Trouble with the Centerboard Cable System

Topics primarily or specifically about the DS2. Many topics are of general interest, so please use forum sections on Rigging, Sails, etc. where appropriate.

Moderator: GreenLake

Trouble with the Centerboard Cable System

Postby Guest » Sun Sep 14, 1997 12:00 am

I have owned both the DS II and DS I. The DS II gave me a lot of trouble with the centerboard cable system. In all the years I sailed it, I learned one thing about that system, you must keep tention on the cables then you are trailering. Make sure that the centerboard is supported by the trailer and not the cables. There are some very good artictles about DS II centerboards in back issues (late 1970Æs in early 1980Æs) of the Day Sailer Quarterly, the Day Sailer Association publication. I have most of these issues dating back to 1972. Let me know if you have a particular problem, I may be able to help.

Gus Heismann (marktdes-at-oneimage.com)
Guest
 

Postby boone » Tue Sep 16, 1997 12:00 am

Just remember to re-tighten the centerboard cable before you lower your DS 2 into the water. A couple times when lowering the boat into the water at the ramp, the centerboard has lowered slightly and it catches on the little plastic guide wheels...so you have to crawl into the boat when it's halfway off the trailer and tighten up the centerboard.

I found it really strange the first time I sailed my DS 2. I was used to gravity being the sole requirement for lowering the centerboard (from my crew time on Thistles and Flying Scots). Why is the DS 2 centerboard so light compared to other sailing dinghies? What is it made out of, anyway? (This applies to my <A HREF="http://boonedocks.net/cgi-bin/miva?hts/talkboard.mv+read+daysailer+20">Other Question</A>.) It seems so light that it might be made out of wood and then coated with some kind of fiberglass sheeting.
boone
Site Admin
 
Posts: 124
Joined: Thu Apr 08, 2004 11:24 pm
Location: South Carolina

Postby Guest » Sat Aug 08, 1998 12:00 am

We purchased a 1973 O'Day II this summer. I believe we have the rigging correct. However we are having trouble with the center board and the rudder. While I think we can straighten out the problem with the rudder, we can't get the center board to stay down. This creates problems with tacking and drifting. Does anyone have info or diagrams about rigging the center board? There are two pulies in the cabin but I am not sure how to rig them. One is currently rigged but it does not do much to keep the center board down. Also, I would like to get info re the rigging to make sure I have a good setup. Help needed here also.

Doug MacPherson (macp-at-concentric.net)
Guest
 

Postby Guest » Fri Jun 04, 1999 12:00 am

Last weekend while was "running" on a broad reach along the shore of a lake. I felt that my centerboard made contact (twice within 15 seconds) with something underwater. I turned 90 degrees to starboard and, after a minute or two, the boat was hit by a very light gust and started to capsize to the port side.

When I jumped overboard, she righted herself but not until it had taken on 6 inches of water.

Once in the water I traied to find the centerboard with my feet, to no avail.

When we reached shore, I swam under the boat to get a sense of where the centerboard was.

My suspicion is that when we bottomed, momentarily, the centerboard my have been kicked back up toward the centerboard trunk. Could this be the case?

At this point, I feel rather insecure about this problem and would like to get a schematic for the configuration of the DS II (1975) centerboard including the cabling scheme and any other information I should know.

I'd appreciate any advice or suggesttions from contributors to this board.

Jerry Cohen (jerryc-at-computer.net)
Guest
 

Postby Guest » Fri Jun 04, 1999 12:00 am

I have an '84 DSII and I removed by centerboad last winter because I was having trouble raising it fully. I made a drawing using Paint in bitmap format and I can e-mail it to any interested parties <I>(Ed. The image is attached below)</I>. My board is quite heavy. I see a square outline under the gelcoat near the tip, which I assume to be a lead weight. It appears to be factory installed, but I'm not sure.

<CENTER><IMG SRC="/daysailer/images/ds2-centerboard.gif"></CENTER>
My boat has a cable that raises the board, which pivots on a pin, held in place by two wedge shaped inserts. I replaced the nylon pin with a kevar composite and relocated the cable anchor closer to the tip of the board, as it was ahead of the pivot point and offered very little leverage. It's much easier to raise and lower the board now.
<CENTER><IMG SRC="/daysailer/images/ds2-centerboard2.gif"></CENTER>

Paul Diglio (paul.diglio-at-erols.com)
Guest
 

Postby Guest » Mon Jun 07, 1999 12:00 am

I read Paul Diglio's recent note with interest. We have a late 70's DSII. We can get the centerboard up just fine- not problem. However, we can not keep it down. I have been trying for over a year to find a proper diagram of the rigging needed to keep the centerboard down. Paul, if you have such a diagram, please let me know or e-mail a copy of it. It would be greatly appreciated.

Doug MacPherson (macp-at-concentric.net)
Guest
 

Postby Guest » Sat Jan 15, 2000 1:00 am

Interesting how many ways the cb can be rigged. With slight variation mine is like that you drew except that the wire to raise the cb is lead aft out of a whole in the top of the cb trunk about 10" foward of the aft end. This creates an angle that causes the wire to cut the fiberglass and is somthing of a bind. I've toyed with the idea of an in-line double shiv block (through hull type) to give it a smoother exit. Pehaps though I should simply exit the lead at the foward end of the cb trunk. What do you think?

