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Transom M17
by E Blohm 24 Jun '22

24 Jun '22

Put the boat in water real quick to check CB operation. Up and down 2x no problem. I also let her sit for 30 minutes no leaks either. Cleaned out interior. PO had about 300# of gear stuffed in her. Flooded hull with water/bleach and black mold is gone. Nice and white inside now. First project Fix/reinforcement here! Anyone go down this road yet. Transom is solid with this area pulling away. Erik Sent from my iPhone

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Centerboard jams - update
by Jeff Orlando 24 Jun '22

24 Jun '22

With all the barrier coat and bottom paint removed, holding a straight edge vertically inside the trunk, the opening *at the bottom* is uniformly ~0.020" narrower per side (0.040"+ total) for both sides. The board jams at the very bottom of the slot when raising or lowering. Is that how the boat was built? Maybe to minimize flopping of the centerboard when lowered? This area of the trunk needs to be sanded away to make clearance for bottom paint. Never mind a barrier coat. Jeff

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Re: Centerboard jams - update
by sailhavasu 23 Jun '22

23 Jun '22

I’m just gonna throw in some food for thought. I don’t know if this is correct , just throwing it out there for thought The photo uploaded clearly shows the sides of the trunk not flush with the slot in the keel, but rather , both are pushed inwards towards the center of the slot. Considering that I’m guessing the thickness of the trunk wall ( visible) looks to be about 1/8” , you appear to have lost at least 1/4” plus of slot width. That’s a lot. Because the keel is filled with lead shot impregnated with resin , yes , probing into that seam is gonna hit something hard. However , consider , this is thousands and thousands of individual lead shot , that was “saturated” with resin from the top. Having cut multiples of these keels apart I can tell you the at the shot is not 100% saturated. As such , while you may not be able to probe in very far and it appears solid , a liquid can and will easily infiltrate that mass of shot where it’s not perfectly saturated just like water runs through coffee in coffee filter. Being that it is lead , rust should not be an issue that’s causing swelling. Theoretically the water “should” just run back out. I thought it very insightful though that someone brought up the possibility of water remaining in the keel possibly freezing and expanding. I can totally imagine a scenario where when the keel is full submerged , water will fill any voids, including going “up, around and over “ an area saturated with resin , but possibly not able to go “up and over” to get out ….. then just sitting there?? It’s definitely a plausible scenario. Freeze that water and it’s gonna expand. Not saying that is what happened but it’s definitely a theory. Regardless … SOMETHING has expanded both sides of the keel trunk inwards. And split that bottom seam. My personal take is that needs to be closed up to maintain the integrity of the cavity from further water intrusion. I will end with this. These things are frustrating. A lot of times we never can totally pin down “what” exactly caused the issue. It’s quite often even a question if “did the board swell or did the slot shrink?” I’m pretty sure in your case from your photos and description it appears the latter. Hang in there. These repairs suck and literally can dang near suck the life and enthusiasm out of whoever is having to deal with them. The most important point….. keep the faith! You’ll get there. There’s some really good minds on here and I’ve already seen some of them respond and they’ll help you get it figured out. Hang in there !!

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Fiberglass experts! ?
by E Blohm 23 Jun '22

23 Jun '22

I have this pattern near my port Stern about the size of my outstretched hand. Fiberglass under solid and sounds the same as the rest of hull. Just curious as to what it is. I plan on painting this anyway so cosmetically no concern. Sent from my iPhone

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Centerboard Jams
by Jeff Orlando 22 Jun '22

22 Jun '22

@JerryM My boat is #496. Were the centerboard trunks fabricated with the interior walls straight? Do you recall the correct width of the slot? On mine, the interior walls are flared in at the bottom opening such that there is close to zero clearance between the board and and the trunk leaving no room for bottom paint or barrier coating. Thanks Jeff Orlando

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M17 #258 in driveway!
by E Blohm 22 Jun '22

22 Jun '22

I’m still revved up after diving all night back from WI/Ill border back to Ohio towing her. I spent 2 hours at a drive in car wash bay immediately after I picked her up since I couldn’t bare seeing the M17 covered in 6 years of 4 seasons. The boat cleaned up pretty good. Positives Solid topsides. I sounded whole deck and walked every inch a couple of times it feels and sounds solid/dry. Solid hull with no blisters. Keel looks perfect with no bulge and is symmetrical. Inside floor/sides of walls was bone dry despite no cover over boat. Newer main and 135 Genny only sailed with in 2012 about 3x Negatives Companion way drop boards are pretty rough shape MAY be salvageable. Inside looks like a 80s time capsule tons of stuff within. It will take me a couple hours to clean and sort that out. Hull needs a full compounding, polish, wax since lots of oxidation-epoxy bottom barrier needs redone. Standing rigging will probably be good but all running needs replaced. Most of cockpit floor has very fine spider cracks but it is. I believe just superficial/cosmetic as well as a couple spots on topsides. Anyway I got it for about half of the $4000 asking price and wasn’t expecting a show room boat. I plan on floating her later this week to test the centerboard and for leaks. I plan to have her ready for next Spring launch. One observation! The M17 is massive and looks true to her reputation as being TOUGH built. I have a 98’ Precision 18 that I’ve been sailing the past month (which is a great boat by the way) but the P-18 will look dainty next to the M17! Sent from my iPhone

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M17 Centerboard Jams After Bottom Paint
by Jeff Orlando 21 Jun '22

21 Jun '22

My boat M17-496 (1992) has been in the yard for barrier coat and bottom paint. I'll be mooring it seasonally on Puget Sound. I applied 5 coats of Interlux 2000n followed by 2 coats of Micron CSC including the centerboard and inside the centerboard trunk. When the board was reinstalled, it jammed in the down position and was unable to be retracted more than an inch or so. I scraped all the paint and much of the barrier coat from the board and trunk to restore full motion of the board. There is still a slight bind about midway through the motion. It seems there is not enough clearance inside the trunk for the additional thickness of the coatings - probably ~0.050" . There was no visible defect to the board or the trunk before coating. Does anyone have input as to a solution? Should the centerboard trunk/board not get barrier/bottom paint? In order to paint, I'll need to remove some material to make clearance. Jeff Olympia WA

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Re: M23 Rudder Rod Assembly - Hard to raise rudder
by bownez＠juno.com 21 Jun '22

21 Jun '22

Hi Gerry, Yes, the rudder did stick as the season went on when I owned that fine boat. I also would loosen the bolts holding the rudder sleeves (gudgeons?) onto the rudder to get the best alignment possible. Next time the rudder is off the boat, I would try to straighten the bronze rod. Good luck sir... Mike Bowden aka Bones ex M17. M23

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Re: M23 Rudder Rod Assembly - Hard to raise rudder
by bownez＠juno.com 20 Jun '22

20 Jun '22

Hi Gerry, That rod is a tight fit. It would get a bit of corrosion on it from the river and make it even more difficult. Have you tried polishing the rod or perhaps straightening it in a vertical press? I believe it is bronze. A bit of silicon grease helps too. Good luck sir. Bones

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M17 Sail Measurements
by Jeff Orlando 19 Jun '22

19 Jun '22

Can anyone please give measurements for a furling sail that fits a Snapfurl CF-500 furler? I want to get a sail before installing the furler. Anyone have a used sail they want to sell? Thanks Jeff 17-496 Olympia WA

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