Centerboard Removal - 99X

zuma hans 1 · Post by **zuma hans 1** » Thu Jul 06, 2006 10:44 am

Sandbar + stiff wind + nephews sailing = busted centerboard + morose me.

Where do I even start? Board is delaminating and the eye chewed up ... not salvageable. I've searched this board and not found anyone who has described replacing a centerboard.

playmaker · Post by **playmaker** » Thu Jul 06, 2006 11:49 am

Hey Zuma: sorry for the bad news. Good news is that Blue water Yachts has center boards I just spoke with them last week. Other thing I took mine out to bottom paint and it was quite easy. I have an 2001 x. Just one bolt holding her in there. Hardest part for me was pulling out the board while on the trailer. The trailer was jacked up so I could get the board out. There is a diagram in owners manual off how thw center board lays in there. I believe theres a link to the manual on this site. Good luck.

Sloop John B · Post by **Sloop John B** » Thu Jul 06, 2006 9:00 pm

Hey Zulma: sorry for the bad news. Good new is that Blue water Yachts has centerboards. I haven't spoken to them but I hear they are in stock. It's a little tricky crawling upside down through your cooler chute but take a 7/16 open end wrench, a hammer, and a flashlight along. Bring a 1/2 and a 9/16s in your back pocket just in case.

Bring the nut up to the top with counter clockwise swings. Smack the thing with a hammer. If she goes down, continue the swings.

Have your mate on her back under the boat to catch it. Tell her best you can what to expect. No need to jack the sucker up.

Get a small tube of 3M 5200 and reverse the process with your new board.

If you are a mad scientist, you can find past posts and mods on how to build a centerboard practically from scratch.

zuma hans 1 · Post by **zuma hans 1** » Sat Jul 08, 2006 12:05 am

Crawling upside down thru my cooler chute?

Paging Dr. Freud.

Can't wait to try that one out on the missus.

Don T · Post by **Don T** » Sat Jul 08, 2006 12:59 am

Hello:
After loosening the nut to the top of the threads take 2X4's and hold them in there so you can leverage against the underside of the locker. If you get them in there right, one push down and the whole shebang comes out. I never recommend hitting threaded devices with a hammer. Too much chance of messing it up. Put a blanket on the ground for the centerboard to land on.

Good luck

Don

Chip Hindes · Post by **Chip Hindes** » Mon Jul 10, 2006 1:49 pm

Good suggestion from Don T; however, if that doesn't work I've whacked mine out with a hammer three times and not dinged the threads past redemption yet.

Make sure you leave the centerboard pendant slightly loose when whacking; once the nut is off you can lower it with the pendent, but the aft end will fall once it clears the bunk. BTDT. Rather than letting it fall to the ground, time 2 and 3 I used a floor jack with a piece of 2x6 approximately centered and lowered it gently. The floor jack is good for putting it back in as well; I've done it without help the same three times I whacked it out. You have to put it back in aft end first to get it above the trailer bunk; hardest part is then getting the yoke stud to hit the original hole as you raise it into place. I used a flashlight from below and guided it in with my fingers. If you have help you can probably get your help them to lift it with the pendant as you guide the stud in from below.

zuma hans 1 · Post by **zuma hans 1** » Tue Jul 11, 2006 12:27 pm

Thanks to all.

I will advise on progress.

Right now the centerboard is lying beneath the boat, pinned between her and the trailer. It's sideways, parallel, flat. I don;t think I will have nay problem removing it - the only thing attaching it to the boat is the rope, which I will cut and replace.

I guess task 1 is to go inside and loosen "the whole shebang."

There is no way my custom trailer, which has crossbeams in the way, will let me under the boat to feed up the new CB. It looks like the boatyard for me, as there is no way I would want to be in the boat on the hoist at the marina to receive and tighten the new CB in place.

waternwaves · Post by **waternwaves** » Tue Jul 11, 2006 8:46 pm

zuma,

jack it off the trailer like the rest of us do when we bottom paint,..... a lot of 2x6 cribbing seems to work pretty easy

Max · Post by **Max** » Wed Jul 12, 2006 2:27 am

Zuma,
Good practice IMHO to check the hanger and pin every year.
I take my center board off every year to check the hanger and swing pin.
Easy on the stock Mac trailer.
Have to replace the hanger every year due to electrolytic corrosion.
Haven't found the source of the current yet. Moored in an estuary harbour.
Dries out.
Good luck
Max

LOUIS B HOLUB · Post by **LOUIS B HOLUB** » Wed Jul 12, 2006 6:50 am

Chip...I noticed that your post mentions the removal of the centerboard three (3) times. Is there something to be aware of that I possibly should remove mine to take a "first hand" look at. Sometimes, my CB seems to "stick" when going down, and rare occasions...difficult to pull back up. Question: Is there something that I should look at for wear, etc.

I've bumped a few crab traps in our bay, but no damage noticed to the CB.

Max · Post by **Max** » Wed Jul 12, 2006 7:45 am

Louis,
As an aside - had probs with my centre board last year.
Completely jammed in 'up' position by a long weedy growth - almost like long grass.
Found I hadn't reached into keel slot with anti-foul.
Could only free it by trailering it out and dropping entire board. Couldn't believe how much 'grass stuff' there was up there!
Max

Chip Hindes · Post by **Chip Hindes** » Wed Jul 12, 2006 2:02 pm

Louis: Twice I had to drop the board because I had left it down when putting the boat on the trailer in deep water, then neglected to pull it up before pulling the trailer out of the water.

Once it drops below the bunk, it is impossible to float it back off the trailer. BTDT, twice. Don't ask why this is so; it seems if you floated it on this way you should be able to float it off. Not so, and I can't figure it out.

The other time, I dropped it to check the pendant. Pendant was OK, but the board had a horozontal hole right through the center, from something which had punched through it sideways. Haven't figured that out yet either. Maybe an attack by a disgruntled swordfish?

zuma hans 1 · Post by **zuma hans 1** » Wed Jul 12, 2006 3:42 pm

waternwaves wrote:zuma,

jack it off the trailer like the rest of us do when we bottom paint,..... a lot of 2x6 cribbing seems to work pretty easy

That sounds like a serious amount of wood, and I don't have access to that much laying around the mansion. (Keep your Austin Powers jokes to yourselves, thank you.)

The idea of crawling under there with jacks and cribs does not thrill me. I'll see if I can't bribe the hoist operators at the boatyard to let me do it on the straps... how long can it take?

Bill @ Costa Mesa says the new board is $218. They may or may not have to make one up, though. Sailing season on hold.

Captain Steve · Post by **Captain Steve** » Wed Jul 12, 2006 5:02 pm

Zuma, I have had mine off 3 times. Cell is 805 573 4429 if you need something. Space 44 at the same place

Dimitri-2000X-Tampa · Post by **Dimitri-2000X-Tampa** » Wed Jul 12, 2006 8:45 pm

Zuma, you should be able to drop the board without jacking up the boat off the trailer, however, it is nicer to have that extra room if it is jacked up another 6 inches. It does not take that much wood to jack the boat onto a tripod which is very stable. I did mine last year with a couple pieces of 4X4 (maybe 6-7 feet long between the two of them), a 1 foot long piece of 6X6 (used under the bow) and a few scrap pieces of 2X8 to spread the load. The only thing I had to cut was the 2 4X4's, everything else was just junk laying around.

MacGregorSailors.com

MacGregorSailors.com

Centerboard Removal - 99X

Centerboard Removal - 99X