Looking to clean up my centerboard a bit and have a couple questions.
First, there is a hole in my centerboard which I think the previous owner stuck a dowel through to keep the board from moving while trailering. Will this hole affect performance in any way? If not I think I might actually leave it and use it for the same purpose. If it is a problem, how should I patch it? Marine Tex?
Second, is the centerboard covered in gelcoat or just paint? I was thinking of sanding it down, priming it and painting it with a good quality spray paint. Not necessarily marine paint. Will it hold up?
Finally, you can see there has already been a repair at the top. Does anyone know if there is any structure under this? If not, it looks to me like this could easily snap off.
Any suggestions on how to go about with repairs is appreciated.
That hole is going to allow moisture to get under the skin of your centerboard which will cause problems down the road , namely bubbling of the Gelcoat , I had that problem on a previously owned C14.2 which had un-repaired holes in the rudder.
Plug the hole with foam leaving space to patch with marine-tex or any other epoxy you are comfortable working with . Sand, Fair , Paint , Go Sail !
If you are trailer sailing her, a good spray paint will be Ok .
The repaired hole for the CB turnaround block looks Ok, I dont see any cracks or signs of splitting . If it lets go you can re-attach to the bungees pad eye to pull up your Centerboard in an emergency .
Not knowing whats under the repair, I would add some reinforcement , epoxy a few layers of fiberglass around the perimeter anchoring on the "good" part of the CB.
The previous owner may have had that break on him while it was being trailered, I know I need to add a "rest" on my trailer for my CB.
The repaired hole for the CB turnaround block looks Ok, I dont see any cracks or signs of splitting . If it lets go you can re-attach to the bungees pad eye to pull up your Centerboard in an emergency .
That looks really nice. I took the quick and dirty route so that I can get out on the water. I sanded down the dinged areas, cleaned with acetone. Repaired the hole and nicks with Marine Tex and then painted with Rustoleum Universal surface. I'll let everyone know how it holds up. I'm guessing the paint will come off. I plan on doing a more thorough repair after summer is over.
On a related note...I put the centerboard back on and, it seems to take alot of force to pull the board up. I'm wondering if there is something wrong with my setup and if that is what broke the hole the turnaround block pin goes into. It looks like it is rigged as it would be from the factory. Does it normally take quite a bit of force to pull the board up?
RC14- What size is the clevis pin connected to your centerboard? 3/16" x 1.125". Found that mine is bent which might be causing some binding. Want to make sure I replace it with the right pin (which may or may not be the one that is in there)