Don, thanks so much for taking the time to respond in this thorough way. I've tried the steel rod technique, but may need to apply a bit more force, as per Bill's suggestion. Your notion of doing a bit of strategic, careful hacksawing makes sense as well. Thank you! —Steve On Aug 24, 2008, at 10:05 AM, Don Haas wrote:
Hi Steve; One method I used was to grind one end of a hack saw blade to fit a reciprocating saw, then sawed between the keel and CB. This worked to open up enough space to get the board to come down. I also smoothed the teeth on the keel side to only remove material from the CB. I was planning to replace the CB so I didn't think I would do major damage. A couple of years ago when the CB was stuck and I took it to a boat shop, they ground quite a bit off the side of the CB to get it to work so I think there must be a fair amount of glass over the steel-shot.
Another thought. Does your boat have a hole drilled through the two wood plates on the deck. This lets you push a dowel against the CB. This trick worked for me for several years.
PS Should you want another steel-shot CB to work on, I have one. Its in good shape, no splits no cracks. Its just a little fat is all.
Don M15-248
----- Original Message ----- From: "steve pearse" <sspearse@whidbey.com> To: "For and about Montgomery Sailboats" <montgomery_boats@mailman.xmission.com> Sent: Saturday, August 23, 2008 9:31 PM Subject: M_Boats: 'stuck' M-15 centerboard.
Greetings! For the first time, I was unable to coax my centerboard down during a recent gentle sail. I hate the thought of having to have the boat attended to at a 'full-price' marina, so I'm hoping that some Monty sailors will have discovered ways to coax the CB down/ up without having to resort to major surgery. The boat is still relatively new to me, so I learn something new every time out. Thanks in advance for any advice you can offer.
Steve on Whidbey 1981 M-15 #163
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Steve Pearse sspearse@whidbey.com