Nicholas grabbed the center board line and said ...

[Signaleer]

... "Why is this loose?"

So, we went out motoring again today.

We beached the boat, and when backing up, I felt like I was stuck on something. I gave it more power and broke free. Thought it was the motor, in the sand or mud...

We then motored away and came up on plane (cruising confirmed at 25 MPH) We slowed for a no-wake zone, and my crew (Nicholas) noticed the centerboard line was loose. This concerned us, so he went to tighten it and it immediately came the entire way up in his hands with the end-frayed...

Ok, we had an issue, and we knew it. We quickly checked below at the centerboard hanger which we had worked on - still sealed. So now what? We anchored in about 2 to 3 knots and about 5 feet of water. Nicholas dove off the boat and comes up and says "Its still there" So, we had the centerboard hanging, and were at least for part of the trip - on plane! (Wow... I believe this was dangerous). ... which well, here's my question, when under power at 25 mph was the centerboard 'naturally' being pushed up in the hanger?

I honestly don't know how long it had been broken? It could have been broken as we were motoring before we beached the boat... It could have broke when we were backing off the beach...

So, we found a marina, as we were slowing pulling through the sand/mud to the lee-shore. There was a 3 knot flow. We dove, for about 10 seconds. Way too silty to see anything. We were going to try to re-tie the board. So, we ended up motoring back to the original marina never going over 7mph. We tied up. Tomorrow I think I will have to have the boat 'hung' in the slings and fix this. Right?

Anyways, another adventure.

Ed.

[Russ]

Is it possible on the x to drag a line under the bow and under the board to pull it up against the hull? Seems like this would allow you to stow the board.

Either way, getting it fixed is a priority.


Hmm.... Does the board kick up under plane?

[Chinook]

I'm pretty sure the board raised itself up when the boat was motoring on plane. If you leave the board down and secure the centerboard line in its jam cleat, the board develops a great deal of lift, and the boat becomes very difficult to steer. If the board was just hanging down and the line not cleated, I expect the board would have risen almost all the way up into the trunk. It's my guess that you had your board down, but not completely down, when you backed up and got stuck. If the centerboard line was cleated off, and you then gave the boat some power in reverse, you could have broken the line. That line bears inspection from time to time, as it can become frayed and go unnoticed until it fails.

[Signaleer]

Thank you... I think it was up under plane.. but we did not risk that on the way back we simply trolled home...

We are going to get the boat yard to hang it tomorrow.

We'll read up on what / how to reinstall...

Ed.

[Catigale]

You can drop the board on the trailer too, but make sure you take pictures if you " hang it high"

[Tomfoolery]

Can you even reach that knot from underneath, without dropping the hanger? I've never dived on it, mostly because the water is usually really murky, but it would be nice to be able to see it for inspection purposes.

[March]

You need to drop the hanger, Tom, or esle you wouldn't be able to extricate the board from its booth--it'll stop at the trailer's cross beam. At least mine does.
While in the water, you can hang by one of the fenders, stretch your legs under the boat and inspect the board with your toes. That's the best you can do while breathing.
We removed the centerboard in the Bahamas, while on the water. The water was clear and friendly and only 5 feet deep but diving under the boat to remove the screw that holds the line in place was truly claustrophobic.

[Tomfoolery]

You need to drop the hanger, Tom, or esle you wouldn't be able to extricate the board from its booth--it'll stop at the trailer's cross beam. At least mine does.

Mine didn't. Well, it was my fault, as I did an overly aggressive 'Mac Bump®', and having forgotten to retract the centerboard all the way when loading (it swings up anyway), it dropped in front of the cross member and I couldn't bring it back up without dropping the hanger bracket. But it was a perfect opportunity to inspect and eventually replace the CB line, which I had never seen other than what's visible above the deck. Surprisingly, the old one was in pretty good shape, but I changed it anyway, mainly because I could.

While in the water, you can hang by one of the fenders, stretch your legs under the boat and inspect the board with your toes. That's the best you can do while breathing.
We removed the centerboard in the Bahamas, while on the water. The water was clear and friendly and only 5 feet deep but diving under the boat to remove the screw that holds the line in place was truly claustrophobic.

It sounds like you have the wire rope tail to the CB. The latest iteration has eliminated the wire, and just uses line, with a stopper knot. According to BWY, at least, and that's what mine had, and what I did when I replaced it.

But could you reach the connection point on the CB when it's all the way down, or does the board have to come out to reach it? Just curious, is all, as if I ever find some clean, swimmable water, I'll poke around under there and see for myself.

