[Rhodes22-list] My centerboard is working

[peter beckerman]

 That about sums it up.
Peter
    On Monday, September 9, 2024 at 10:39:55 AM EDT, Graham Stewart <gstewart.gm at gmail.com> wrote:  
 
 Peter:
Some boats are just ornery. Mine is like that but with leaks. One time rain leaks in and another day we get torrential rain and it is dry as a bone. 
Graham Stewart Agile 76

On Mon, Sep 9, 2024 at 9:04 AM peter beckerman via Rhodes22-list <rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org> wrote:

Hi All,     Some of you followed my adventures removing my centerboard cap this spring, so I thought I'd write a quick update.  To recap:  This is my second season with my '86 Rhodes.  When I purchased the boat I made a point of pressing the seller "is the centerboard working, will I have any problems with the centerboard?" "It's fine" he assured me.The boat was on a trailer and test sailing wasn't an option.  Naturally when I got it in the water, the centerboard failed to deploy properly.  I spent my 1st season sailing on just the stub keel and trying everything I could (including diving and tugging, to get the board down.  Having no success I reluctantly removed the centerboard cap this spring.I couldn't find any obstruction, but the pennant line was old and stiff and was very hard to pull through the blocks which seemed to be in good shape.  After doing a bit of research I discovered that the line was bigger than the blocks were designed for, so I elected to replace the line with a new and smaller line.  Several folks recommended against the smaller line.   After reassembling the cap, reusing the gasket, the board deployed but I had a small leak, which led to another disassembling, carefully cleaning all the parts and reassembling....still leaking.  For the third try I drilled through many of the screw holes and used bolts with fender washers and nylon locking nuts.  I would have replaced them all, but some of the screws were too close to the trunk to allow for bolts.  I also reluctantly followed Rogers advise to use aquarium silicone sealant.  This time the boat stayed dry (thanks Roger).  The only problem was the centerboard would again not deploy.  So I've been sailing this season on the stub keel and planning on getting the boat on a lift to try to get the board loose without having to resort to removing the centerboard cap.   A couple of weeks ago I took some friends to the annual "steak on the lake" cook-out where a bunch of us anchor out by a sandbar and eat and socialize.  When we were leaving I managed to run onto the sandbar (maybe we'd eaten so much that the boat was sitting a bit lower-- depth sounder is now on my wishlist).  Being good sports a couple of my guests hopped out and pushed us off the bar and we headed back to the marina.The other day I was working on the boat and on a whim I uncleated the centerboard pennant as I do every so often.  Low and behold the board dropped right down as if it had been working all along!  I  have never had thought of grounding as a repair method but I guess once is maintenance, twice is abuse.  Yesterday I went for my 1st sail with the board down and can report that the boat points MUCH better with the board down!  Thanks to all who offered suggestions and advise.
Peter