I would really appreciate advice from some M-17 owner who has removed the centerboard from a M-17, inspected and/or renovated it and relaced it. I hope to remove the centerboard from my M-17 ( #55) in late November of this year for renovation, having never done it before. The situation is this: the boat is 27 years old and as far as I know, the centerboard has never been removed or restored. I jacked the boat above the trailer far enough for me to lower the centerboard and examine the lower 5-inches. It appears the cast iron centerboard was coated with an epoxy that had flaked off the bottom 2-inches and exposed the bare metal. It was rusty but did not appear to be in really bad shape. The important thing here is that I was able to lower and raise the centerboard with normal effort; in other words, it was not stuck in the the keel trunk, as noted by other M-17 owners. Later this month, I will have the boat hoisted off the trailer and placed on stands, high enough to lower the board to it's maximum extension, assumed to be 21-inches below the keel, according to manufactures specifications. Once this is done, I'm not sure what to expect; therefore, the following questions: 1. How high should the hull be raised to remove centerboard? Is 21-inches sufficient or something more or less? 2. By removing the pivot bolt, will the centerboard drop free? If so, should the centerboard be supported while removing the bolt? It weighs 100 pounds. 3. Are there any other obstructions to dropping and removing the centerboard? 4. How is the pendant ( line used to lower and raise centerboard in cabin) attached to the centerboard? 5. Are there any other procedures/problems that I should know about? Once board is removed, and not having any other experience, I plan to follow the instructions outlined in the Interlux VC Boater's Painting Guide: sandblasting, fairing rough areas with epoxy putty and then multiple coats of Interlux 2000E/2001E. At this time, this is the best I can do with questions. I will be extremely grateful for any and all advice. Bill K. (woodsybill@aol.com)