Thanks for your comments, Jim and others. The board did work after my WD-40 applications, but it seemed to stick at the top of its range. You're probably right that, instead of a bent pin, it could be trunk swelling in one area. I hope that's not it. Either way, I'll find out next Monday when I take this beautiful boat to the yard for a ride on the hoist. Regarding the trailer, I'm seriously considering having a local company build a galvanized bunk-type trailer that supports the boat from the hull rather than the keel. That seems to me more suitable for a sailboat than an EZ-Loader. Happy Thanksgiving! Gordon On 11/20/07 12:50 AM, "jim sadler" <jimsadler@jascopacific.com> wrote:
skipper Does the board go up and down with out problems? I dont think that the pin is bent since the stop of the retracted board is the top of the well. If the weight of the hull is pushing up on the center board it would push the CD against the top of the well. Also if the well is swelling in one spot it should leave a radius mark on the retracted CB.
Captain James Albert Sadler Skipper sailing vessel Pelican M15
On Nov 19, 2007 10:36 AM, Gordon Gilbert <gordon@financialwriting.net> wrote:
Hi, everyone:
The centerboard on my just-purchased ¹83 Montgomery 17 appears to be off center when retracted into the keel trunk, so that its starboard side rubs against the trunk in the aft area (I probed around the retracted centerboard with a metal ruler, and there¹s plenty of clearance everywhere but this spot), causing the board to stick in the up position. I sprayed WD-40 liberally into the pendant hole and was able to lower the board, but I¹d like to eliminate the rubbing anyway.
What pushed the board off center, I¹m guessing, is that it protrudes an inch or so below the trunk even when retracted, and that the weight of the boat sitting on it bent the hinge bolt. Does that seem feasible, and have others had this problem? Is it common for the board on these boats to protrude beyond the keel trunk? I also noticed that loading the boat onto the trailer pushes the board further into the trunk, as there¹s about two inches of slack in the pendant from where I could pull it up while in the water. I'm hoping that the trunk hasn't expanded; this boat has never been kept on the water.
The boat¹s trailer is an EZ Loader with side rollers and a keel roller on which the keel (centerboard, in my case) rests. Once I¹ve pulled the board, replaced the hinge bolt and re-centered the board (or whatever else needs to be done), should I remove the keel roller so that the boat rests only on the side hull rollers? Will this put too much weight on the hull in too few places? My other thought is to replace the EZ Loader with a bunk-type trailer, with the boat supported totally by the bunks.
I¹d appreciate any suggestions on ways to keep my centerboard ³centered² and working well. Thanks!
Gordon
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