Howdy, All: This is a follow-up to stuck cb. My M-15 #175 - Kestrel, was built around 1981 so it apparently has steel for ballast (checked with magnet). She has spent most of her life in salt water until now (fresh water only). I believe some seepage caused the cb to stick. Long story short, after consulting my ancient mariner manual for appropriate "salty language" aka cuss words, I finally got it out today with WD40 and working it down.
I saw no obvious swelling on the cb or in the trunk. I reviewed the photos of the M-23 owner in Lake Havasue who provided very detailed photos of removing/replacing his ballast by cutting through the trunk. I cut into the port side of the trunk from the outside. Using a Dremel, I cut about 1/4 inch through the Fglass and saw something shinny. I cut several inches laterally and vertically and still saw the metal so I stopped. ??Question?? Were these trunks sheathed with aluminum before the ballast was put in? I don't think I was cutting into washer punches because I only drilled in 1/4 inch. The cb had no bulges so I cut an inspection port 6" x 6" about 8 inches below the pivot hole. About 2 tablespoons of liquid came out. The ballast appears to have been sealed in something like epoxy. No shot was loose. The water that came out was black but no obvious trace of rust. If there is rusting farther down in the cb towards its lower end, one would have to cut the whole cb open to locate any internal corrosion. I sanded about 1/8th inch of old bottom paint and the gel coating down to the fiberglass on the cb. This thinned it down to where it retracts like it should. Could the cb swell in a somewhat uniform manner (there were no obvious bulges anywhere on it)? Does anyone have the dimensions of a cb? Where can I purchase a replacement cb? Thanks for all the useful tips on rigging, maintenance, etc. It really comes in handy Tom Park City, UT _______________________________________________ http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/montgomery_boats