MAK (ymak41-at-yahoo.com)
Guest
 

Postby Guest » Mon Jan 17, 2000 1:00 am

We have tried several treatments for the centerboard. I think the fundamental problem is that it is too light weight. It almost wants to float up and when under sail it really wants to come up. We have a line coming out of the hole in the top forward part of the cover, running down through a hole in the bottom of the "cabin" through a block, the line of which comes out thorugh another hole in the bottom of the cabin, then through a guide and into a locking cleat which is on the side of the cover on the port side. This works but not very well and the centerboard still rides up. If I were to do more I think I would notch out some area on the bottom of the centerboard into which I would incert (pour) some lead to add weight, especially on the trailing edge.

Doug MacPherson (macp-at-concentric.net)
Guest
 

Postby Guest » Fri Mar 03, 2000 1:00 am

The cable has broken off the centerboard. I'm still able to lower it but am unable to raise it. How big of a job is it to fix it. I would appricate any tips on how to do this job. Thanks Mike in New Hampshire

Mike Curtin (curtin-at-worldpath.net)
Guest
 

Postby Guest » Wed Jan 24, 2001 1:35 am

Still need help with this? I hope you havn't been sitting idel for this long for the sake of this job. I did mine last year and it's really no big thing. The toughest part is getting the CB out. I had my boat up on cradel anyway so that part I'll leave to you (you might check out the assoc. site and see the article on rolling over the DS. Excelent and I wish I had seen it a month earlier last year!) The wire penant is sealed in the board with a lead plug. Chip pry and drill it out. I re-seated my new penant with epoxy resin which can also be drilled out if ever need be again (knock on wood) so go ahead and attack it. Not to high tech. a boat ya know. Kinda what I like about it.

MAKurtis (Emak41-at-excite.com)
Guest
 

Postby Guest » Thu Jan 25, 2001 1:06 pm

On my 1979 DS II, the lifting cable is attached to the top of the cb by a stainless steel tang, held on to the board by 3 screws. the line to pull the board down is 1/4" dacron 3-strand line and attaches to the board through a hole in the leading edge this hole was then filled with some putty. My lifting cable exits the trunk on the forward end, and is spliced to a single block through which the lifting line runs. My lifting and lowering lines are actually both the same line, one end lifts, the other lowers. Anyway, the line deadends near the mast, runs back through the block on the lift cable, then forward to a block on the cuddy floor opposite the dead-end of the line, then aft through the cuddy bulkhead to the cleat on the starboard side of the cb trunk, the other end of the line is tied to the becket of a block mounted to the underside of the cuddy top, then down through a block attached to the cb down line, up to through the block mounted to the cuddy, then down to a block on the starboard side of the cb trunk then aft through the bulkhead to the same cleat as the upline. Believe me, the system is harder to describe than to use! It was the stock set-up at the time that my boat was built and I think was continued right through the production run of the DS III, and was introduced before 1975. In 1975, O'Day added a short piece of shock cord from the block on the lifting cable to a o]point just aft of the mast to keep some tension on the cable to avoid the possibility of a jam due to the cable being loose enough to get between the board and the inside of the trunk.

Rod Johnson (rjohnson24-at-juno.com)
Guest
 

Postby Guest » Mon Jan 21, 2002 9:07 pm

I recently purchase a 1973 DS II and am planning on sailing her early this spring. I to have a problem with the pulley system that raises the centerboard. Anyone with detailed drawings or suggenstions before her maiden voyage in May. Also looking for any manuals that might exsist.

Todd Atchison (todd-at-next-cast.com)
Guest
 

Postby Guest » Wed Jan 23, 2002 9:47 am

Todd-
In addition to the e-mail I sent you... check the O'Day site for a good photo and labels of rigging.
M.A.Kurtis
O'-whata-Day
Salamanca, NY

M.A.Kurtis (Emak41-at-excite.com)
Guest
 

Postby Guest » Wed Jan 23, 2002 8:06 pm

Some suggestions:
1. Wade through this site and you will find person offering to send free a "owners manual" for the DS II. get it. Is not much, but has details that will help.
2. That diagram shows that you should have a light bungee cord attached to the wire line which hauls the board to UP position. Seems unimportant, but not so. My board is heavy enough to stay down with gravity, but if I hit bottom (I sail in shallow bay) and there is slack in that wire, it can JAM against the CB then I cannot get the board up. Caused me to jump overboard on a very cold day to push the board up (and later work to unstick the wire and tang).
I love my 1980 vintange DSII, and have learned to live with freaky CB system.
Good luck! Good sailing!


Bob Cramer (RJCramer10-at-aol.com)
Guest
 

Postby Guest » Sat Aug 24, 2002 10:19 pm

I have a 1981 DSII and can not for the life of me figure out why the cb will not go down while under sail. While next to the dock, no prob, goes down like a charm. Does the board have positive floatation? I Guess for down wind sailing this is a good thing but at some point I am going to need to sail up wind any help would be great

Shawn Bivins (bivi_1-at-yahoo.com)
Guest
 

Next

Return to Day Sailer II Only

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 15 guests