Have any of you removed the centerboard from a h23 with a swing keel? Once the large bolt is removed can it be slid out the rear while on the trailer bunks? I have removed the bolt but there is a lot of rust and it moves about 1/2 inch forward and back. If it must drop out the bottom of the keel I'd like to know now. The boat was built in 1985 and no one at Hunter could answer these questions. Larry
Swinging centerboard removal
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Swing/wing special
Your one of the few with a Hunter 23 with that swing/wing keel. Since there were so few made, I think only about 50 or 60, you may be sailing in uncharted waters. I have no idea what that part of the keel weighs but you better have a few strong arms there to help, after almost 20 years I doubt it’s just going to pop out. You may have to use some real persuasion to get it. What is the point of this exercise in the first place? Is it a pivot bolt or cable replacement or are you just trying to shim the slop out of it? Crazy Dave where are you?
Your one of the few with a Hunter 23 with that swing/wing keel. Since there were so few made, I think only about 50 or 60, you may be sailing in uncharted waters. I have no idea what that part of the keel weighs but you better have a few strong arms there to help, after almost 20 years I doubt it’s just going to pop out. You may have to use some real persuasion to get it. What is the point of this exercise in the first place? Is it a pivot bolt or cable replacement or are you just trying to shim the slop out of it? Crazy Dave where are you?
Stuck swing keel
The swinging portion of the keel is made from fiberglass should not weigh more than the rudder. It is stuck in the up position.
The swinging portion of the keel is made from fiberglass should not weigh more than the rudder. It is stuck in the up position.
Me too
I have not yet tried to remove mine but I plan to when it comes time for a bottom job. I can tell you that it shouldn't be that heavy because it floats very well in the water. I've gone under the boat to actuate mine by hand just to see the action and how far it extends (it's kind of mushy at the control line and hard to tell when it's fully extended). I will replace my control line with something less stretchy when I figure out how to remove the thing and get access to the lines.
I have not yet tried to remove mine but I plan to when it comes time for a bottom job. I can tell you that it shouldn't be that heavy because it floats very well in the water. I've gone under the boat to actuate mine by hand just to see the action and how far it extends (it's kind of mushy at the control line and hard to tell when it's fully extended). I will replace my control line with something less stretchy when I figure out how to remove the thing and get access to the lines.
swinging concerns
i also have a swing keel 23. the question i have is...how much line comes out of the block when it is full down? my line is extremely tight, and i have no clue if the board is going down all the way when i pull the line as far as it will go. do any of you have an answer? i've only owned the boat since april, and i could not tell anything when it was on the trailer.
i also have a swing keel 23. the question i have is...how much line comes out of the block when it is full down? my line is extremely tight, and i have no clue if the board is going down all the way when i pull the line as far as it will go. do any of you have an answer? i've only owned the boat since april, and i could not tell anything when it was on the trailer.
Swing Keel
It seems a few of us are in the same situation. I've had to launch my boat to replace the trailer bunks. When the carpeted bunks are stable and the boat can be jacked off the bunks at the stern, I will remove the swing keel and make photos of what I find.
It seems a few of us are in the same situation. I've had to launch my boat to replace the trailer bunks. When the carpeted bunks are stable and the boat can be jacked off the bunks at the stern, I will remove the swing keel and make photos of what I find.
23.5 Swing Keel
I have removed the centerboard in my 23.5 water ballast. I'm not sure if it is similar or not. I removed one large bolt in the cabin floor. I then took a yellow tow strap around 18 ft long and rapped it around the bow. It looked as if it would slip so I took some anti skid foam padding from the department store and put a 2 ft strip of it under the strap at the bottom of the bow. I put 2 rounds of wood under the stern with some wood wedges and some carpet to support the stern because with the bow up the boat wouldn't set on the trailer bunks evenly. I then used a heavy duty come-along winch puller to jack the bow up in the air enough to lower the center board down and out the front. I had to lift the boat about 2 ft. I was worried I would pull the roof down instead of the boat up in my shop so I put 2 temporary posts from the floor up to the rafters in the roof. I used some kind of metal hangers from Home Depot to secure them. The whole thing got more involved than I had hoped and it looked pretty dangerous. I had to lie under the boat and trailer and jerk the centerboard around to get it out. I was doing it alone at 11:00 p.m. 100 yards + from any people. Without the anti skid foam, it would have been a sure accident. Even with it, it was pretty sketchy. I haven't put it back yet. I hope this helps. It would be worth it to go somewhere and have the boat lifted with a crane from both ends, but I would have them just go a foot at a time and try to catch the centerboard somehow. Other wise it could suddenly come loose and fall from 6 ft up and damage it. Again, this is a 23.5 water ballast. I don't know if the center board is held in the same was as your earlier swing keel. I would call Hunter and ask before trying to do the same thing as I have described. potteryrob@yahoo.com
I have removed the centerboard in my 23.5 water ballast. I'm not sure if it is similar or not. I removed one large bolt in the cabin floor. I then took a yellow tow strap around 18 ft long and rapped it around the bow. It looked as if it would slip so I took some anti skid foam padding from the department store and put a 2 ft strip of it under the strap at the bottom of the bow. I put 2 rounds of wood under the stern with some wood wedges and some carpet to support the stern because with the bow up the boat wouldn't set on the trailer bunks evenly. I then used a heavy duty come-along winch puller to jack the bow up in the air enough to lower the center board down and out the front. I had to lift the boat about 2 ft. I was worried I would pull the roof down instead of the boat up in my shop so I put 2 temporary posts from the floor up to the rafters in the roof. I used some kind of metal hangers from Home Depot to secure them. The whole thing got more involved than I had hoped and it looked pretty dangerous. I had to lie under the boat and trailer and jerk the centerboard around to get it out. I was doing it alone at 11:00 p.m. 100 yards + from any people. Without the anti skid foam, it would have been a sure accident. Even with it, it was pretty sketchy. I haven't put it back yet. I hope this helps. It would be worth it to go somewhere and have the boat lifted with a crane from both ends, but I would have them just go a foot at a time and try to catch the centerboard somehow. Other wise it could suddenly come loose and fall from 6 ft up and damage it. Again, this is a 23.5 water ballast. I don't know if the center board is held in the same was as your earlier swing keel. I would call Hunter and ask before trying to do the same thing as I have described. potteryrob@yahoo.com
Trying to Remember
A freind of ours had a 23'ish Hunter when we lived in Virginia. The centerboard on his floated and the line pulled it down. The line on his pulled out of the centerboard and was jammed into a tunnel through the hull to the transom. With the boat on stands we tried to get the nut off with everything we could think of with no success then finally we dug a hole for the centerboard to swing down into. Then we cleaned out the hole where the line went through put stainless steel washers on the line to keep it from getting jammed again and filled the hole with resin. Worked great after that.
A freind of ours had a 23'ish Hunter when we lived in Virginia. The centerboard on his floated and the line pulled it down. The line on his pulled out of the centerboard and was jammed into a tunnel through the hull to the transom. With the boat on stands we tried to get the nut off with everything we could think of with no success then finally we dug a hole for the centerboard to swing down into. Then we cleaned out the hole where the line went through put stainless steel washers on the line to keep it from getting jammed again and filled the hole with resin. Worked great after that.
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