[March]

Tomfoolery wrote:
Mine didn't. Well, it was my fault, as I did an overly aggressive 'Mac Bump®',

I see--I don't use the macbump, so there's always a 3 inch gap between the bow and the tip of the trailer. It doesn't bother me all that much. There is a second safety line that goes to the nose "U" bolt, aside from the trailer's hook'n'ribbon and the boat has never slipped back more than that in ten years of trailering. Those three inches would account for your ability to let the centerboard drop while on the trailer, even though I am not sure it's an asset or a liability.

Tomfoolery wrote:
It sounds like you have the wire rope tail to the CB.

Correct. There's a plastic coated wire rope tail that goes to through the metal support tube all the way to the CB. Up on deck, it is tied in plain view to a simple rope that may be cleated or uncleated. My centerboard is out now, we busted it in the Apostle Islands last week, daydreaming at the helm too close to the rocky shore. The CB was already beginning to split into its two halves, and we had managed to patch it up wit Marine Tex in the Bahamas. Now it's a good opportunity to do it right with fiberglass. I will change the wire rope, too... because I can.

[tp56ihs]

I am going to replace mine as well. I understand that Spectra line is the recommended replacement for the cable,

[Tomfoolery]

Tomfoolery wrote:
Mine didn't. Well, it was my fault, as I did an overly aggressive 'Mac Bump®',

I see--I don't use the macbump, so there's always a 3 inch gap between the bow and the tip of the trailer. It doesn't bother me all that much. There is a second safety line that goes to the nose "U" bolt, aside from the trailer's hook'n'ribbon and the boat has never slipped back more than that in ten years of trailering. Those three inches would account for your ability to let the centerboard drop while on the trailer, even though I am not sure it's an asset or a liability.

The cross bar/bunk will support the CB even after the Mac Bump®, but I hit it so hard that the trailer flexed along with the soft vee-bumper that it was just enough to let it drop through. Completely my fault, but I now have a short length of 6" angle that's waiting to be installed with a wood block mounted to it to catch it before it gets lower than it should on the off-chance ( ) that I forget again.

I've found the trailer to be extremely flexy and bouncy if the boat isn't firmly in the vee-bumper, as the boat itself contributes considerably to the stiffness of the system. Those little channels that make up the main structure are not stiff at all compared to the loads imposed and their lengths, but the boat, contacting the bumper so high up, greatly stiffens the system. You might want to give that a try. Use some Liquid Rollers, or dish detergent (bio-degradable, of course, though I think it pretty much all is these days) as a lube on the bunks before hauling the boat.

Just a suggestion.

[Signaleer]

Centerboard line reattached. It was gross doing it in the marina... but its fixed.

It seems like on the 2002x that the for part of the centerboard hangs just a bit below the boat. Seems like if it is beached that that even when the Centerboard is retracted the fore-part of that hits the sand... ? (am I describing that correctly)

Thanks again all.

Ed.

[81venture]

Not to hijack the thread, but since there was a photo posted here I have a question

It looks like the centerboard is to swing down from the Aft fwds to the bow as it comes down?

I am installing a guide pully up top on the centerboard wire (as that little metal nub it rides on is worthless) and I dropped the board down some while on the trailer

Later on I happened to notice that my centerboard lowered from Fwd to aft.

this doesn't seem to make sense as if I am sailing and hit something isn't it supposed to kick up? i thought that it retracted and came out the same was as our VN23 did....from aft tucked up into the slot and comes down and fwd?

Maybe I have an odball? as I also notice my ballest valve is on the port side with the swim ladder, and every photo I see here is on the starboard side?

cheers
dave

[Tomfoolery]

It looks like the centerboard is to swing down from the Aft fwds to the bow as it comes down?

Later on I happened to notice that my centerboard lowered from Fwd to aft.

this doesn't seem to make sense as if I am sailing and hit something isn't it supposed to kick up? i thought that it retracted and came out the same was as our VN23 did....from aft tucked up into the slot and comes down and fwd?

That doesn't sound right. This is the only configuration I'm aware of, though my lack of exposure to anything else doesn't rule it's existence. But I can't even conceive of a CB that swings forward to retract, as it would just be looking for some hard bottom to pole vault over. Or jamb itself through the hull.

[81venture]

Is it possible it can be stowed both ways then?

When we last put the boat on the trailer the center board had been forgotten down and bumped up and over the trailer. I thought I broke something at first, but the water was deep at the ramp and so I pulled the centerboard line and she came up easy peasy.


I could take a pic, but I assure you at the moment on the trailer if I drop the board she swings down from FWD to Aft...

When it next goes in the water I will drop it, and then raise it again and perhaps it will swing up to the rear?

very peculiar as I agree that it is a pole vault waiting to happen, but perhaps for safety (as in reverse) it can swing up into the hull either way??

dave