David, My centerboard dropped on me several years ago. It was relatively simple to punch out the pin. It goes out either side. Mine also exhibited aged cracks. I had it repaired at a fiberglass shop but when I was reinstalling it my grip on the line slipped and it dropped hard and broke again. I took it back to the shop (rather red faced) and this time had them enlarge the area to be replaced and install a 6 inch eye bolt. The centerboard now pivots on a stainless steel eye imbedded in the fiberglass which, I like to think, spreads the stress to more than just that corner of the board.
The cockpit drains into the centerboard housing. Flushing with lots of water while the centerboard is down should eventually get ride of any accumulation of mud trapped in the box shaped housing through which the drain flows. Once your remove your centerboard you could get at the underside of the drain. It isn't a big opening and it can get partially blocked. Inside the cabin, the bilge does not drain. What you are finding is probably the accumulation of years of dirt - or the grunge deposited through a leak at the backside of the cockpit drain housing. Slapping some fiberglass (or 1,000MPH tape) around the back of that box should stop the leak. A mirror will help you analyze what is going on back there. You should have two clam cleats on the starboard side of your mast under the main hallard jam cleat. There should also be two lengths of line fixed to the port side of the mast. The shorter one runs through the eye on the underside of your gooseneck and clamps off in one of the clam cleats. That's your cunningham. The longer line runs through the tack reef point grommet and ties off with a slip knot on the starboard side of the sail until you need to reef. Then it serves as your tack and holds the mainsail in reef by locking into the other clam sheet. _______________________________________________ http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/montgomery_boats
