Gordon,
You might want to check for warp or twist in the centerboard. I have seen
very little warp cause a board to stick. Granted this problem is more
prevalent on wood centerboards, but as long as you have the board out of the
boat it's easy to check for twist. Just lay it on a table or other flat
surface.
Rick Langer
M15 #337 Bluebird
Date: Mon, 19 Nov 2007 12:36:47 -0600
From: Gordon Gilbert <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: M_Boats: Centerboard not centered
To: For and about Montgomery Sailboats
<[email protected]>
Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="ISO-8859-1"
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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