Centerboard re-attachment

[captainseasick]

I pulled the centerboard to replace the broken downhaul pennant, and to put a better airfoil shape on it. I am ready to pull the board back into the well, and try to pin and seal it from leaking. Has anyone discovered an easy method to position the board so that the pinning bolt lines up with the pivot hole in the centerboard?
Mike

[Peter McMinn]

When I do this, I usually have my boat half way off the trailer with the aft end cradled on a workhorse. This arrangement keeps the boat at just the height of a five-gallon paint bucket. I turn two of the buckets upside down, slide in the board, shift the buckets over to support the board, and slide in some soft material to bring it up to where I know (think) it should be.

I then hope and pray to the centerboard gods that the pinhole is at least partially visible!

This is tricky biz and probably there are a few other ways that work better, like having an assistant below?

Good luck!

[Roger]

I typically careen my boat to work on the bottom or the centerboard. Withthe boat careened onto its side, here is how I reinsert the cb.

It is easier to do this with two people but it can be done alone. First of all re-insert the cb root first into the slot about 2 inches, with all lines attached. Go around to the cockpit side and pull gently on the lines so that the lines 'stay ahead' of the inserting cb. You may have to do this only a couple of inches at a time. When the root of the board is fully in, and the board is oriented in the 'down' position, go around to the cockpit side. Insert the bolt from the top hole as seen from the careened boat, first through the stainless steel washer, then the first rubber washer, then through the top side of the cb trunk. (Gravity is your friend, for this trick to work). The bolt will likely rest on the top side of the cb. If you are lucky enough to hit the hole in the cb as well, stop now and go buy yourself a lottery ticket, as this is your lucky day!
Likely however, the bolt is resting on the side of the cb near the hole. With two hands on the cb push it towards the top of the cb trunk and forward in the cb trunk, then start slowly moving the cb around, back and forth, and side to side, until the bolt 'finds the hole' in the cb, and drops through.

[captainseasick]

I have my DS off the trailer on jack stands. (my Boston whaler is currently stored on it, so it is unavailable till next spring) At the height I have the boat set, the board just can fit horizontally into the slot. Is it possible to juggle the board in the up position (or partially down by a few degrees) and still catch the hole?
Mike

[captainseasick]

One more question:
with the boat out of the water, how do you careen it without scratching or stressing the topsides, do you have the mast in place to use as leverage to pull it over, or can you tip it on its side some other way? These boats are pretty light, but not enough to manhandle. and I have concerns about supporting the hull on its strongest points.
Thanks
Mike

[Peter McMinn]

You should be able to nudge the board into position fairly easily if horizonatal. I don't think it has to be in it's up position, but it makes sense if you want it supported adequately.

As far as careening the boat see http://forum.daysailer.org/forum/viewtopi ... ght=careen
for a thorough discussion!

[Roger]

I careened my boat all alone last week. I left the mast up, tied the transom cleats to an anchor about 30 beet back, loosened the winch a few feet, then pushed the boat back on the trailer a few feet until the slack was out of the winch strap. I then pulled the trailer forward by hand. The boat slid back further along the trailer, with the winch unwinding as it went. When it was near the balance point, I locked the winch, then by hand tilted the trailer and boat until the transom was on the ground. I then unlocked the winch again, and again by hand continued to pull the trailer out from underneath the boat. The last few feet are the most precarious, but managing the height of the tongue by hand, you can settle the boat down onto a couple of fenders along the keel line. I also placed an old tarp under one side, a camp mattress, and a couple of life jackets where I thought the boat would eventually roll onto its gunwales. I pulled the trailer away from the boat. With the mast up, and using the sail end of the main halyard, (the inboard end secured to a cleat), I started walking backwards to the side of the boat, even with the mast. Eventually you run out of rope, (halyard) so continuing to walk backward, you also have to pull down on the halyard to start the boat rolling. It is relatively heavy at first, probably about 50 pounds of pull, but as it starts to come over, and rest its gunwales on the life jackets, you could likely use a construction block to tie the halyard at the top of the mast down. I just tied it to my neighbours trailer.

Getting it back on the boat is just the reverse. Carefully let the boat back down, then position the trailer so that it lines up with bow, attach the winch/tow hook, lift the tongue of the trailer and snug up the winch. Then crank the boat back on, making sure to keep it centered.

Here is a picture of the boat careened. http://groups.msn.com/RogerConrad/shoeb ... PhotoID=96

[captainseasick]

Thanks Roger,

No creaking or cracking sounds when the 600 lb boat finally rests on the hull? These boats are built so light that this was a concern. I haven't got access to my trailer till next summer anyway, and the boat is already on jack stands next to the garage, with no swing room for an erect mast, so i will have to re-pin the centerboard with it in the full up position.
Mike

[Roger]

No creaking or cracking! I do take care to careen it on sand, small gravel, or grass however. As well I do put a boat fender under the transom and another under the bow so that the keel line is not grinding debris into itself as it rests on the ground. I also place a tarp under the hull for a bit of added protection.

I was so impressed the first time I tried this strategy. I used it to paint the bottom. I thought for sure that there would be some scratch marks on the new paint that was less than a week old, but no, it came on very clean. Remember that there is very little weight on each roller.

Lets do the math together, and you will see what I mean. The boat weighs 575 pounds empty (or thereabouts). I have 8 wobble rollers, plus two keel rollers, so 575/10=57.5 pounds on each roller. Here's another test. Reach under your boat while it is on the trailer and try to turn one of the rollers. You can just barely do it with one hand. Now lay on the ground under a roller, push up on the hull with one hand, and turn the roller with the other. You will notice how easy this is to do. It really graphically demonstrates how well distributed the boat weight is across all the load points. Consider this: When you stand on the cockpit or deck, you exert much more force downward, than the 57.5 pounds exerted on the hull where it is supported by a roller, and the abraision of you feet is much more that a rubber roller or soft grass or ground. When it rests on the ground it is even more evenly supported wherever the hull makes contact with the ground.