DS I centerboard intermediate positions

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DS I centerboard intermediate positions

Postby Bob Hunkins » Tue Mar 31, 1998 1:00 am

In my my DSI (an '84 Spindrift), the centerboard control is a handle that allows me to pivot to the board up or down through the trunk. Mine has one catch, used to hold to hold the board in the up position. I have just been pushing it down, and have recently learned that learned from another dinghy sailor (Not a DS owner) that one way to reduce excessive weather helm is to raise the board slightly and that this is critical for racing. However, my board will not stay at any position between full up or full down. it tends to slide up or down, usually up, unless it's near the down position. Does anyone have a DS I that hadthis problem and was solved? If so, how do you adjust the controls to allow for intermediate positions? I hope that someone knows about this and will be kind enough to share their methods.
Thanks.
Bob Hunkins
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Location: Fleet 25, Houston, Texas

Postby Guest » Wed Apr 01, 1998 1:00 am

Mostly, a simple ajustment will solve your problem. Try tighting the three screws that hold in the centerboard handle. You may need a new gasket. Also your centerboard may be loose in the trunk and needs to be shimmed so it does not slop about. Sometimes you may hear it knocking when sail in choppy water.

Does your centerboard leak? Day Sailer Centerboard Gaskets available! Fleet 23 has them at cost. $3.25 per gasket, plus $.75 per gasket for shipping, Please send order and check payable to:
Alan T Jones
Suite 840
621 SW Alder
Portland, OR 97205-3623
(503) 241-2575


Gus Heismann (gheismann-at-hotmail.com)
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Postby Bob Hunkins » Tue Apr 07, 1998 12:00 am

Thanks for the info, Gus. I tried to tighten the three screws but they don't seem to do the job. I made sure to back off the nuts between the plate and the centreboard trunk. I also took the plate covering the handle off to examine it and could see the single tooth on the edge of the circular pivot that holds the centreboard up. I wonder why they didn't place several teeth along the circumference of the pivot to allow for intermediate positions? Probably because the gasket was meant to supply the necessary friction to hold the board at any position. It also looks like I've got more than one gasket behind the handle. I'll try replacing those and see what happens.
Bob Hunkins
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Posts: 378
Joined: Fri Aug 13, 2004 7:37 pm
Location: Fleet 25, Houston, Texas

Postby Bob Hunkins » Thu Apr 09, 1998 12:00 am

Date: Thu, 09 Apr 1998 09:32:48 PDT
From: "Gus Heismann" <gheismann@hotmail.com>
To:rhunkins@flash.net

Use only one gasket. Get a new one and tighten the handle some more.
OR
You may have a more serious problem. This happened to me. Your brass fitting that is molded into the centerboard has broken loose and is turning inside the centerboard. This means that the centerboard won't come up or down until that fitting catches on something. Remove your centerboard. Being careful to notice where the fitting positioned when the centerboard is in the down position. Mark that position on the centerboard. Clean out old fiberglass and filler from centerboard. Clean fitting and fiberglass back into centerboard. Drill two holes into opposite corners of the fitting from the port side of the centerboard. Then tap for threads. Use brass flat head machine screws and screw down tight so screw heads are flush with centerboard head.
While you have the centerboard out shim to fit centerboard trunk so it is a snug fit, but still moves freely. Use Formica as shimming material, it has a good hard surface. Use brass flat head screws to attach to each side of centerboard, being careful that the centerboard is in the center of the boat.

Or buy a new centerboard from CAPE COD SHIPBUILDING
or build one see:
<A HREF='http://www.convergant.com/daysailer/articles/ds_cntbrd_build.htm'>http://www.convergant.com/daysailer/articles/ds_cntbrd_build.htm</A>

Good Luck
Bob Hunkins
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Posts: 378
Joined: Fri Aug 13, 2004 7:37 pm
Location: Fleet 25, Houston, Texas

Postby Guest » Tue Aug 03, 1999 12:00 am

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

Postby Bob Hunkins » Tue Aug 03, 1999 12:00 am

Hi Richard,
Sorry, I've never heard of such an arrangement on a DS 1. Usually there's a catch that hold the board up, not a pin that you puch through the centerboard trunk and and centerboard to hold it up. I'd be worrdied about suchan arrangement since water would be able to get into the cockpi throug hte hole as well as seep in to the centerboard. I think it is possible thatwho everovwned it before you got vlver and came up with this method. As for a solution, I'd look at the board to see if it has rotted away in side and go back to the original design. Cape Cod Shipbuilding can prbably help you if you need parts.
With out seeing it that's abotu all I can guess at.
Good luck.
Bob Hunkins
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Posts: 378
Joined: Fri Aug 13, 2004 7:37 pm
Location: Fleet 25, Houston, Texas

Postby Guest » Wed Sep 13, 2000 7:05 pm

Hey Bob, if any of those other sugestions for your centerboard problem of raising under way don't work, try Phill Root's method of running a line down to a sheave mounted on side of centerboard trunk then up to a cleat of some kind. You can sail with in any position.
Rex

Rex Sheler (signroute-at-aol.com)
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