Skip I think the main problem was with the centerboard. I might have been ok if I had maintained the board. The problem is that it had swollen so much that it would have been impossible to drop it without the "C section". But the steel ballast was an accident waiting to happen. I would suggest that all of you skippers with steel center boards do maintenance on them. Captain Jim Sailing Vessel Pelican -----Original Message----- From: montgomery_boats-bounces+jimsadler=jascopacific.com@mailman.xmission.com [mailto:montgomery_boats-bounces+jimsadler=jascopacific.com@mailman.xmis sion.com]On Behalf Of wcampion@aol.com Sent: Sunday, June 03, 2007 6:20 PM To: montgomery_boats@mailman.xmission.com Subject: Re: M_Boats: M-15 keel repair Jim, This question begs to be asked. Was the problem with rusted punches in the trunk/keel or would a simple CB replacement have fixed the issue? Man, does this job look painful. At the end of this season, I will pull my CB and inspect for swelling. I appreciate all your photos and postings. This is really helpful. Fair Winds, Skip Campion Wild Guppy #201 -----Original Message----- From: jim sadler <jimsadler@jascopacific.com> To: For and about Montgomery Sailboats <montgomery_boats@mailman.xmission.com> Sent: Sun, 3 Jun 2007 6:12 pm Subject: M_Boats: M-15 keel repair I finally got the centerboard down. Go to the attached link and you will see why it was stuck Normal thickness is 1 in. Where the steel ballast was rusted it had swollen to 1 1/2 inches. Suggestion for those with steel filled CB. Be sure that you patch any cracks or dings. Save yourself a whole lot of grief. Here is the link http://picasaweb.google.com/jascopacific/M15KeelRepair Thanks for all of your suggestions Captain Jim Sailing vessel Pelican _______________________________________________ http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/montgomery_boats ________________________________________________________________________ AOL now offers free email to everyone. Find out more about what's free from AOL at AOL.com. _______________________________________________ http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/montgomery_boats