The centerboard that just would not fit

[Guest]

I have been round and round trying to get a new from DR Marine centerboard to fit into the case. After alot of work with a belt sander, the head now fits, but when trying to pivot up to the close position and gets stuck. Per Rudy's suggestion I hammered a wedge into the top of the trunk, still no fit. Any ideas before I go insane over this problem. For what is worth, my boat is a 74 model.

Collin

Collin (gybe-it-at-houston.rr.com)

[Guest]

Is this on a Day Sailer II? If so, (and this may also apply to a DS I) I found that the edge of the board in the upper forward (while raised) corner is a bit too wide, well actually..it is square and the top of the CB trunk is round and so the CB will jam. I carefully rounded over those edges and now have no problem. I radiused the edges to about a 1/4-3/8 radius.

Rod Johnson (daysailermanual-at-juno.com)

[Guest]

The centerboard trunk is tapered from top to bottom.

This was done by the builder to assist popping off of the mold.

The top in narrow the bottom at the hull is wide....

How much wider dependes on the builder.

I checked my trunk opening at the hull with a ruler...
Then cut a piece of wood that same dimension and taped it to the end of a ruler...keep sanding down the wood until it goes to the top of the trunk.

Make the top of your CB head the same sise as the wood and the bottom of the CB head the same dimension you got at the bottom of tunk at the hull.

Dave Misunas (misunas-at-sasquatch.com)

[Guest]

ADDITION to my previous message....

After the head is sanded top to bottom (narrow at the top) to fit in the trunk when board is down.

It will also have to be sanded back to front (narrow at the back)to allow the board to go UP into the trunk.

Use the same dimensions (obtained earlier) for both top to bottom and back to front.

When you do the back to front it will alter (slightly) the top to botom work you did first.

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An altenative is to split the CB trunk up the front and along the top in the area of the CB head and making both sides parallel by jamming a 12" X 12" X 1 3/8" (or whatever your bottom opening (at the hull) of your CB trunk will allow....it could be 1 1/2" or 1 1/4".

With the 12 x 12 still in the trunk in place of the CB head... refiber glass the split..remove the 12 x 12 and insert your CB. Make sure the head sides are parallel top to bottom front to back way.



Dave Misunas (misunas-at-sasquatch.com)

[Guest]

Dave this last idea will work on the Day Sailer I, but not the DS II or III without MAJOR surgery to the part of the deck molding that covers the centerboard trunk (there is room under that deck molding, but access is hard without removing the deck. It might work on the DS IV, but the CB trunk cap will then need to be modified as well. I just ground the edges of the board at the top forward (when retracted) corner to make them rounded instead of square, plenty of "meat" there on my 1979 DS II CB.

Rod Johnson (daysailermanual-at-juno.com)

[Guest]

Final solution?

Have a board specially taylored to fit my trunk. Construction is in progress by Phil at Phils Foils. He is making it with a carbon fiber laminate and a graphite coating. He is in Canada so by the time I pay for it at the exchanged rate it cost about the same as one from Rudy, which at no fault of his own, came no where close to fitting in my trunk. I seem to have the only daysailor on the planet with trunk spaced about 13/16 of an inch. All the rest seem to be closer to 15/16.

CC

Collin Casey (gybe-it-at-ev1.net)