Center Board & Bungy Cord

rvplant

New Member
My wife and I just bought a 1988 14.2 Capri last weekend. We were out for the third time sailing today.

First we noticed there is a crack at the top of the centerboard where the clamp is affixed to pull it up. I removed the center board and it's cracked just at the very tip through the hole where the pin goes through to pull it up. I am guessing this is a common stress point for the center board. The rest of the board looks fine. What should I do for repair? Should I try to glue it or is there some kit to reinforce it with metal brackets?

We also noticed the centerboard kept popping up and discovered the bungy cord was shot. What do you recommend? How long should the bungy cord be when we replace it? I have no manual for this boat. But I do love it.

Great Sailing in Minneapolis today.

Regards,

Robert
 
Centerboard crack

I haven't seen this problem before, and it's hard to diagnose it without seeing it. If it's a relatively new board, Catalina will probably sell you a replacement wholesale. (A huge savings, about one-third the cost.) Or you can try to fill the crack with epoxy glue.

As for the bungee cord, the standard size is 4 feet long, 3/8 inch in diameter. It means you have to pull hard to hook it up, but the board really stays down!
 
Center Board Picture of Crack

This is a very small crack but in the wrong place. Any ideas how to repair? Glue or some kind of metal bracket?

Looking for advice.

Thanks
 

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That looks like a replacement job to me. Giving my 18 years of carpentry work, I don't know of anything that would hold that together, except for some 5200 and a few screws. The problem is the stress that is on that area when pulling it back to the "up" position. Good Luck!! Also on the bungee cord...... there is(or should be) a small eyelet on the transom(inside boat) to hook the bungee onto when in use. Remember to unhook when not in use or the bungee cord craps out fast!!
 
Well the replacement would be easiest. There looks like there might some play where the pin goes through. You might be able to grind some of the outer fiberglass off and rebond the broken section back to the rest of the board with some west system epoxy thickened with 403. And then fiberglass the ground off skin back up to the level of the rest of the board. I would also put some epoxy in that hole, and redrill it with a drill press to get that "slop" out of the board from the worn out pin hole. Every once in a while you'll find a Capri for parts. I know they had one for $300 bucks up in Dallas not too long ago. If you don't race, a used centerboard would be the ideal solution.
 
You could take a piece of thin stainless steel sheet metal, bend it to fit around the broken end of the center board, then drill and tap some holes into the edge of the center board, and epoxy it all in place. The sheet metal would help hold it all together. Or get a new center board.:)

Roger
 

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