"Ease the old cast iron boards down.": This is definitely good advice. Could some of the timeworn cast-iron-centerboard 17-ers out there lend some advice as to how to lower the board slowly and gently? My experience is that the board tends to get away from you and drop with a spine-tingling jarring thud on the retaining pin: I'm sure the pin can't withstand the "thud" repeatedly. Thanks! ----- Original Message ----- From: "Roberta & Mark Dvorscak" <edarts@rosenet.net> To: <montgomery_boats@mailman.xmission.com> Sent: Wednesday, March 20, 2002 12:16 AM Subject: M_Boats: Centerboard trials and tribulations "Yes, it was cast iron. It made quite a thud when it fell to the full down position. When we had it out of the water, it took two guys to hold it up while I climbed into the cockpit and rewinched it. Also when it was lifted out of the water I could see that the board had not broken, but the retaining pin aft of the board had warped, allowing the centerboard to fall completely. So the rope broke, dropping the cast iron centerboard on the retaining pin, which gave way, and the centerboard fell to rest on only the pivot pin. Fortunately that pin held."
From the archives, last April 12, Jerry M. wrote that on an older Montgomery 17 with the cast iron centerboard (like mine), the board is designed to rest on that pin which has been knocked out. So obviously I need to replace the pin. Let's hope that I didn't foul up the pin hole when I removed the warped pin.
Please note that the probable reason for that stainless steel pin bending was allowing the board to drop unrestrained! Ease the old cast iron boards down. Mark M17 #400 GRACE _______________________________________________ http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/montgomery_boats