O'Day 30 Swing Keel Rigging

[rustyballast]

New to sailing I decided to start with a small boat. I have figured out the sailing part although finer points I am still learning. The boat has a swing keel and to raise / lower there is a line that runs across the cabin back to the cockpit. Raising the keel requires considerable effort, there are no blocks, winches, etc... just a rope and a cleat. Is this normal? I suspect that there should be a couple blocks or some arrangement so as to not risk breaking your back to pull up the keel.

The other possibility is that there is something binding inside the keel.

When the boat was hauled out and surveyed the keel looked fine.

The family really enjoys the boat and she is beautiful.

Any help is appreciated.

[deniseO30]

Rusty welcome to the "net"! I've a O30 but deep keel not CB. I beleive the swing K is "neutral balance" rudy at D&R marine dot com should know the answer.

[rustyballast]

Thank-you Denise,

I will call D&R tomorrow. If it is true that it is neutral then there is an issue with the rope and cable assembly. Someone mentioned that perhaps the wrong knot was tied last and it is too fat, thus it binds.

This would make sense as when I untie the line from the cleat, some time later I will hear a clunk as, I assume the swing keel falls down.

[deniseO30]

or critters and barnacles?

[RecoveringRacer]

I have the centerboard version of the Oday 30, too. It is not weighted, but it is not neutral buoyancy, either, and can use a little help in terms of mechanical advantage to lift it. When I bought the boat several years ago, it had a 2:1 tackle on the cabin top to give additional purchase, and wasn't too hard to raise, but sometime later, since I was adding self-tailing cabin top winches for spinnaker halyards anyway, I ran the tail through a clutch and then to the starboard cabin top winch. Now raising the board is really easy. Here's a picture of the centerboard:



On the same subject, be careful about using a Nicopress fitting on the bottom of the centerboard pendant. After having to replace it every 6-8 months, I suddenly realized it was acting as sacrificial anode, and being eaten away just like a zinc. Next time I replace it, I'm going to try a stainless fork.