Brian, I had a similar situation with my "new' - old M-17. She too had been in a slip in our harbor for many years with the centerboard down. I ask the owner if the centerboard would go up and she tried to raise it, breaking the line. I too had to force the board up when it went onto the trailer. The board was very hard to free. but with a lot of work and patience it was removed. The trunk had not swelled, and the board was rusty but in good shape. If you want the grizzly details, write me so we don't bore the rest of the group with details. wmcsyl1@cox.net Bill Sylvester M-17 # 279 Endelig On May 17, 2005, at 11:08 AM, Brian Gilbert wrote:
Hi Folks:
OK, here's the story: I'm driving down to look at a Monty 17 this Thursday. 1979 model- The boat looks good from the photos, and sounds good from the description, except for one disturbing detail.
She sat in the water for three years, and when the current owner went to get the boat out of the water, the center board wouldn't retract. So he forced the centerboard into the slot by driving the boat onto the trailer.
I'm concerned that I'm facing a huge amount of work getting this keel unstuck, or in the worst case, the centerboard may have cracked or split the trunk. The current owner thinks this is a minor problem caused by weeds/slime/misc growth on the canterboard. He might be right, but if it's stuck for another reason... like corrosion... this'll be a huge and expensive repair. Were the 1979 keels cast iron? Does anyone have any thoughts about this?
Thanks very much BG
-- Brian Gilbert Marine Media Author, "Fix It And Sail" (423)876-9990 3404 Hartford Drive Chattanooga, TN 37415 www.sailingsmall.com
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