Another Centerboard Problem!

[Guest]

I have an '83 DS and I love it! Sailed her twice now in light winds the first time and then in 12 knot winds today. What a blast!

Ok, the problem. I have to yank and pull the up and down ropes for the centerboard a bunch of times to finally get the centerboard to drop down. From then on it raises just fine and lowers fine (from partial up positon that is). Any Suggestions besides dropping her out and seeing what is causing the catch, if I can determine it even after I drop it????

Dan Steill (d.steill-at-gte.net)

[Guest]

This is not a rare problem on the Day Sailer II, there are several possibilities.One is that the board is actually "floating" and you need to overcome this to lower the board, you may be able to add some weight to the lower end of the board. This will require removing the board (not easy, well...not real hard either!) and then creating a hollow spot to add a small chunk of lead to. Before doing this, weigh the centerboard, since if you or anyone else ever wants to race the boat class rules limit centerboard weight to 25# total.
Second possibility is that your centerboard and or trunk are clogged with fouling, ie: barnacles, etc. I have this problem since my boat is and always has been used in saltwater. I find that a periodic scraping helps, but being on a mooring....I only bring the board up about 2/3 of the way (usually just before the point where it will get stuck!) I find that the boat rides better on the mooring with a little bit of board sticking out. This is obviously not an option if you trailer your boat.
The third possibility is that your centerboard is slightly too thick for the trunk, if it has been painted this may be one of the problems. The board can be sanded or ground down to make it thinner, but be very careful doing this, my board is not as solid as it should be! I have found voids in the board that are not filled with the thickened resin or foam that the rest of the board appears to be filled with.

My solution to these problems was to drill a hole through the top of the centerboard trunk to allow me to use a wooden dowel to push the board past the sticking point. I have a plug for the hole to prevent water from splashing in. This has saved me more than once from having to dive under the boat with a small pry bar to free the board.

Rod J. "SUNBIRD", 1979 DS II

Rod Johnson (rjohnson24-at-juno.com)

[Guest]

Thanks, Rod, for the advice. I am going to sand and repaint the boat this winter as I have some damage (minor) and rough spots I want to smooth up. I will drop the centerboard then and see what's up. The centerboard is pretty banged up and I want to restore it anyway...

Thanks again,
Capt. Dan

Dan Steill (d.steill-at-gte.net)