holes in centerboard, DS1

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holes in centerboard, DS1

Postby Guest » Sat Feb 22, 2003 12:04 am

I have the centerboard of my 1969 DS1 out and notice there are two holes (drilled holes, not holes due to accident) in it. One is about 3" from the leading edge and 12" above the tip. It goes only part way thru the board and appears to end in a hollow area inside the board. The other hole goes all the way thru and is located about 1" from trailing edge of board and 20 inches above tip. Both are about .25" diameter. Anyone know what these holes might be for and wheter they should be plugged off? I'm tempted to at least plug off the one that appears to go into a hollow area of the board.

steve parsons (saabdrver-at-aol.com)
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Postby Roger » Sat Feb 22, 2003 10:30 am

Reading between the lines, I would assume that they were placed here by a previous owner. Check around the edge of the board for any delaminations. These boards were manufactured with a few hollow spots, but over the years, wear and tear may have caused some cracks allowing water to seep into these hollows. If that may be the case, evidenced by cracks or repairs by a previous owner, then I would first make sure the board is drained and well dried. Assuming that you have it out of the boat, tip it around to make sure all the water is out, then blow some air into it with a compressor for a few minutes, then set in a warm place to dry/evaporate any residulal moisture. Once you are assured that no more water is able to get in, through any cracks or delaminations, then plug it with f/g & gelcoat, and reinstall. Don't forget to check the inside of the pivot hole for delaminations as well.
Roger
 
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Postby Guest » Sat Feb 22, 2003 7:05 pm

I'm not sure if this applies to the DS I, but I have a copy of an O'DAY Factory Memo that Rudy Nickerson of D&R gave me in relation to the DS II. It mentions there being a hole in the DS II cb to allow air to vent from the board. My DS II cb had a large hollow volume in the board and I think that made is slightly buoyant, making it harder to extend. The holes in your boat's cb may have been to allow air to get out and perhaps water to enter and reduce buoyancy? As long as the water can drain out after you get the boat on the trailer, it may be all right, if the water can't drain and you live where freezing tempetures are common, you may need to either seal those holes or drill one that allows water to drain. I filled the hollow in my boat's cb with thickened epoxy, if you race be sure that you do not increase cb weight to more than 25# (Class Rule).

Rod Johnson, "SUNBIRD" (rjohnson24-at-juno.com)
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Postby Peter McMinn » Mon Feb 24, 2003 3:29 pm

I recently rejuvinated my centerboard and after sanding the head, also noticed small holes fore and aft of the pivot at equal distance. The holes had been partially sealed with epoxy/paint. My thought was that these were at some point used with pins or props to secure the board for refinishing.
I made sure that the holes were completely sealed as I did not want the board to weaken. Dry rot happens when unsealed wood repeatedly gets wet and drys. I cannot believe this would be an intentional aspect of the design.
Peter
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Postby Guest » Wed Mar 12, 2003 12:38 am

Thanks for the responses to my question. My cemterboard is indeed apparently hollow...probably by design. There was water inside when I removed it. Draining the water out was a bit difficult thru the one hole that was drilled into the hollow area. So...instead of sealing off that hole I've added two more! One is near the tip of the board and the other a couple feet above the original hole. Both these two new holes are along the bottom edge of the hollow area (bottom, in reference to when the board is raised up into the centerboard trunk). Had to drill a number exploration holes to locate this bottom edge, then later I filled them with thickened epoxy. These new holes should assure much better drainage of the water out of the board when the boat is put back on the trailor. And they should allow water to enter the hollow area easily when the board is down, preventing the board from being bouyant from air trapped inside.

On the often asked question of how do you remove the centerboard from the boat...I removed mine with the boat still sitting on it's trailor. I cut about a 1" long section out of the trailor's cross beam that goes under the aft end of the centerboard, which allowed lowering the board enough to slide it down and out of the trunk. Worked real nice. Of course I will have to bolt in a length of steel plate across the cut beam to regain it's strength, but that will not be hard to do.

steve parsons (saabdrver-at-aol.com)
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