Replacing the Mainsheet swivel base and block

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Replacing the Mainsheet swivel base and block

Postby Guest » Fri Apr 06, 2001 1:14 pm

I have a 1981 Daysailor 1. I believe build by Rebel. Sail number 11505.
I want to replace the swivel base and block, which is mounted on the top on the centerboard casing. The current one installed, while functional is difficult to uncleat, as the cleat is mounted on a pivot. I purchased a shiny new Harken swivel base and block. Initially I thought that I could just remove the existing fitting, by undoing the 4 fixing screws and replace it with the new. (The old and new swivel bases have the same positions for the 4 mounting screws).
Unfortunately when I tried to remove the existing screws/bolts they just kept turning! It looks to me as though I may need to remove the fiberglass "cap" that sits atop and run the length of the centerboard housing. Then I could get to the nuts or whatever is on the other side. Does anyone have any better ideas? or tips on how easy it is to remove the centerboard housing "cap".

Chris Hughes (chris_hughes-at-ltx.com)
Guest
 

Postby Lee Peterson » Fri Apr 06, 2001 7:06 pm

Chris,

A previous owner may have thru-bolted the swivel cleat using nyloc nuts. If so, you can probably get at them by careening your boat, lowering the centerboard and looking up into the aft end of the trunk. You might need to attach a wrench to a stick to get it onto the nut, or put together several extensions for a socket.

Although it's unlikely, they might have bored holes for the nuts and bedded them in place, then attached the fitting. If the bedding material was too soft, the torque on the screw heads could have enabled the nuts to turn. That would be a little nastier since it might entail ripping out the fitting and rebuilding the part of the cap that gets damaged.

Careening the boat is easy and quick once you get all of the stuff out of it, and I do it by myself all the time. I described my method here a couple years ago, but I don't remember which message thread it was under. Other folks have devised ways to flip the boat upside down to work on the bottom or center board, and their descriptions are in some of the threads. Let me know if you would like me to describe careening again. Good luck.

Lee
Lee Peterson
 
Posts: 28
Joined: Sat May 15, 2004 6:33 pm
Location: Rushford, Minnesota

Postby Guest » Fri Apr 06, 2001 9:41 pm

Lee,

I think that a short discussion of careening would be helpful to many of us - especially with spring maintenance demands slowly encroaching...

Thanks, Bill

Bill Mahoney (wmahoney-at-smsllc.com)
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