Daggerboard Nightmare

delevi · Post by **delevi** » Sat Apr 15, 2006 1:08 am

Got my long awaited keel. Fit in the trunk just fine. Took it out on the water to set the lines exactly at 57". The board went 1/2 way down and got jammed in the trunk. I can realease all line tension and its 170 lbs isn't enough to make it drop. I winched with all my strength to haul it back up, but all I managed to do was put some bend in the top plate which supports the block for the uphaul line. The winch would just spin through without allowing the line to budge. Had to leave it in a slip. Still not sure how I'm going to unjam it and crank it up. Strange thing is it went up and down just fine when I tested it on the trailer, granted only 5-6 inches of play. I have no idea how it jammed. Did I mention that it turned out to be 3" too long? When cranked all the way up, about an inch still portuded under the hull. THIS SUCKS!

aya16 · Post by **aya16** » Sat Apr 15, 2006 3:12 am

theres got to be a boat haul out near you somewhere they can winch it up
scuba diver with a hyd. jack maybe? one of the bottom cleaner services around the harbor.

I know if you can get a wide strap under the board then winch from the winch on either side of the boat at the same time.

or you can back your trailer way more then normal pull the boat up tie it off at the front winch then slowly pull it up out of the water till it breaks free. Easy does it and lots of padding on the dagger board support tube before you try. You know on second thought I wouldnt use the support tube at all I would put a 2x8 board across the trailer at that point. Then when its free back the boat back in the water to take the board off. It couldnt have jammed more than an inch or two so only pull the boat up once contact is made a couple inces at a time. Oh if the trailer needs to go very far in the water and you dont want to bury your back truck tires in salt water, block the trailer tires when its most of the way down the ramp
disconect the trailer put the third wheel down , then tie a strap, you know the kind four wheeles use to get unstuck, to the trailer and truck let the trailer down that way and pull it all the way up without the boat before you untie it hook up and start all over. This time hopefully with the dagger board unstuck and up.

Thats all I can think about at 3 am in the morning sorry.

I think I know why it jammed...you might have a loose line that went down with it. if thats the case then the trailer bit should work out.

Good luck

baldbaby2000 · Post by **baldbaby2000** » Sat Apr 15, 2006 7:07 am

I wonder if you could gently run aground going forward then backward to see if you can break it loose.

Or, could you take a piece of wood and a hammer (BFH style) and pound it from the top to see if you can get it down?

There is plenty of room in my trunk for a line on either side of the board and not have it jam but as I recall your board is wider than the standard so maybe there is something in the well like a line as suggested.

Catigale · Post by **Catigale** » Sat Apr 15, 2006 7:33 am

Ugh..I think I would want to work this one out on dry land rather than the above...N.O.M.

baldbaby2000 · Post by **baldbaby2000** » Sat Apr 15, 2006 8:03 am

Can you see anything from the top? Maybe you can probe in there with a flat piece of metal to see where it's jammed. If it is a line jammed beside the board you might be able to hook it and jerk on it to break it loose.

craiglaforce · Post by **craiglaforce** » Sat Apr 15, 2006 8:12 am

Boat hoist nearby? Just hook it up and pull up maybe?

James V · Post by **James V** » Sat Apr 15, 2006 8:25 am

3 inches down should not be a problem. Check the manual, from what I can recall, inorder not to have water comming from the top, you lower the board a little.

Getting the board up. During high tide, find a spot where the board just clears, Anchor and wait until the tide changes. The weight of the boat shoud push up the board.

Take a mesurement of how far it is down and inspect. Check your other board for differances. Also check inside for things growing.

Good luck.

Night Sailor · Post by **Night Sailor** » Sat Apr 15, 2006 10:01 am

Law of Mechanics: "When things don't move and should use WD-40; when things move and shouldn't use Duct Tape."

Did you try pouring cooking (vegetable) oil on all sides of the board, waiting a while, then winching or rocking it as much as you can to loosen it? Sure it'a a mess but it cleans up with soap and water. If the oil doesn't work, maybe lots of detergent like Joy or Dawn and water down the slot will do the job.

