Has anyone modified a centerboard by adding weight?
Maybe a dumb question and Maybe the physics won’t work, but the idea crossed my mind. In recent years I’ve been most soloing my 14.2 and I think a little extra stability would be reassuring as I don’t think I could flip it back over alone. Last time it turtled I had a boat of a few guys help and was very grateful.
Within this forum there are several threads addressing this issue and commenting on what people considered doing, etc. My Catalina 14.2 is a 2016 model but with a fixed keel but I remember reading and re-reading the threads while deliberating on ordering a new boat and whether or not to order the fixed keel version. After sailing a full keel Cape Dory Typhoon and a shoal keel/centerboard Tanzer 22 I wanted the stability of a keel and was planning to keep the boat in the water and at my dock all season, which I do, launching in the spring and retrieving in the fall.
Previously, my Tanzer 16 was a centerboard boat with a fairly heavy c/b and the center board well was reinforced by attachment to both the port and stern seating areas, to minimize flex of the well. I also sailed a Newport Surprise (basically the same dimensions of the 14.2) for several years (way back) and it had a galvanized steel centerboard which was very heavy and caused flex in the well. I added supports between the seating area and the well, just a treated 1 x 4 (stained and sealed) which lay flat and across a portion of the well, away from the board, and also provided a nice surface to prop feet on and stand on when rigging, etc. The support stabilized the well and actually seemed to improve the action of the c/b. I never experienced any gel coat cracking or cockpit floor leaking with the support arrangements in place. Finally, I think that to add any weight in the centerboard configuration would mandate the additional support or there will be some kind of deformation/delamination eventually. Good luck and continue to enjoy your 14.2; mine is the best sailing and performing dinghy I have ever owned and I plan to keep sailing it as long as I am able; been sailing for over 50 years and am in my 73rd year, still enjoying single handed sailing especially on this small dinghy!
Thanks for the feedback! I felt bad, right after I posted I finally found good results to my search.
I’ve had the boat for 4 years, sailed it 10 times. (Not enough!) after reading, I think I need to get more comfortable in the boat. Also, my center board doesn’t stay down so I think that attributes to the stability. I have a new shock cord I will install before my next sail.