Tom, I think your right on tract; if you can determine if the center board is stuck because either: - the center board is damaged and wedged up in the cb trunk - water has entered the keel area causing the steel punching to rust, swelling the cb trunk and pinching the cb. With everything correct there should be about .25" of clearance on either side of the cb, between it and the trunk. This was the case on both our 1988 M15, and 88 M17. I am guessing yours to be the same. Jerry Montgomery suggested clamping vise grips on to the aft end of the cb and leveraging against the rear of the keel/cb trunk, using care to protect all surfaces. This worked for us. I would discourage anyone from trying to drive down the cb from the top. The area where the pendent attaches to the top of the cb is vulnerable. If the cb itself is damaged it is only moderately difficult to replace. Our M17 (same fiberglass cb as M15) had a damaged cb that was seriously stuck as you described. It was difficult to remove, and required a lot of leverage and finagling. But once free the new cb (purchased from Bob Eeg) was straight forward to install. Our M17 cb was damaged from riding too low on the trailer, every bump would pound the cb up into the cb housing. If you determine that only the cb is damaged and not the cb trunk and your having trouble removing the cb. You could use a long drill bit and drill up into the cb from the bottom and remove some of its core, making it easier to remove. I think the 15 sails best with the center board down, lowering the center of gravity a bit, but probably more importantly giving you better pointing ability. Randy G. M17 #410 ________________________________ From: montgomery_boats-bounces+randyg=cite.nic.edu@mailman.xmission.com on behalf of thauser@att.net Sent: Fri 5/26/2006 7:11 AM To: montgomery_boats@mailman.xmission.com Subject: M_Boats: Keelhauling Keelhauling was used to get a sailor's attention by pulling him under a sailing ship while underway. Barnicals did wonders for the body - Lots of politicians would benefit from it. Probably a forerunner of cosmetic surgery. I tried a version of keelhauling without success. My M-15, #175, circa 1985, won't drop her keel. Had her on jack stands and used a floor jack in an attempt to unwedge the keel. Ran a steel cable up and over the top of the keel and used the floor jack against the trailer, but it only came down about two inches. Considering the amount of pressure exerted by the floor jack, the keel does not want to drop. Looking at the photos on the Lake Havasu web site, it appears the ballast probably corroded. I don't have the capabilities to repair the boat as depicted in the photos (cutting out ballast, etc). Will the M-15 sail OK without the drop keel? If I add some extra weight inside the hull would that compensate for not having the benefit of the full keel? Any other ideas on how to get the keel out? Thanks, all. Have a safe Memorial Day weekend with good sailing. Suppose to snow here in Park City this weekend. Tom (Kestrel # 145) _______________________________________________ http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/montgomery_boats