As suggested above, if lube doesn't work, use the weight of the boat to move the board up by letting the boat down on the bottom or the trailer support, thereby using that force to get the board up.

cuisto · Post by **cuisto** » Sat Apr 15, 2006 10:04 am

I really dont know the

but i feel your pain. hope it all works out for you!

Magdaddy · Post by **Magdaddy** » Sat Apr 15, 2006 10:12 am

It might be possible that while on the trailer the weight distribution causes flexing of the hull that distorts the trunk which allows the board to have the clearance to pass thru. Then when in the water with different weight distribution the trunk shape changes and you lose the clearances you previously had. This may be the reason for the large amount of clearance seen with the stock board. Maybe someone could make some measurements and see if this is the case. The clearances for a custom board may have to be checked with the boat in the water to allow for the changes. You might be able to distort the trunk with a ratchet strap if you can get one around it and free the new board.

Frank C · Post by **Frank C** » Sat Apr 15, 2006 1:53 pm

Magdaddy might have something there ... wonder if trunk shape changes slightly with hull afloat. Still, hardly seems it could change THAT much.

Are you saying that the lifting line is just slipping on the winch surface? I think it's pretty risky to try using the beach and tides to drop the boat "directly over" that board - too much chance of side leverage.

- You might try using an 8-foot 2x4 ... angled down to stbd, a line-loop to the board's lifting eye, and your shoulder & back lifting on port?

- Otherwise, you might locate a tripod (United Rentals?), rig it over the slot, with a chain hoist for the lift. I hope that lifting eye is substantial!

delevi · Post by **delevi** » Sat Apr 15, 2006 5:30 pm

Got it out. I used both winches, by tieing an extension line to the stop line. Went on board with a friend and we both winched the lines simultaneously. That got it unstuck. It's back on the trailer now. I was able to use the mast raising pole/winch to hoist the db out of the trunk about 2 feet which gave me access to the stop knots. The tails were a bit long, and possibly poked out of the holes and jammed. Unlikely, though since it seems to get stuck around the same spot, 27-28" from deck level. Perahps the trunk and/or board are not perfectly symetrical all the way up and down. Strange that it fits in the trunk alltogether without sticking, though. I cut the tails off my stop knots. I will give it one more try before making that painful call to Joel.

On a different note, I was able to hit 19.3 mph WOT with my E-tec 50, so the change in speed due to weight and the extra drag of the 1" portruding from the hull is minimal. The other issue, however, is that the steel plate over the DB trunk with the roller in the middle, which takes the full load of the 170 lbs has bent inward somewhat. Clearly it wasn't designed to take that much weight. I may need to figure out how to get a thicker one made. Any ideas?

Leon

baldbaby2000 · Post by **baldbaby2000** » Sat Apr 15, 2006 6:24 pm

The other issue, however, is that the steel plate over the DB trunk with the roller in the middle, which takes the full load of the 170 lbs has bent inward somewhat.

Delevi,

Glad you got it out. Perhaps it was the loose ends of the lines getting stuck. Do you have the stock plate over the DB? If so I think it needs to be beefed up. I would also worry about the cheek block on the deck if you're using the stock system. Maybe you could double up on that hinged plate by having another piece of stainless steel welded on it and adding a bigger pulley. I'm thinking of doing something like that even with my modest 55 lbs of lead.

DGA · Post by **DGA** » Sat Apr 15, 2006 8:50 pm

Might explain why the previous boards have been chewed up. Somethings not right in the trunk?

Frank C · Post by **Frank C** » Sun Apr 16, 2006 5:20 am

I think BWY actually replaced that plate with a box over the slot, able to support a larger block & line size. I browsed in the Oakland West Marine's Bargain Store for an hour today. You might find something in there that can be adapted. You'll see monster blocks for the big boats - maybe a deck lift block would bolt right in. (Sunday's from 10 to 5.) If I go back I'll keep your problem in mind.

They sell shopworn goods at 20% to 50% off retail prices. I found a 10-inch stainless cleat that was $40 in the catalog - for $7.96, go figger? ( Makes a nice paperweight! )

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Daggerboard Nightmare

Daggerboard Nightmare

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