I this a problem or not - Center board

[alan_21_us]

I just had a survey on a boat with a center board. Upon Inspection, the centerboard is hanging below the keel by about 12 inches. The surveyor said this is not a major issue, however it is a recommended item. When he tried up pull it up, it would only go up so far. It did extend all the way down.

My question is obvious. Is this a problem? Should I have the seller fix it?

Alan_21_us

[chucklesR]

Short answer is it depends.

Long answer, it depends on why it would not go up, or down. Your surveyor was a bit negilent, he should have told you why it would not move/function.
If the board is steel it could be so coroded that the rust/scale has expanded it and made it so it will not fit in the slot.
The fix there is a new centerboard - a chunk of cash, but doable. I've got a friend where his (IIRC) Merit, or Helms 25 centerboard got stuck, he had to have it cut out and is replacing it with a new steel plate.
Or the mechanism for raising and lowering the board could be broken and not repairable or just need new cable - even that goes from simple to major as lowering the board might not be possible in the slip or on the trailer; requiring you to pay for a boat lift to simply extract and rehang the board.

I would go back to your surveyor and demand a more informative answer.

[T34C]

Chuckie is right, It depends. What kind of boat and where is it located? In saltwater it is possible to get enough hull growth inside the CB trunk that the board can't retract all the way, or at all.

My CB has square hole at the top that a shaft passes thru. If the square hole rounds out from wear it will allow the board to sag a bit. At some point it will fail and the board will not retract at all. It is also possible for the cable that is used to raise/lower my board to not be adjusted properly allowing the board to sag.

The problem could and likely is as simple as adjusting the cable. (Mine had same problem when I bought it.) Or, it could be an indicator of an upcoming failure.

I agree the surveyor, or you, needs to dig a little deeper.

[CalebD]

As others have already stated you need to provide more information like: how old the boat is, what brand/model, whether the boat was surveyed in the water or on dry land (the hard).
The fix could be as easy as wrapping a few more wraps of line around the sheave/block that connects the centerboard wire rope to the line you pull in the cockpit. Also as suggested, the trunk (where the centerboard lives when pulled up) can get filled with growth (barnacles). Are you in salt water or not? More info needed for a (perhaps) more accurate diagnosis.