Update on Broken CB cable

[Lloyd Franks]

I got the boat off the trailer today by building temporary stands and then pulling the trailer out from under. Fairly easy to do. I found that it is indeed the downhaul cable that was snapped. The uphaul works fine. Which leads me to a question. What is the downhaul for? Won't the board go down of its own weight once the uphaul is released? And if so, why even re-connect the downhaul? Thanks.

[markst95]

I don't think the CB will stay down when your sailing fast without the downhaul. I would like to see your stands if you have pics, or at least a discription of what you did. How did you prop the boat off the trailer?

[Lloyd Franks]

I made the stands from 2x6's. Two side pieces and a cross piece. Each looked like a small 'bench". The height of the bench will depend on the distance between the bottom of the boat and the ground. I allowed an inch or two for a cushion between the boat and the bench. Using the dock line cleats and dock lines, Tie the boat to a fixed object behind the boat. Unhook the trailer winch line from the boat, and slowly tow the trailer forward about 2 feet, out from under the boat. Place one of the "benches" and cushions under the boat. Pull the trailer forward a few more feet. Once the rear of the boat is resting on the bench, pull the trailer forward until the bow of the boat is resting on the rear part of the trailer. Then place another "bench" under the bow section (with cushion), and pull the trailer away.

You can leave the bow of the boat resting on the trailer if all you need is access to the CB. I wanted to re-align my trailer bunks and clean up the trailer, so I used the second bench to free up the trailer completely.

I wet the bunks before starting, the reduce friction. Go slow, and good luck. I'll report back on getting the triler back under the boat.

[Roger]

The board has slight negative buoyancy at best. You will have a difficult time getting it down while underway. Once it is down however, it usually stays down unless you hit something. I often sailed mine without cleating the downhaul, especially in shallow waters so that it would kick up. A bungee cord is another option.

[Lloyd Franks]

Thanks guys, for the info on the CB.
An update on getting the boat back on the trailer: So far I've cranked the trailer about a third of the way under the boat. Bow of boat is now resting on the trailer with stern on the rear bench, leaving access to the CB.

I have dropped the CB, to replace the downhaul line that broke. I will replace uphaul too. No glassing necessary, they are both on tangs.
I examined both wire entryways, and they seem fine. No wear is visible. The bolt and washers on the CB also look fine. Which is puzzling, since so much water was in the bilge. More to come. Thanks.

[Roger]

You may have seen this fix on another posting, but I'll repost here just in case. (credit to DJ Bents who first posted this article in the quarterlies in 1986)

http://www.bobhunkins.com/mt-archives/DS2CBTLK_100.pdf

The donut that creates the watertight seal is difficult to asses unless you know what you are looking for. There are typically no wear marks, only a 3/16" to 1/4" void between the two holes. Think of a small donut about 2 inches across with a 3/4" hole. Now think of this donut sandwiched between two sheets of fiberglass with two holes lining up exactly with the hole in the donut. Now think of the donut missing. Everything looks okay, but that void inbetween goes right to the bilge so that is how water gets in.

In the above fix, I replaced the brass nipple with a plastic plumbing nipple, which only cost a dollar, and worked just as well.

The other likely candidates for leaks are the aft bilge drain, and the hull deck joint, although this is less likely.

If you are interested, I have a book on DS II repair and maintenance. It is under the DS II section of this forum.

http://forum.daysailer.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1346

[Lloyd Franks]

Well, the new cables are in, and the boat is fully back on the trailer. Now to the water to see that all works well. My one remaining concern is that the new lines are the proper lenght to completely lower and raise the CB. That I'll do with a friend who has graciously agreed to don a mask and go under while I raise and lower the CB. I left enough slack for any adjustments.

The whole project was so straight forward that doing it again will be a piece of cake. And while the boat was on the stands I replaced the trailer bunks with new ones...Also scraped rust and painted. Trailer looks almost new

Thanks to all of you who offered good advice.