There's a large gap all around the inside opening of the centerboard trunk. I guess this is normal on these boats? Any suggestions on how to fill this? The "lazy" option I thought off was filling it with marine tex putty, but I'm worried that would crack over time. It doesn't look good, so I'll probably grind it smooth, fill it with thickened epoxy, and add a few layers of fiberglass cloth. I also damaged the inside of the housing by hammering the metal rod through (to try and get the centerboard down), so there is one gash near the inside bottom about 3" long and 1/2" wide. I think I will be able to reach up far enough to lay new cloth over the hole from the inside. I'm crossing my fingers I won't have to open up the keel itself and replace the steel punchings with lead. That job, from the photos I've seen, looks like my worst nightmare. Especially since I don't have any way to lift the boat and am squeezing under the trailer. To the best of my knowledge this boat is very dry, and hasn't been in the water for over 20 years (it has 1992 registration tags). I don't currently see any signs of the keel itself swelling. Tyler '81 M15 #157 "Defiant" ----- Original Message ----- From: "Thomas Buzzi" <thomaspbuzzi@gmail.com> To: "For and about Montgomery Sailboats" <montgomery_boats@mailman.xmission.com> Sent: Monday, June 16, 2014 2:55:59 PM Subject: Re: M_Boats: Got the centerboard down! Can't beat a force applied in just the right direction. Good on ya. What's the CB housing look like inside? Will it need some massive rebuilding to straighten it out? Thanks for the pics. I will file them away for the day I might need the idea. Good luck, Tom B.