At 8:59 PM +0000 4/5/02, stevemc35@attbi.com wrote:

Well, I finally got the thing off the trailer and up on stands and one of my WORST FEARS HAS BEEN REALIZED.

The centerboard will not drop down -- it seems to be frozen up in the centerboard trunk. I have tried banging on it with a rubber mallet a little bit, I tried some selected curses that sometimes work, but no luck whatsoever.

Just wondering if anyone else has had this problem and if there are any great tips for getting the thing out.

I'm afraid to try prying too much for fear of cracking the fiberglass around the slot.

I'm considering cutting a hole in the top of the centerboard trunk, that I can push a rod down through.

Any suggestions or commiserations welcome.

If I were in your shoes, I would get some carpet (or other non- marring material and a rubber hammer... the crud that is in there holding it up is dry, and by gently tapping on the keel and centerboard trunk around the centerboard you can set up some vibration and get some crud to fall out of there. I'd put some newspaper underneath to keep track of whether this was doing any good... it might take a long time. Then I'd empty a couple of cans of WD-40 down the pennant hole and from whatever you can reach underneath, let it sit a day or so, and resume the tapping. And remember that fiberglass is a lot stronger than it looks... if you were to pry gently from the end of the slot (where the board tip drops), not the sides, I don't see how any damage could be done. And that is exactly where the leverage needs to be applied. I've never seen this part of my boat from a fish eye view, but I'll bet there's enough room to insert a medium screwdriver and nudge the end of it downward a little. I would repeat this cycle of steps until it dropped. As a last resort, I would dump a whole bottle of "The Works" toilet bowl cleaner (hydrochloric acid) down the pennant hole, say goodbye to the rope, wait till it stopped smoking, and pound some more. The acid is safe; I clean my hull with it. Sooner or later it will drop; perseverance will prevail. I don't think I would cut any holes in anything till I'd spent about a week doing the above (as time to soak is as important as effort), and even then, I'd think twice. Tapping dry will break and crumble the crap; so I'd try that for awhile. After you apply any liquid, you start re- hydrating and lubricating what ever is in there. And the (relatively) weak acid will eat everything that's not metal or fiberglass. These are all effective strategies. Good Luck... -- Cal Spooner M15 #402 spoon@visi.com cspooner@mn.rr.com 763.574.1482

Steve: Been there, done that. I have M15 # 185, also a 1981 model, which I purchased on consignment from a dealer near Minneapolis. On her maiden voyage, we pushed off from the dock, sheeted in the main and loosened the centerboard pennant. The pennant didn't move, and I now laugh to think that I actually dove under the boat trying to unwedge the board for 45 minutes ( I came up for air several times). Turns out that centerboards made for M15's of our vintage were made with iron shot molded into them. Eventually moisture invades and causes the shot to corrode and swell, thus wedging the board in the slot. The newer boards are made with lead shot to avoid this problem. The new boards will not fit our older boats well. I ordered a new one from Bob Eeg and found that it was too thick (wide?) to fit into the slot. I was told that iron shot may also have been cast into the keel around the slot as well, and thought that the tight fit may have been due to the centerboard trunk swelling as well. Another M15 owner, Doug Kelch had lost his board when his pin came out, so I shipped it to him. The board was also too tight for his boat, and I believe he ended up grinding off a little of the gelcoat to make it fit. I had a friend with a machine shop make me a new board out of 3/4 inch plate steel which I primed and painted. It fits into the slot with no problem. I hesitate to tell you how I got the old board out, as I am afraid it may sound like "the Three Stooges do boat repair" to the more skilled members of the group! I first tried sliding a piece of re-bar down the pennant hole until it rested on the top of the centerboard, and then pounding on the bar with a mallet. Nothing. The bottom of the board was out about an inch and a half, so I drilled a hole through it and inserted a clevis pin. Then I put a steel bar through the pin and wedged each end of the bar under the frame of the trailer. Then we lifted the boat with some straps and two tractors, hoping that the weight of the trailer would pull the board down. I wish I had pictures of my boat hanging in the air with the trailer still attached. Next we had three of the farmer's burley borscht -fattened sons add their weight to the trailer (another 600 lbs, at least). After scratching my balding head and enjoying a malt beverage, the trailer was till hanging in the air. I ended up putting a plank against the hull next to the keel, and putting a car jack between the plank and the trailer, and jacking the board out of the slot. The board did not give up easily. After some godawful sphincter-puckering sounds, lots of sweat and probably the same curses you have tried, the mangled board, having given its all, finally popped out of the slot, amen. Hint: don't lay under the trailer if you do this. Hopefully, other members of the group will have a simpler solution, but if all else fails, this might work for you. Good luck! Dale Williams Staples, MN M15 #185 "Sophie Mae"