I got the centerboard all done up, barrier coated, bottom painted (along with the inside of the trunk) and installed the other day after I got chased out of the Caribbean by Jerry. The board wouldn't drop due to friction toward the port side. Pissed, I grabbed the board at the end and yanked it to starboard hard a couple times and it now drops, but I think I have to re-think the whole hinge pin assembly. I think someone grounded this thing, beat up the original, then replaced the stainless angles. The threaded 1" pin that connects the angles, well, the threads ain't nothing to write home about. It can't come apart once installed, but it certainly isn't a tight joint between the male a female threads. And I'm still missing the stbd forward bolt. I got the broken one out, but it appears to me yet ANOTHER broken bolt is up in there, larger than the one I got out (which was smaller than the other 5). I think someone drilled and tapped the old 3/8" bolt and put a 1/4 20 into it, snapping off the 1/4 20 before it seated.
I'll probably pull the damn thing and have a new hinge pin assembly made up, contemplate helicoils and so forth. It has to center just right, and I don't think it is. I need to do some measurements.
Oh, and I just went by the Owner's Manual to reassemble, an exactly 22" piece of 1" I.D. exhaust style hose floating on the line rather than stitched to it. It went up O.K., but jeez what a pain getting that board in the right position and getting the hinge pin bolts in.
Any suggestions?
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