I need to remove my center board on my 1979 oday 23. Is there anyone out there that can walk me through this process thanks westwindsailing
westwindsailing
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Have you looked at the bottom of the keel? I'm not sure if the later model O'Day 23s have the same set up as the O'Day 222, 192, 25, and 26. If it does, there should be two stainless steel plates under the forward part of the keel which are held in place with four 1/4" Phillips head bolts. There should also be two wood screws that hold the two fiberglass wedges behind these plates. The wedges fit in grooves on each side of the keel slot and they support the fiber pin in which the centerboard rotates on. Check this out and let me know what you find.
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Check through the archives on this site on removing the centerboard. I remember walking someone through the process a few years ago on this site.
Probably the hardest task is going to be getting at the under side of the keel. Get your boat in a position where you can get at it and then get back to us for more info. The plates need to come out first. Try to do this without breaking the bolts.
Good luck!
Joe
Joe, Thanks for the info I really appreciate it. I am getting water in the bilge. I was told by Rudy at DR Marine that it could be the bolts working loose on the center board. Checked the hull no obvious damage. The board is still working fine but it could still be leaking . It sounds like an easy fix. The marina I am at can get my boat in the air so I can get under it so that wont be a problem. Is it possible that this could cause the leak?
Thanks for the reply. Very helpful. It sounds like the plates allow me access to the bolts?
It was my pleasure. I only wish I could be of more assistance to you but I'm not all that familiar with a 1979 O'Day 23. The only bolts that I know of are the four bolts that secure the two plates to the bottom of the keel.
On my boat there is bronze plates embedded into the lead on both sides of the keel slot in which these bolt thread into. The rest of the keel is lead. Theres a pipe that enters the top of the keel slot from inside the cabin in which the pendant line runs through for the centerboard. My pipe is L shaped and the pendent line goes through the pipe via a thru-hull fitting on the cockpit step in front of the companionway. There are two short pieces of rubber hose on this metal pipe. Also, I have a U bolt with a single sheave connected to it located in a small pocket in the keel slot.
Maybe you have a leak where the centerboard pendant line pipe or hose is connected.
Are you sure that water isn't coming in from somewhere else like the sink connection hose at the thru-hull fitting? How about the cockpit self bailing hose or the lower gudgion on the stern? A deck leak can cause rain water to collect in the bilge. I've had leaks from the gunwale moldings, toe rails, and the tabernacle. One of the bolts on my hand rails and lifelined stanchions was leaking just recently and I had to fix them.
Some of the older O'Day 23s had a winch mounted on the table stanchion in the cabin which was used to raise and lower the centerboard. The 1975 O'Day 25 was set up the same way.
I'm sure that once you look under the keel you'll find out what is going one.
Joe
Still hard to imagine that anything related to the centerboard wedges, plates, pin or bolts could create a leak. The wedges are caulked in, the pin doesn't penetrate the keel and the bolts screw directly into the bottom of the keel, securing the plates that secure the wedges. It just doesn't seem they are any where near a place where they could create a leak. Joe's scenario of water making it's way in via the tube sounds more reasonable to me. On mine (1980) that tube is straight, but I'm pretty sure there is a part that is a hose. Pull the bilge cover and peer aft under the floor with a flash light. If I remember correctly, mine may be a hose at that point.
And Joe's right about leaks being elsewhere. Any leak is going to find it's way to the bilge; deck fittings, cockpit drains, etc.
And Joe's right about leaks being elsewhere. Any leak is going to find it's way to the bilge; deck fittings, cockpit drains, etc.
I'm incline to agree with you on this. The centerboard, pivot pin, wedges, plates, and bolts are all either contained in the keel slot or on the bottom of the keel. It's very possible that the rubber hose that fits on the flange or the flange itself is leaking at the top of the keel where the rope goes in to operate the centerboard.
The best way to find out if leaks are coming in from the deck or the gunwale is to go down below and have someone run a hose over portions of the deck.
I've been told that the caulking under the gunwale molding is good for about ten years. I'll even go as far to say that leaks can soon occur shortly after using certain hull cleaners on the top deck that contain harmful acids that will eat out the caulking. In fact, I learned about this first hand on my boat.
Years ago I read in a boat book about using a household cleanser called Zud to clean the stains on the hull. I used it on the hull and the deck and it was true. It removed the stains in the fiberglass as well as Starbrite Hull Cleaner because Zud contains Oxalic Acid. Shortly after I used that stuff, I had leaks in my cabin up the ying yang! The headliner fabric was all wet. I could feel it with my hand. Consequently, the water collected under my V birth cushions and some of it found it's way into the bilge.
I think it's important to find out exactly where the water is coming in rather than blindly removing hardware and re caulking everything.
For me, the gunwale molding was easy to remove, clean, caulk and put back on because I only removed half of the moldings and did one side of the boat at a time rather than remove the rubber all the way around and all the moldings from the boat. I did one side of the boat and put the molding back along with the rubber. Then I removed the other end of the rubber on the other side of the boat along with the moldings on that side. Everything goes back in place. There were more screw holes in my molding that weren't being used, so I marked all the holes that had screws in them. Today when I wash my boat, I use soap and water. I'd rather have a dirty boat that doesn't leak.
As for the caulking; We're only talking about caulking the screw heads under the moldings and the screws that secure the moldings. It isn't like you need to apply a bead of caulking all the way around the boat under the molding.
I'd suspect the bolts that hold the keel to the hull of being loose, That or the rubber hose the line comes up in.
Thanks for the reply, Now that I understand the way the centerboard is attached I agree taht it cant't be leaking from there . It could be the tube. I will check that. It is an older boat so I just have to start looking around. I agree with you about the molding, and harsh cleaners. I have a feeling the water is coming in through the molding. Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge with me. westwindsailing I hate sailing a boat with a hole in it.
I would do the gunwale molding because it's a job that you can do by yourself and the work goes fast if you do it in stages as I described. As for lifeline stanchions, hand rails and toe rails, You don't want to pull them off unless you absolutely know for sure that the leak is coming in from them.
In most cases I've been able to caulk under a small portion of a toe rail or hand rail without removing all the bungs and screws by using a putty knife, and a shaved popsicle stick for applying the 3-M4200. In most cases I've only had to remove and replace on bung after I removed the screw where the leak was coming in.
Life line stanchions always require two people to work on them and sometimes the bolts can break in the process.
Your boat shouldn't leak a drop. If it does, you're better off addressing it as soon as possible before it turns into rotted core.
Good luck!
Joe
In most cases I've been able to caulk under a small portion of a toe rail or hand rail without removing all the bungs and screws by using a putty knife, and a shaved popsicle stick for applying the 3-M4200. In most cases I've only had to remove and replace on bung after I removed the screw where the leak was coming in.
Life line stanchions always require two people to work on them and sometimes the bolts can break in the process.
Your boat shouldn't leak a drop. If it does, you're better off addressing it as soon as possible before it turns into rotted core.
Good luck!
Joe
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