Removing Centreboard

[Martin]

Sorry if this a really stupid question, but how do you go about removing/replacing centre board from a double bottomed 12? (Mine is a Dingwall Numinous)

[andymck]

If there is no obious bolt, there is usually a slot in the cebtreboard.
You normally have to turn the boat on its side, with the board up, there should be a small plate that you remove. Then a small spacer, then it should be easily removed.

Andy

[Jeremy C]

Not sure that Andy was clear enough, Turn the boat on its side and open the slot gasket up towards the bow end, you should see some sort of screw on the board, undo, remove plate, then then swing board part down and pull out from the deck side of the hull. Hope this helps.

JC.

[Martin]

I asked the question at that time because I wanted to do some repairs to the tip of the board.  I still couldn't see any obvious way of getting the board out so I effected the repairs with the boat on its side.

This weekend when I launched the boat I discovered that the board was no longer pivoting in the case. The board was quite easy to remove and we discovered that the pivot bolt is permanently fixed into the centreboard case and that there is indeed a straight slot cut in the board just aft and parallel to the leading edge. Unfortunately the leading edge in front of the slot has come away and will need repairing. I suspect it may have broken before because there was a rather bent screw passing through the leading edge accross the slot into the main part of the board. This must have been put in with the board in situ from the underside of the boat.

The timber that has broken off is quite small so I don't think there is enough surface area to glue it back on successfully. We have an engineering workshop at work and also a carpenters shop so I will let them see the board later this week as they frequently come up with novel solutions for such problems.

In the meantime does anyone have any suggestions on the best way of going about a repair?