Need Help With Centerboard

[drbradclark]

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I have a 1982 Irwin 40 Citation with a Centerboard. The boat is now in drydock for the winter. Late in the season we discovered that the centerboard was stuck in the up position. It looks to have a bit of rust and other gunk holding it up. I plan to have the marina block the boat up high in the spring so i can work on getting this thing unstuck.
My question is, does anyone have any information on what normal maintenence is required on this centerboard? I used to have a Catalina 22 with a swingkeel and each year the keel pin bolts needed to be changed and the pin checked. I know nothing about the mechanism of the centerboard in this Irwin or the normal maintenence for it. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[Tempest]

Sorry, I am not familiar with the mechanism of the irwin. In my sabre there is a stainless steel tube with a cap bolt in the bilge area. The bolt gets removed to expose the tube, you can then insert a pipe ( supplied) to help push a stuck centerboard down. I remove the bolt in the winter, which allows any water that ingresses in to the bilge thru the top of the mast to overflow and escape through the centerboard slot.

Perhaps, Irwin made some provision for this too? Hopefully some Irwin owners will weigh in.

[sawingknots]

i know nothing about a irwin either,centerboard all seem to have this problem,a hacksaw blade and lots of will and determination is all i can suggest,maybe if you catch the marina on a sat. after noon perhaps they will let you leave your boat hanging in the travel lift over the week end[much easier to work on then on blocks]

[celenoglu]

The centerboards are normally hang by a pin or screw. But main problem is the other end of the centerboard plate. I agree with:

"..a hacksaw blade and lots of will and determination is all i can suggest"

The best prevention is to move the plate up and down when using the boat. This will prevent rust or fouling.

[Faster]

Have you seen this site? Some CB specific info under 'General' and 'Older'

Untitled Document

[CalebD]

We get barnacle growth in our centerboard trunk every year. Sometimes it is enough to make the board get stuck in the 'up' position.
Every year I use a long key hole saw or something more rigid then a hack saw blade to work around the edges and watch the piles of barnacle shells pile up underneath.
The access is not great but I can reach the slot with our boat sitting on it's cradle.

[killarney_sailor]

My Bristol has a seacock on top of the CB trunk aft. You take the plug out of the seacock and screw in a threaded aluminum tube with a large piece of dowel in it. Then you open the seacock and can bang on the end of the dowel to free the CB. Never actually had to do this, but it seemed like an elegant solution provided by the builder. No problem doing it with the boat in the water if need be. Perhaps you have something similar or should install one.

[LakeSuperiorGeezer]

A hacksaw like this might help: Mini Hacksaw