I believe your '84 M17 has the steel ballast (not lead) so you do have the potential for trunk swelling to occur. The swelling is caused by the steel coming in contact with moisture and rusting. In theory the steel is encapsulated in resin but in practice it seems that not all the steel shot is so protected. I think that the most likely spot for moisture to penetrate is at the bottom of your centerboard trunk (inspect the edges closely). If your boat ever had a rough grounding the resulting damage could allow water into the ballast. If you find any rough areas and your centerboard works fine now then dry the affected area thoroughly and seal it up with thickened epoxy. That's my $.02 on the subject. Mark Dvorscak M17 #400 GRACE -----Original Message----- From: montgomery_boats-bounces@mailman.xmission.com [mailto:montgomery_boats-bounces@mailman.xmission.com] On Behalf Of Honshells Sent: Sunday, June 01, 2003 6:30 PM To: montgomery_boats@mailman.xmission.com Subject: M_Boats: Swollen Trunk I live in mortal fear of a swollen centerboard trunk on my '84 17' . . . Where would moisture ingress to the lead ballast shot most likely occur, from outside the boat (I keep mine on her trailer) or the bilge? What/where should I inspect to give myself peace of mind? Is there any test for moisture besides visual? Obviously, a meter wouldn't work for a lead-ballasted area of the boat, right? _______________________________________________ http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/montgomery_boats