Sanding CB Trunk

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Sanding CB Trunk

Postby Bob Perkins » Tue Apr 19, 2011 11:27 am

Hi,

New owner and new member of the forum. Just got a Daysailer and I'm working on the centerboard area.
The CB trunk is loaded with barnacles and other stuff that has grown in there. Any suggestions on how to sand/clean it out?
Never had to deal with a CB before.
Thanks!
Bob
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Postby ctenidae » Tue Apr 19, 2011 5:37 pm

Welcome aboard!

I haven't had to do a full-scale clean out of the inside of the CB trunk (and hope you don't, either, really). I did have to shape the inside a fair bit, though. I found that files were effective, but major knuckle busters- not quite worth it. Sandpaper works fine upto a point, but it's tough to get very far into the slot if you need to. I did find that taping sandpaper to the CB and sliding that in and out worked amazingly well. If you've got really stubborn barnacles, and a Sawzall, they are now selling scraper attachments- ought to be able to get 5-6 inches up into the trunk.

Really, I just want an excuse to use my Sawzall on something whenever possible (used it 2 weeks ago to cut up an oooooooold dinghy), and if I can live vicariously through you, then that works for me.
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Postby Bob Perkins » Tue Apr 19, 2011 7:56 pm

Hmm..

Some good ideas. I'll have to see what I can do in there. i don't think I can get my hands in.. Sawzall with an attachment may work. 2x4 with sandpaper may work too..
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Postby swiftsail » Wed Apr 20, 2011 1:40 pm

A piece of 3/8" plywood works, but it is still a lot of work
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DS 14024 "Flight Risk"
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Postby K.C. Walker » Wed Apr 20, 2011 3:39 pm

Take this with a bucket of saltwater, because I've never scraped barnacles. You could use a cheap air chisel and you can buy a 2 inch wide curved chisel/scraper off Amazon. It seems to me this could make short work of your job. Heck, maybe just a wide chisel tapped with a hammer. Self adhesive Bondo file paper from the auto parts store attached to plywood might do the trick. You can buy it 36 grit and up to about 80 grit.
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Postby Mike Gillum » Wed Apr 20, 2011 6:16 pm

The "chisel" can be just about anything that will knock the majority of the barnacles off of the interior of the centerboard trunk.
If you knock off the gelcoat in the process of dislodging a barnacle or barnacles then patch the "crater" with WEST Epoxy/Filler and sand.
A 36" long piece of 1 x 2 Doug Fir (3/4" x 1-1/2" finish) with progressive grits of sandpaper (30,80, 150,..) wrapped around and stapled to one of the 3/4" sides will allow you to sand the remainders of the barnacles off.
36" is long enough to get into the centerboard trunk with leverage and with both sides covered in sandpaper allows you to work both sides of the trunk.
You'll want an air hose with air nozzle to blow out the sandpaper as soon as it starts to load-up/clog as well as blow the debris out of the centerboard trunk to keep the sandpaper cleaner longer.
The moment the sandpaper stops cutting easily is the time to either blow it out with air or replace.
I had to fair the inside of the centerboard trunk of #2772 after I bought it because the centerboard kept getting stuck in the up position from the previous owners allowing several coats to paint to cure unevenly.
With #2772 upside down on the front lawn I would sand, push the centerboard back into the trunk as far as it would go, mark where the centerboard contacted the trunk, sand, mark,...
Eventually the centerboard stopped catching and I wet sanded the interior of the trunk and waxed it to seal it from dirt and grime.
I haven't had a problem since.
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Postby Bob Perkins » Thu Apr 21, 2011 8:15 am

Thanks everyone-
The hull is upside down now.
I'll chip away at them and see what I can come up with.
I'm sure I'll be asking more in the repair section.
I'll post pics.
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Re: Sanding CB Trunk

Postby IslandFarmer » Mon Jun 21, 2021 5:37 pm

Pre-launch priorities - clean centerboard trunk first, then sand/paint the bottom including a few inches in the CB trunk - all in inverted position?

Last year I put my new '83 DSII on my mooring in early July and focused on enjoying sailing and getting to know the boat. Love it. There was/is some bottom paint, but after a month, I realized the hull needed weekly cleaning. Even so, there were some barnacles, especially in the centerboard trunk. Summer 2021 is upon us and I've been doing a lot of reading about priorities (bottom paint!) and whether to careen or invert and I've decided to turn it over onto low blocks of wood so I can do all the sanding and painting without assistance maneuvering and not worry about it between weekends. (I'm intimidated by the various and creative block and tackle systems for so-doing, so will co-opt a group of cousins to help me dry launch and turn over onto my support system atop a tarp. And to do it outside. Appreciate the advice to plan each step of the process ahead of time.)

I careened it on the beach once last summer to clean the bottom and CB trunk so am intrigued that Mike Gillum wrote that he worked on his CB trunk with the boat upside down. Is it easy enough to get the centerboard to come out? I was planning to have the boat low (6–12" off the ground) for easier access to sand & paint the bottom. Will I be able to lift the CB from the hull side and then secure it in the vertical position with a line to the bow? Or should I put it on saw horses so I can go underneath and cleat the CB in a vertical position?
1983 DSII 12250
Stonington CT
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Re: Sanding CB Trunk

Postby GreenLake » Mon Jun 21, 2021 6:00 pm

You'll need to read in the DSII-only section on anything CB related, because that's the area where the DSII is different. And as I understand there may even be some model-year differences. So look there for how to disconnect your version of the CB.

However, once it's ready to lift out of the trunk, I found that using a pair of ratchet straps work fine. (Strung around the boat, but looped under the CB). As you tighten them they push the board up until you can grab it.

The rest sounds like you've figured it out.
~ green ~ lake ~ ~
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Re: Sanding CB Trunk

Postby IslandFarmer » Mon Jun 21, 2021 6:48 pm

Thanks GreenLake. Jeez. I was trying to keep things simple. . . not thinking of actually removing the CB, just getting it from horizontal "up" position to "vertical" and doing what I could. . . . If however CB removal is in my future, I will search the DSII-only section for details.
I do have ratchet straps so thanks for that suggestion.
Just realizing that mooring peeps save lots of time during sailing season and then put in extra time with bottom painting. . . . Hmmm. : )
1983 DSII 12250
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Re: Sanding CB Trunk

Postby GreenLake » Tue Jun 22, 2021 1:31 am

Spot on wrt tradeoff in maintenance vs. rigging time. If you sail very frequently you will come out ahead, though.

You can use a single strap to get the CB started, and then flip it up, but you can't sand / paint the area near the pivot that way. Taking the CB out is not the end of the world.
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Re: Sanding CB Trunk

Postby IslandFarmer » Tue Jun 22, 2021 7:11 am

: )

Update: While I was underneath the boat putting tension on the CB down line, my sister-in-law got the strap under the centerboard. I was then able to pull it to vertical while standing on the inverted hull.
Removal was easy ... it looks just like the photo Rakozy posted in this thread:
Keel Inspection/Removal
Postby Rakozy » Sat Oct 10, 2015 9:09 am
I decided not to remove the cable since I can do what I need to do with it still attached.

Cleaning was pretty easy and fortunately no barnacles. I used a plastic "steel-wool" pad down to about 6˝ with my hand and for a few places a little further down wrapped the pad around a 1/4 x 3/4˝ stick and duct-taped it along the top edge. It was then bulky enough to work on both sides and get the ends too.
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