Carol, Have been following the course of your dilemma. I too have an old M-17 and may face your situation sometime in the future. Amongst my many tools is a Milwaukee Sawsall. I know a 12 inch blade is available for it and there may be longer ones available. The tool is a reciprocating movement which in this mode plunges or stabs the blade back and forth. I would try to safely use the tool to saw along the sides of the stuck cb. The blade, being thin will not remove much of either the cb or the fiberglass. It would take little freeway to allow the cb to slip down. Another thought, though this would require some chemistry knowhow, is to perhaps use a solution (mild acidic) to dissolve some of the deposits left by salt water, or cb antifouling paint, etc. that accumulated on the sides of your cb AS it was slowing being pinched by the expanding keel metal stampings. Those layers are sandwiched between the keel and your cb so treating them with chemicals may free your cb enough to lower it. Once the board is loose, of course, better corrective measures can be applied, hopefully, more cheaply than your $3500. I know of one M-17 that now sports a stainless steel plate cb which of course is much thinner that the original cast iron one so there is a lot more room in the cb slot for expansion. My two cents. Good luck, Tom B M-17, #258 On Wed, Jul 31, 2013 at 11:29 AM, Carol Barber <carollynbarber@gmail.com>wrote:

Dave,

It's my understanding that both marinas used some sort of chemical solution and just beat the heck out of it from the side of the keel to try to loosen it up. I spoke with a fella at Montgomery boats and he suggested prying a metal rod into the top until you can work through it. The only other suggestion was to go in through the hull...sounds like a $3500 fix! It has been like that for a good 15 years I would imagine. It sat in my sisters yard in Tx until I picked it up a couple years ago.

Any suggestions a good chemical solution to use? Someone else suggested liquid wrench.

We've been sailing in light winds and we're ok. Just not able to get into anything too exciting!

Carol B

Carol, My problem was not as severe as yours. My board worked fine for 10+ years before the problem developed and it failed to drop. I took it to Hooper's at the end of the season (2011, not last year as I said earlier). With the boat out of the water, they were able to get the board down without using power tools or chemicals. Good luck. Rich Makela -----Original Message----- From: montgomery_boats-bounces@mailman.xmission.com [mailto:montgomery_boats-bounces@mailman.xmission.com] On Behalf Of Carol Barber Sent: Wednesday, July 31, 2013 11:30 AM To: montgomery_boats@mailman.xmission.com Subject: M_Boats: M-17 Centerboard stuck Dave, It's my understanding that both marinas used some sort of chemical solution and just beat the heck out of it from the side of the keel to try to loosen it up. I spoke with a fella at Montgomery boats and he suggested prying a metal rod into the top until you can work through it. The only other suggestion was to go in through the hull...sounds like a $3500 fix! It has been like that for a good 15 years I would imagine. It sat in my sisters yard in Tx until I picked it up a couple years ago. Any suggestions a good chemical solution to use? Someone else suggested liquid wrench. We've been sailing in light winds and we're ok. Just not able to get into anything too exciting! Carol B