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Removing centerboard pin

PostPosted: Thu Feb 15, 2018 5:47 pm
by doryman
Have a DS 11 which has not been in the water for a long time. I noticed that the end of the centerboard hung below the hull about 3 inches. The handle would not move. I got it loosened up with WD-40
I'd like to remove the pin and centerboard. Removed the triangular plate and tried pulling the pin out, it would not move. Any ideas?

Re: Removing centerboard pin

PostPosted: Thu Feb 15, 2018 6:09 pm
by kokko
If you have a lever mechanism it is a ds1. Check the opposite side of the shaft and se. If it is secured from that side

Re: Removing centerboard pin

PostPosted: Fri Feb 16, 2018 2:19 pm
by doryman
It does have a lever, I will remove the fiberglass on the opposite end and check it out. thank you

Re: Removing centerboard pin

PostPosted: Fri Feb 16, 2018 3:23 pm
by baggywrinkle
If you got it loose, and if there is not a nut holding it on other side of the CB trunk as kokko said, it oughtta be free to extract in the usual manner ie just pull it outta there.

Corrosion? Barnacles?

What exactly does 'loose' mean? Does the pin feel like it is loose in the square fitting in the CB ie able to wiggle some? Or could it be that both the pin and the CB are moving as a unit ie it is not the 'loose' you need?

If you have a vibrating sander or something that vibrates, press it against the handle, since triangle plate is off. Its worth a shot, if you have a sander/whatever. Also from underneath, squirt some PB Blaster up there. Squirt it where you squirted the WD 40 too ie from above and from below. Wait a while. Vibrate. Repeat.

Worst case scenario, all else fails, cannot extract it....(WTF?)....dare I say it....drill a not very big hole at opposite point, other side of trunk...then drive the pin out with brass pin or bolt, something softer than your pin so as not to damage your pin. Not much anyway. Theoretically.

If the CB's square pin hole is not open on both sides, such a hole drilled in trunk, and the driving bolt/pin would have to penetrate the CB also for accessing your pin. My CB square hole is open both sides. I bet all are. I dont know though.

Another possibility, before taking advice from nuts with drills, devise a puller of some kind. Maybe a prybar (I mean gently, gents). Cutting away the rubber washer (Saint Rudy has more) probably is necessary to make room for a pry bar. Flat bar. Like a small "WonderBar". Use wood blocks to seat prybar where needed. Did I say pry gently? Pry gently. Good luck cutting away the rubber washer. Do they even make blades that narrow? What will dissolve neoprene rubber? Does it come in a spray can?

Re: Removing centerboard pin

PostPosted: Fri Feb 16, 2018 3:28 pm
by baggywrinkle
You're gonna remove FG on opposite point on other side of CB trunk? I'd think that if there is no nut or any fitting in evidence, there is no need for exploratory surgery.

On my CB, the handle's square lug is not long enough to reach the other side of the trunk.

Re: Removing centerboard pin

PostPosted: Fri Feb 16, 2018 3:31 pm
by baggywrinkle
Also tap gently all around the round part with triangle removed. Tap. Vibrate. Spray. Pry. Pray. Repeat.

Re: Removing centerboard pin

PostPosted: Fri Feb 16, 2018 10:03 pm
by doryman
Thanks to everyone for their thoughts. The CB moves a certain amount independently of the lever arm, the hole is larger than the pin or if square is now rounded. On the port side of the CB housing is a square protruding approximately 1/2 " and measuring 1-1/2 x 1-1/2. Something inside? I have used the wonder bar and WD 40 technique along with banging with a soft mallet. It seems that when manufactured by Sunfish Laser in the early 90's they might have added a machine screw to hold the end of the pin? The issue that concerns me is taking it off the trailer and then landing it on the beach with the CB dangling 3-6 inches below the hull. I will sail it as is since the boat is new to me and I have no idea what else I might discover. At some point in the future I will grind the FG off the square just to discover what is inside and then let you know.
I would welcome any insights from people with boats built by Sunfish Laser Portrsmouth RI. in the early 90's, not that the other comments have not been valuable and entertaining. This my first time participating in a forum and it has exceeded all expectations. It is like the virtual pub. Thank you all

Re: Removing centerboard pin

PostPosted: Sat Feb 17, 2018 12:44 am
by baggywrinkle
Yer welcome!

doryman said:

... On the port side of the CB housing is a square protruding...1 1/2 x 1 1/2...


Well there it is. Likely as you say, it is something like a screw or pin holding the handle in place. If so, maybe they intended the only way to remove it is to open that thing up with a grinder or whatever you will remove the FG with.

Pins and holes do get rounded. I learned that recently as I am new here, with a CB issue also....among other issues. Yes forums can be great fun and so helpful.

My CB issue:

viewtopic.php?f=2&t=5641&start=30
viewtopic.php?f=11&t=5741

Re: Removing centerboard pin

PostPosted: Sat Feb 17, 2018 2:11 pm
by baggywrinkle
Your CB dangling a few inches could be due to rounding of pin and or the hole.

Dangling when handle is in fully up position would be a clue

Re: Removing centerboard pin

PostPosted: Sat Feb 17, 2018 7:06 pm
by GreenLake
Inevitably some play will develop, allowing the CB to droop a bit with the handle locked in the up position. This can be shimmed, once you have the CB removed. Just did that on mine, but inadvertently shimmed it so that the handle now does not quite lock when the CB is fully retracted.

Re: Removing centerboard pin

PostPosted: Mon Feb 19, 2018 6:16 pm
by doryman
Hello,
Is there a plate on either side of the CB that reinforces the square hole or is it reinforced with Fg? How does one repair the square hole, an interesting concept in itself, if there is wear allowing the CB to move independently of the handle?
thank you

Re: Removing centerboard pin

PostPosted: Mon Feb 19, 2018 11:43 pm
by GreenLake
There seems to be a bronze disk / plate with a square hole in it embedded in the CB. Not sure how big, but seems the whole thickness. The hole was wide enough to allow the pin to move 15 degrees. I decided to attempt to shim this using a compatible metal and made a shim by hammering flat a silicon bronze washer. Worked well to eliminate the wiggle room, but caused the handle to be positioned just a bit too far "down" that the locking pawl no longer engages when the CB is raised. Too much of a good thing, in other words. May have to fit a slightly shorter pawl if I can source one.

Re: Removing centerboard pin

PostPosted: Tue Feb 20, 2018 5:42 pm
by baggywrinkle
A stylish DS1 CB I once knew ...(R.I.P.)... was shimmed with 4 teeny pieces of Ultra High Molecular Density plastic, less than 1/16" thick. Tough stuff. Used in industrial applications, such as conveyor belt guides, I was told. On the TAP plastics website, the plastic material which cutting boards are made of is graded below the toughness of UHMD. TAP's version of UHMD is VHMD. (Very High rather than Ultra High...Perhaps a trademark issue).

That aforementioned CB was not even 18 pounds in weight. Hence the plastic shims could handle their assignment, inbetween the two bronze fittings, apparently.

Re: Removing centerboard pin

PostPosted: Wed Feb 21, 2018 12:25 pm
by doryman
Thank you to all the contributors, greatly appreciate the help