<P><IMG SRC="/daysailer/photo/images/cb/cb_full_sb.jpg" BORDER="0" ALT="Starboard side">
<IMG SRC="/daysailer/photo/images/cb/cb_full_pt.jpg" BORDER="0" ALT="Port side">
<A HREF="/daysailer/photo/images/cb/cb_top_sb.jpg"><IMG SRC="/daysailer/photo/images/cb/cb_top_sb_tb.jpg" BORDER="2" ALT="Starboard side, top"></A>
<A HREF="/daysailer/photo/images/cb/cb_mid_sb.jpg"><IMG SRC="/daysailer/photo/images/cb/cb_mid_sb_tb.jpg" BORDER="2" ALT="Starboard side, middle"></A>
<A HREF="/daysailer/photo/images/cb/cb_mid_pt.jpg"><IMG SRC="/daysailer/photo/images/cb/cb_mid_pt_tb.jpg" BORDER="2" ALT="Port side, middle"></A>
<A HREF="/daysailer/photo/images/cb/cb_pin.jpg"><IMG SRC="/daysailer/photo/images/cb/cb_pin_tb.jpg" BORDER="2" ALT="Gaskets and pin"></A></P>
<P>Hi all. Well, while doing some spring cleaning on my DS2, I took another long look at the centerboard.
It was ugly looking up in its slot and it gave me trouble during my sails last year. Plus the gaskets
were leaking. So I decided to pull it! I have found along the way that the DS2 centerboard was not
designed with easy maintenance in mind.</P>
<P>I got into the inspection ports and removed the pin and gaskets. The old gaskets were a mess. Next it
was time to lower the board. Unfortunately, to remove the board, you must cut the wire leads that are
used to raise and lower the board. So I cut those. Now, I didn't have a way to turn the boat over, so
instead I put the DS in shallow water off the trailer, put on my dive mask and retrieved the board.</P>
<P>Now the board was free, and it was ugly! It took some effort to scrub the algae and scum off of it.
It's still ugly! I assume this is the original centerboard. It appears to be made of wood with a
fiberglass coating, and a weight of some sort is embedded in the center. To my dismay, the wire leads
are embedded in the board, which is going to make replacement tricky.</P>
<P>So now, it's time to refurbush the centerboard. How to do it? It looks like I need to remove that old,
splitting fiberglass coating and replace it. What materials and tools will I need for this? Then, I
have to replace the wires...does anyone have more detail about how that wire is embedded in the board
and how it can be replaced without destroying the board? Maybe that hole near the wires is involved.
And then finally (hopefully), I need new
gaskets. Do I get 'real' gaskets from D&R or will something from the hardware store work as good or better?</P>
<P>Have a look at the photos, make your diagnosis, and thanks for your suggestions.</P>