ideas on what could be causing this? Or how to fix it?

Thanks in advance!

 

[dLj]

Can you see the pivot pin? Hard to give advice with this description - there could be many possibilities.

dj

 

[PaulK]

Like dj says, lots of possibilities. It could be getting pinched anywhere. Finding out might involve hoisting the boat so the board can be lowered, and then coating the inside of the trunk with something that will leave a trace (Chalk dust from a chalkline? Paint?). Lifting the board would then mark the spot(s) where it is touching. The fix would involve sanding down the board where it touches. It could also be possible that the pivot of the board is bent - from a grounding or simply wear and age. A new pivot bolt or pin might fix it too.

 

[kgray9]

Can you see the pivot pin? Hard to give advice with this description - there could be many possibilities.

dj

Sorry if my description isn’t very good; I’m pretty new to sailing .

I do notice that when I push the CB lever down, it goes down easily quite a bit before I feel it hit the centerboard. Does that give any clues?

Also, no, I can’t see the pivot pin.

Thanks @PaulK . That sounds like aperfect idea to find exactly where its rubbing. If the pivot pin is bent, how on earth would I go about replacing it ?

 

[dLj]

Sorry if my description isn’t very good; I’m pretty new to sailing .

I do notice that when I push the CB lever down, it goes down easily quite a bit before I feel it hit the centerboard. Does that give any clues?

Also, no, I can’t see the pivot pin.

Thanks @PaulK . That sounds like aperfect idea to find exactly where its rubbing. If the pivot pin is bent, how on earth would I go about replacing it ?

Is the lever I've pointed to here the one you talk about? My guess from your description that there is something happening in the mechanism. It may be the pin, the pivot, the lever connection, something in that mechanism. You've described that you've looked up inside and there is nothing visible.

No worries about your description, it's not that you are new to sailing, it's simply that these things are hard to know from the internet. It requires examination at the boat itself.

dj

p.s. Weird, seems the arrow I drew is misplaced in the image - you can see the lever however....

 

[kgray9]

View attachment 205767

Is the lever I've pointed to here the one you talk about? My guess from your description that there is something happening in the mechanism. It may be the pin, the pivot, the lever connection, something in that mechanism. You've described that you've looked up inside and there is nothing visible.

No worries about your description, it's not that you are new to sailing, it's simply that these things are hard to know from the internet. It requires examination at the boat itself.

dj

p.s. Weird, seems the arrow I drew is misplaced in the image - you can see the lever however....

Thanks @dLj . Yeah, the lever I’m talking about is metal and attached to the centerboard case. How would I go about taking it apart? There is another forum post on here asking about taking the top piece of the Widgeon CB case off, but the answer was pretty much “impossible”.

BTW, that photo is exactly what my Widgeon looks like (1969).

 

[shemandr]

It can't be that heavy. Why don't you set it up upside down on some saw horses and pull the centerboard out to inspect it? I expect the problem will reveal itself. The board may have warped or been damaged.
As for the pin, there's always a way. If it was put, in it can be taken out. They didn't build the boat around the centerboard. Sometimes you need to grind away some fiberglass to reveal the pin. Don't worry that can be repaired. But I would look at it from the lever side first. It pretty much has to attach to the board so ... how?

 

[kgray9]

Here are two photos of the CB handle. Opposite the handle, there seems to be a raised fiberglass part.

 

[shemandr]

It looks like the triangular piece with the three fasteners is dislodged. And there are cracks between the centerboard housing and the hull which were repaired with some kind of goop. If the boat is dry, getting into that may be more of a project than you wish to undertake.
Do you really need to pull the centerboard all the way up? Maybe you can manage the disfunction.
Otherwise I would remove that piece - carefully - and see what it covers. My guess that piece has an inner bearing surface for the lever and centerboard pin (Axle?) to rotate on. That may be the key to removing the board.

 

[kgray9]

I just managed to flip the boat over (man, is that heavy!), and push the centerboard out. I checked inside the case again, and found a single dry reed pasted in the very bottom. After peeling that out, and trying the centerboard again, nothing much changed.

I think I know the problem though. So... The Widgeon sits on a trailer with two carpeted supports. The supports are directly between the CB case and the edge of the hull. A rubber roller sits in between them, that the center of the hull also rests on. But, the problem is, when I got the boat, the roller was gone, so the boat was only resting on the two supports (on the back part). This caused the hull to become warped, so that where the supports go, the hull is now pushed upwards. This warp also caused the CB case walls to warp inwards, making the case thinner than it should be. So, now the CB rubs against the two walls when all the way up. On the CB, I can see where it is rubbing, because it has rubbed at the paint on it.

Now, should I sand down those places on the CB, although it's the case that is the problem? Or is there someway to "un-warp" the case and therefore the hull? If I sanded it, then I would need to protect it (with paint), so what paint would I use?

Thanks everyone for the advice so far!

 

[shemandr]

It’s going to be a LOT easier to sand the board than unwarp the CB. Questions are how is the CB constructed? Material? My guess is that it’s wood in that size boat. So after sanding seal with epoxy. Use some graphite powder (West system has it). The epoxy/graphite will be a tough finish that is a little slippery. If it’s fiberglass or fiberglass over a wood core you could use the same finish even if you go through the fiberglass skin a little. Metal can be ground too but it’s a lot more effort and can use un thickened epoxy on that but only on fresh metal. Prime and paint. If it’s wood be aware there may be a metal inset in it.