Centerboard Stops Worn Away. Serious Problem?

M

MajorH

Member
About three weeks ago I rescued a 1987 Capri 14.2 from a brush thicket in West Texas. It cleaned up nicely, had no internal rot, and with the help of a sailboat shop in South Texas has now been refitted with new parts and lines. Now I am back in West Texas with no local sailboat shop or parts and I was about to put the boat in the water for the first time this morning when I noticed that the plastic/rubbery stops at the top of the centerboard are worn flush. Can I go ahead and sail this weekend, as is, or should I blow off today with jury rigging some sort of stop out of the inventory of a small town hardware store?

The centerboard is otherwise sound with good mounts and swivel pin. I have good lines on the centerboard and a brand new bungee.
 
centerboard stop

I replaced mine with a short piece of wood dowel to get thru a simular situation,
I sealed it, it lasted, and I still have most of the dowel left. nessesity is the
mother. Chuck
 
I jury rigged mine too... Used threaded pipe at the same diameter... wrapped the ends with rigging tape... held up nicely... But what I do know (since I didn't know that piece ever existed until these forums), is the boat will still sail without it... the centerboard just goes down, slightly forward.

This move Center of Resistance forward, so you have to tune for it. Not recommended since you have 2 alternatives now to put it where it needs to be.

Have a fun SAIL!
 
Thanks for the responses. Ended up being too windy all weekend (16 to 20 MPH plus gusting) for my current skill level with the Capri so it stayed on the trailer. I did get out several times on a Hobie Mirage/Island Adventure sailboat so the weekend was not a total loss. The Hobie has a furling sail so if the wind gets up you just reduce sail until comfortable.

The wife was disappointed though as the whole point in getting and refurbishing the Capri was so that we could go out on the lake together instead of taking turns on the Hobie. :)
 
Going out with Wife and WIND

Your situation sounds a bit like mine; take a look at my post and pics about how I adapted my mainsail with a reefing point, taking in a good three feet of sail so that on a windy day, with just the mainsail, you can go out and not worry much about capsizing. I just finished rigging up my sail this way this last week, and have been sailing the boat, with strong winds, just fine! It's really worth it for the wife, too, who feels better about taking it out on her own. Cheers, Daniel (in Argentina)
 
old centerboard stop removal

hey charly6 how did u get the old stop out? dug it, drilled it, knocked it out with a dowel? i'm gonna try a piece of sealed dowel to fix mine. any suggestions about removing the plastic stuff out of the hole?? thanks........................how far is it supposed to stick out on each side???????
 
I'd like to see pictures too.. AS I purchased what catalinadirect calls centerboard "bushings," and I got 2 oversized (by diameter) grooved nuts... They don't appear to go to anything.

I am still using my threaded pipe, and rigging tape, as it works great, and has put the centerboard at the right angle again.

The only pictures I have seen of these stops (and I hope we are all talking about the same ones - the one at the very top, where the bungee connects, keeping the centerboard from going further aft than the metal plate in the decking?) show what look like black rubber stops.
 
centerboard stops

i saw another 14.2 at my slip that has the stops. they look like black rubber stops. they are bigger in diameter than the hole in the centerboard. i think they're connected by some kind of bolt going thru the centerboard stop hole. couldn't see it good. it was all corroded. anybody have a stock centerboard stop still in place that can tell us how it's put together? it seems the bigger the stop (in diameter) the straighter the centerboard will be.
 
Excellent Material for Custom Boatwork

I keep reading stories about guys altering/ repairing boats using such things as steel pipe and wood.
I have restored/ owned, and maintained several boats, and the ultimate material to use is Nylon.
The stuff is easily tooled, provides superior weatherability, (indestructable and non absorbant), it's non-corrosive, UV resistant, and can be purchased anywhere.
Go buy yourself a couple of kitchen cuttingboards in whatever thickness you wish to use, grocery stores even carry them, but if you go to a commercial restaurant supply place you can get them in a variety of thicknesses and colors.
I use it for all my backing plates, (behind cleats, pulleys, motor brackets, etc), the stuff is killer, and I see no reason why one could not fashion a couple of centerboard stops from the stuff.
Just hack a few inches off of the wife'e kitchen cutting board to get ya started.
 
Dowels

The screw in the chrome loop at the top of the board,( when it is up) , goes into the dowel

to hold it in place. take out the screw and the dowel will come out easy. just tap it on the

end. lowes has the nylon dowels in the misc hardware bins.

Chuck
 
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