How DS I centerboard works and How to fix them.

[Guest]

The DS I centerboard handle is cast in bronze, sometimes crome plated, and will break if too much pressure is applied, but I doubt if you would break something on the inside. The centerboard handle has a one inch square section that fits into a square bronze plate thats molded into the centerboard head. The centerboard trunk has a larger circle machined into it that the centerboard handle turns within.
If your centerboard leaks a little, try putting vaseline around the gasket. Remove the centerboard handle to get to the gasket. If you need a new gasket call Allen T. Jones at 541-241-2575 he has a supply that is adveritised in the Day Sailer Quarterly, the Day Sailer Association publication.
You may have some sand, gravel or mud in your centerboard trunk. Roll your Day Sailer on its side on the beach. To do this you will need two and maybe three people, two get in the water and lift near the chain plates, the other person pulls on the side stay and when its over far enough pulls the mast down to the ground and sits on the mast while you work on the centerboard. Use the handle or cable to pull the centerboard out. Inspect the centerboard and trunk. Look for scratches, cracks or splits on the centerboard. You may want to remove the centerboard and sand the centerboard head, how ever, I have seldom found this to be the case. Most of the time the centerboard head it to loose and knocks around when sailing in chop. Loose centerboard head will allow stuff to get jamed in there. Let me know if you have a particular problem, I may be able to help.


Gus Heismann (marktdes-at-oneimage.com)

[Guest]

Thanks Gus, this is a help. I must have a loose centerboard head becuase it does bang around in chop. The boat is in a yard for the Winter. Perhaps I can get them to look at it when they set it up next spring. (With the boat on Cape Cod and me in NYC, I can't do much of this stuff myself.

Steve MAx

Steve Max (75264.153-at-compuserve.com)

[Guest]

Hi,

We have a daysailer type 1 that we purchased earlier this season. It's great fun but
the problem we are having involves locking (pinning) the centerboard in the full up
position. As you know, the centerboard swings up into a housing by means of a
lever at the bow end ofthe housing. The centerboard is "locked" into the up positon
by means of a steel pin that goes through the housing and through a hole in the
centerboard. The hole in the centerboard does not readily line up with the holes in
the housing and we must swing the centerboard up literally dozens of times before
we are lucky enough to catch the hole and pin the board in place. There has got to
be a better way. This is a two person operation with one of us sitting under the
cuddy alternately raising and lowering the centerboard while the other has the pin
at the ready partially inserted in the hole in the housing. Once we did it in a minute
or two but it usually takes ten or more minutes to get the centerboard locked up so
we can leave the boat safely.

The centerboard handle assembly is a metal lever, about a foot long attached to a
triangular base which is in turn attached to the starboard side of the centerboard
housing. The only places that the boat takes water is at the place where the
centerboard handle attaches to the base and the holes in the centerboard housing
that the pin goes through.

The top of the centerboard housing is a seperate piece if fiber glass that goes over
the housing base that is molded into the hull/ I have not figured out how to remove
the housing and I do not know if it is advisable to do so. There is a plastic trim
strip that goes around the bottom edge of the housing top that has come loose. I
would like to reattach the trim strip.

Any suggestions?

Thanks,

Richard

Richard Freilich (rtf-1-at-erols.com)

[Guest]

It sounds like somebody made a dumb modification to your centerboard control.

Your problem maybe you need a new gasket. Pressure on the centerboard handle from the tighten of the three screws on the triangle plate should keep the centerboard up, except then trailering. (When trailering, the centerboard should rest on a roller or other support on the trailer. You may have to modify your trailer.)

Remove the three screws on the triangle plate and the centerboard handle to get to the gasket. If you need a new gasket call Allen T. Jones at 541-241-2575 he has a supply that is advertised in the Day Sailer Quarterly, the Day Sailer Association publication.

The top of the centerboard housing is a separate piece if fiber glass that goes over the housing base that is molded into the hull. Do not remove. It's glued and you will problemly break it .

That plastic trim strip that goes around the bottom edge of the housing top is there to finish the edge. Clean it, glue it and push/hammer it back on. Or take the whole trim piece off, mind hasn't one since it was new in 1980.




Gus Heismann (gheismann-at-hotmail.com)

[Guest]

My centerboard seems to "float" up while sailing in heavy weather. Can it be tightened so that it stays down ? Locking it in up position is no problem.

Thanks,

Rick

Rick (efljr-at-aol.com)

[Guest]

Where can I buy a really good centerboard with a good shape?

Jeff Smith (jsmithhouse-at-core.com)

[Guest]

Jeff, the two sources, I know of, for shaped centersboards are Cape Cod Shipbuilding, and Ron Pletsch. Ron custom makes them, and takes a while. Cape Cod shipbuilding is a listed on this site. Ron contact information is tel 941-358-3101 e-mail www.regattafam@aol.com

Ed Hutchinson

Ed hutchinson (edhutchinson-at-worldnet.att.com)