Centerboard lock-in-place mechanism

[JimD]

Anyone ever come across or have any ideas for a method of locking a centerboard in the lowered position? This would be for a heavy steel board. The idea would to prevent it from slamming back into it's trunk in the event of capsize. There would have to be the option to use or not use it. For obvious reasons it would not be activated for shoal sailing or calm conditions.

[JimJ]

Jim

Is it a C/B that swings down or a dagger type? On the Hartley various owners have various methods of holding our swing C/Bs down. In the photo below you can see where the tongue of the C/B is in a vertical and aft position. Some owners drill a through hole in the C/B case in front of the C/B tongue and fit a small diameter pin through the C/B case to prevent the C/B from falling back in the C/B case when the boat is inverted. They try not to make it too thick a pin as this will prevent the C/B retracting when you use the C/B as a depthsounder. You aslo have to remember to thke the pin out before raising the board

Others use a heavy rubber ring in a line that is tied to the top of the C/B tongue and cleated off at the back of the C/B case. This allows some movement when the C/B is used as a depthsounder but will prevent the C/B from falling back in the C/B case when the boat is inverted.

Jim

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid183/p39b84fffb13914f30360e6fd0dda4e3a/f2ab0a88.jpg

[rbgarr]

Some Lightning class sailboats have stainless centerboards. In the 70s an owner capsized his off Portland, Maine and a finger got sliced off when he put his hand in the centerboard slot and the board slammed back into it. Gory.

[JimD]

Jim, I like that arrangement on the Hartley but I should have added that the CB on my current boat is already in use and a handle cannot be added. Its one of those roughly triangular shaped boards like this:

http://www.glen-l.com/designs/sailboat/sailboat-images/dsn-minlb.jpg

So I'll probably end up rigging something that can be slid down into the trunk from the top.

My future boat (Neptune willing) will have a board more the shape of a Hartley but will be mostly if not entirely below the water line so the handle idea probably won't work for that either.

So when is your Hartley 18 going to be back in the water?

[JimD]

Some Lightning class sailboats have stainless centerboards. In the 70s an owner capsized his off Portland, Maine and a finger got sliced off when he put his hand in the centerboard slot and the board slammed back into it. Gory.

I'm hoping to avoid a similar fate ;)

[JimD]

Wish I had a scanner. So much easier to say it with pictures.

[JimJ]

JimD

I have set that many deadlines taht have long passed that all I now say is "soon". Hopefully with a month.

Jim

[Thorne]

My San Juan 21 had a 600lb 'swing keel' - a weighted centerboard. There were two holes in the CB case -- one for the pivot bolt (glassed over) and the other for the locking bolt (above the waterline).

Pins of this sort are very handy, as they can take the strain off the CB pennon / winch / cable when used to pin the heavy CB up. They are also great for pinning it fully down to keep it from slamming into the slot as mentioned above. And my SJ21 had a third hole in the swing keel to pin it back at 45 degrees, or halfway down == used mostly to find that position when sailing downwind.

I've used the same system in my 14' dory skiff, as holding the CB up during storage and trailering is very important. And a small open boat is a LOT more likely to be knocked over and righted by standing on the CB than a larger boat...

http://www.luckhardt.com/cb-case5.jpg

[Hwyl]

So I'll probably end up rigging something that can be slid down into the trunk from the top.



If you go that way, choose something crushable, so it will give a bit if (when) you run aground, I'd suggest blue styrofoam insert, but you cold use a beer can, on a similar note, Thorne, your system may be better with dowels that will break.

The traditional solution on wood boards is to compress a peice of hose on the (out of the water) back of the board. Perhaps you could modify that system, like a brake with wing nuts (assuming the case is open).

On a tangent, Dyer Dinks have a handle built into the pivot bolt (the bolt is square section through the board), with indents (I think) for various positions. A similar handle could be restrained with light rope.