Centerboard rusted and stuck

[Andrew]

Thanks for the timely advice, won't try a lift. Will do the block-boat-up + pull-trailer-out method. Took Teria up to the boat shed yesterday..

[Dr. Peter]

Was just wondering how your friends lifting gear was arranged?

Four block and tackles two at front, port and starboard, and same at stern. A line tied both starboard block and tackles together to stop slip and the same arrangement was used on port side.

Once up, a frame was put into place to take some of the weight.

Carport describes the kind of structure but we are talking industrial not domestic.

Hope this helps - unfortunately I have no photos.

[camanche73]

Depending how much room you have, you could try to use something like packing tape ( the blue stuff you use to use to get into locked cars) and try sliding it up over the aft end of the centerboard. Take the keel bolt out, spray heaps of WD40 inside and pull down on the packing tape.
If you can slide it over the centerboard at least on one point, you should be able to get enough force to pull the board downwards.
Or maybe tack weld an eye onto the leading edge of the centerboard to feed some cable through to pull down on. Then clean it up afterwards.

[Andrew]

Hi All, I've got the centerboard out. Here are some photos as it progressed.

I put Teria in a strong shed, removed stays and mast. Tied strong ropes from the chainplates and aft cleats to the shed posts to prevent the hull falling sideways or moving forward.

Rope supports in strong shed

Used Roberts method, Lowered front of trailer to ground and stood a 44 gal drum with old tyre and tarp under transom. Jacked the front of trailer back up.

Used a come-along winch between trailer and ute to slowly extract trailer forwards.

[Andrew]

I had several Jacks, the 1.8t trolley jack had to be blocked so the rollers wouldn't move. Supporting and lifting the keel as it came off the trailer, it was fast, has a high lift range, but bulky. various sized bits of hardwood were handy, this is a cut down railway sleeper. The car stands on an old Queenslander house stair tread.

The smaller 1.8t ute jack takes up little space but is slower.

The front of the keel was jacked up and blocked on the 2nd car stand, placed just forward of the centerboard case. The car stands are rated to 3000kg each.

[Andrew]

Levering the centerboard down.

The vicegrips and large screwdriver on the aft end of plate moved it easily!!

Next was 4" C-clamp can be moved as the plate moves..

Then a full sized crowbar was bought in. The car stands had the unexpected benefit of good leverage points at different levels.

[Andrew]

Subject of ground clearance.

Ground clearance on this attempt was 48cm from keel base to ground. However, the board swings down to an estimated 70 cm below keel..so i had to dig a hole in the ground to gain more plate swing room. Ideally the boat would need to be jacked up 75cm off the ground especially so if on a concrete floor. This becomes potentially less stable and would need much wider block ups or stands.

I forgot earlier, but i added side legs on the gunwales as soon as the keel was raised level. and before i got under it too much. I tapered the ends of hardwood battens to fit into the gunwale slot, to rest on the fibreglass gunwale flange. the wooden rubrail looked too thin to take any heavy upward load (thats why Terias gunwale is already busted in a few spots)

As a fail safe for falling off the car stands, i left the 44 gal drum and trailer in place to arrest the hull/keel in the unlikely event of a keel stand topple..

[Andrew]

Pivot bolt removal.

This went well. I chiseled the fiberglass off the bolt ends to expose it. It came out without using a gentle persuader.

I can confirm, as soon as the pivot bolt nut tension was released the center-board gained allot more swing movement.

The plastic washer broke on one side but was intact on the other, (don't chizel too far in to save washer)

[Andrew]

The board comes out!

Kept swinging the boards aft end up and down, plus used the 2kg steel mallet on the forward end of plate, this gradually worked the rusted pivoting end of the plate downwards. The yellow side packers came out with it.

The best rust remover tool was this flexible, hardened, very thin bit of steel. It could flex into the slot and could be hammered with out damage. I found it in with the paint stirrers. But after i power wire brushed it, turned out to be an No11, 1 foot steel ruler made by J.Rabone & sons, Birmighham, England..oops it may be an antique collectors item! Graces guide shows that name occurred between 1877 and 1962.. ref. http://www.gracesguide.co.uk/John_Rabone_and_Sons. It doesn't seem to be damaged at all,

What a good sight!