Hello, I recently purchased an ODay Daysailer that had been sitting in a field for 17 years. It appears to be in surprisingly good shape, but the hinged keel is stuck in the up position. Any suggestions would be welcome because the keel boot won't allow me to access the keel. Drifting sideways, David
stuck keel
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center board
The center board and trunk may have growth on them. my center board grew barnicals on it and was also stuck. I put my boat on blocks and went underneath. There two metal plates and each have two screws. I removed the screws and the c/b drops out. I then cleaned the trunk out with a wire brush. when replacing the screws use silicon to avoid leaks. Removing and replacing the c/b was very simple.
The center board and trunk may have growth on them. my center board grew barnicals on it and was also stuck. I put my boat on blocks and went underneath. There two metal plates and each have two screws. I removed the screws and the c/b drops out. I then cleaned the trunk out with a wire brush. when replacing the screws use silicon to avoid leaks. Removing and replacing the c/b was very simple.
thin blade
You can also use a thin long bladed knife or saw, such as a bread knife or hand saw to get up between the cb and trunk from underneath. Most often the issue is barnacles or mud, but may also be gravel, or sand. A coat hanger's elongated loop pushed up behind the cb and looped over it to pull it down, may be of some benefit as well. Let us know how you made out. I have a book on maintenance and repair of the DS II if you are interested.
You can also use a thin long bladed knife or saw, such as a bread knife or hand saw to get up between the cb and trunk from underneath. Most often the issue is barnacles or mud, but may also be gravel, or sand. A coat hanger's elongated loop pushed up behind the cb and looped over it to pull it down, may be of some benefit as well. Let us know how you made out. I have a book on maintenance and repair of the DS II if you are interested.
Day Sailer I or II?
No matter which model of DS you have, the first step in trying to free the centerboard (it is not a keel) is that the boat will need to be rolled over on her side or lifted up at least 18-24" off the ground to allow the CB to come out. A narrow prybar may be needed to gently move the board down enough to grab. This was what it took to free my centerboard when it got stuck due to the CB being too thick at the upper forward corner. Once you have the CB out enough to grab, it may move freely. If not you can check for any growth or dirt in the CB trunk or on the board. If there is any debris or such, scrape and or wash it out. If no debris is found, check the CB, is it swelled, any bulges? Some early DS I models may have had wood-core centerboards and some newer ones may have had the CB replaced with a wood-core centerboard by a previous owner. If the CB has a wood-core it will need to be dried out and resealed. Is there any signs of the CB rubbing on the inside of the trunk? This may show up as spots on the CB where the paint has rubbed off or the gelcoat is scuffed. If you see that, the area may need to be sanded down to fit better in the trunk and not bind. This will require removing the centerboard from the boat. How to do this depends on which model of DS you have. If your boat is an O'DAY Day Sailer I, and the centerboard is moved by a lever, the first thing I'd try is to remove the CB. The centerboard is removed on these boats by removing the 3 screws from the triangle that holds the lever in place. The CB should come right out as soon as you remove the lever. To re-install the CB, just dlip it back into the trunk and align the square hole in the board with the square shaft on the lever. Be sure that the lever is in the right position, with CB all the way down, lever is pointing aft and almost touching bottom of boat. With CB up, the lever points straight up. If you have a Day Sailer II or III, the CB is removed by removing the pivot bolt (located under the cockpit on 1971-79 models, or from under the boat on 1980-85 DS II and all DS III). On the 1971-79 models there are 2 inspection ports on either side of the cb trunk in the cockpit, the pivot is just aft of these and you need a 3/4" socket to loosen/tighten the bolt. The 1980-89 Day Sailers have 2 stainless steel plates on the bottom of the boat, one each side of the CB trunk held on by 2 screws each that hold in a pair of wedges that hold the pivot pin in place. Once the pivot pin/bolt is removed, the CB will come out. The CB is raised/lowered by a pair of cables, or 1 cable and one line. They will need to be un hooked to remove board completely,(I can describe that further if needed) but you should be able to sand/grind any high spots carefully with the CB hanging under boat. On the 1971-79 models the CB actually pivots on a plastic bushing, DON'T lose it! That bushing is slightly wider that the CB and is what the bolt clamps against, without it the CB will bind since the bolt will clamp against the CB. I have added a link to the website of D&R Marine, Rudy has just about any part that you may ever need and a boatload of advice too, He use to be the Parts Dept. Man at O'Day.
No matter which model of DS you have, the first step in trying to free the centerboard (it is not a keel) is that the boat will need to be rolled over on her side or lifted up at least 18-24" off the ground to allow the CB to come out. A narrow prybar may be needed to gently move the board down enough to grab. This was what it took to free my centerboard when it got stuck due to the CB being too thick at the upper forward corner. Once you have the CB out enough to grab, it may move freely. If not you can check for any growth or dirt in the CB trunk or on the board. If there is any debris or such, scrape and or wash it out. If no debris is found, check the CB, is it swelled, any bulges? Some early DS I models may have had wood-core centerboards and some newer ones may have had the CB replaced with a wood-core centerboard by a previous owner. If the CB has a wood-core it will need to be dried out and resealed. Is there any signs of the CB rubbing on the inside of the trunk? This may show up as spots on the CB where the paint has rubbed off or the gelcoat is scuffed. If you see that, the area may need to be sanded down to fit better in the trunk and not bind. This will require removing the centerboard from the boat. How to do this depends on which model of DS you have. If your boat is an O'DAY Day Sailer I, and the centerboard is moved by a lever, the first thing I'd try is to remove the CB. The centerboard is removed on these boats by removing the 3 screws from the triangle that holds the lever in place. The CB should come right out as soon as you remove the lever. To re-install the CB, just dlip it back into the trunk and align the square hole in the board with the square shaft on the lever. Be sure that the lever is in the right position, with CB all the way down, lever is pointing aft and almost touching bottom of boat. With CB up, the lever points straight up. If you have a Day Sailer II or III, the CB is removed by removing the pivot bolt (located under the cockpit on 1971-79 models, or from under the boat on 1980-85 DS II and all DS III). On the 1971-79 models there are 2 inspection ports on either side of the cb trunk in the cockpit, the pivot is just aft of these and you need a 3/4" socket to loosen/tighten the bolt. The 1980-89 Day Sailers have 2 stainless steel plates on the bottom of the boat, one each side of the CB trunk held on by 2 screws each that hold in a pair of wedges that hold the pivot pin in place. Once the pivot pin/bolt is removed, the CB will come out. The CB is raised/lowered by a pair of cables, or 1 cable and one line. They will need to be un hooked to remove board completely,(I can describe that further if needed) but you should be able to sand/grind any high spots carefully with the CB hanging under boat. On the 1971-79 models the CB actually pivots on a plastic bushing, DON'T lose it! That bushing is slightly wider that the CB and is what the bolt clamps against, without it the CB will bind since the bolt will clamp against the CB. I have added a link to the website of D&R Marine, Rudy has just about any part that you may ever need and a boatload of advice too, He use to be the Parts Dept. Man at O'Day.
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