[Rhodes22-list] Centerboard won't drop

[Tom Hyatt]

I put my 1978 Rhodes Continental in the water today after working on her
for much of the fall and winter. Everything went really well except for one
thing. Once in the water, when I uncleated the line that holds the
centerboard up, I expected that the board would drop into place through the
keel. It didn't.

So I am seeking help in how to troubleshoot this.

Since the flexible pipe and fitting that extend down through the hull that
the line feeds through are above the waterline (yes?), couldn't I just take
off the clamp that secures the flexible tube and then push something (like
an aluminum rod) down alongside the line to try to push and dislodge the
centerboard?

I hadn't thought that this would be a problem but I didn't have a chance to
test it with my boat on the trailer. The centerboard was pulled up into
the keel and sat on one of the rollers on the trailer so there was no way
to test whether it would drop as it should once in the water.

Any help that you can give would be most appreciated.

Tom Hyatt
S/V Eliza Jane 1978
Baltimore