Jammed Swing keel

[amgrip]

Hello,
I own a Mac Gregor 26X and the swing keel is jammed in the up position.
My boat is out of the water on its trailer. Can anyone please suggest how I can remedy this problem. I have no way of get the boat off the trailer on dry land. Is there an access from inside the boat, and if so would I compromise the integrity of the hull waterproofing if I tried to access the mechanism that way. Thank you for your help

Andrew

[Dave Mason]

Andrew:
Sounds like you haven't had your Mac apart much,yet. So, now the real fun begins. I had my swinger out last spring, with the boat at home on the trailer. I think if the boat is forward on the trailer as far as it is supposed to go, the keel is designed to drop out. Look under the front dinette seat for a 3/8th inch stainless bolt protruding from the top of the centre board trunk. Take off the nut and washer(s), and do what it takes to push the bolt down through and out the bottom. This may take some ingenuity on your part. It is welded to a yoke with a pin through it that the centre board pivots on. The hole in the board becomes enlarged over time. I glued a copper bushing into mine. I'd use plastic pipe next time if I have to do it again. Getting the assembly out without bending or deforming the bolt was the challenge. I think it was sealed with 5200 or something similar. It's doable. Give it a go!
Dave Mason, 2001 26X

[Catigale]

Put something soft under the CB on the ground so it doesnt land hard and break.

Back the nut off until it is flush with the top of the threads on the board hanger. Now put a piece of wood on top of it, and give it a couple of solid whacks with a hammer. Sharp blows will break the 5200 free of the FG.

Mine took 3 hits.

[Chinook]

I discovered mine stuck in the up position after launching on a remote lake in central British Columbia. At a rail portage between two lakes, after pulling it out of the water on the flatbed rail cart, I was able to partially free the board with a scrounged piece of rebar as a lever, inserted into the hole near the tip of the board, and a hunk of moose antler for a fulcrum. This allowed it to drop about 2 inches, all the room I could create while sitting on the flatbed portage cart. Once back in the water, I freed it completely by going under the boat with face mask and a way too thin shorty wetsuit. This job is done much more easily with the boat on a trailer.

My problem turned out to be a piece of driftwood which had found its way into the centerboard trunk opening. The retracting board jammed the driftwood way up inside the trunk, and the board jammed in the up position. Good luck. Think of the fun you'll have, discovering the cause of your problem.

[LOUIS B HOLUB]

Andrew -- I followed the instructions noted above, and the only problem was getting the sealant (5200) loosened. Otherwise, removing the CB is fairly easy when the boat (Mac-X) is on the trailer.
There are some threads and further commentaries about this that could be helpful. You may want to do an additional "search"

Good luck...

[Night Sailor]

When I took my board out for painting, hammering didn't work from above the suspension bolt. I looped a peice of rope over the pivot pin on each side of the board, letting two loops hang down below the board. I inserted an 8 ft. long 2x4 into both loops then put one end of the 2x4 under the trailer frame and it pulled down. The board came down easily and without damage on top of the 2x4.

[Chip Hindes]

Only caveat is that if the boat is situated correctly on the trailer, the bottom aft corner of the CB (it's not a swing keel, by the way) should be resting on the trailer bunk. You should not be able to lower the CB in the conventional fashion on the trailer. This is a safety feature to keep the CB from dropping to the pavement if the CB line were to fail while tooling down the road at 70mph.

When you pound the stud out from the top, the forward part of the CB will drop first, then if you're not careful the aft edge will drop off the bunk and the whole thing will crash to the pavement. I use a floor jack with a piece of 2 x 6 situated a few inches below and approximately centered on the length to catch it when it falls out; then I can lower it slowly with the jack. Same thing when putting it back.

If you don't have a jack or something to prop it up, you can also cleat the pennant with a just few inches of slack in it; this will keep the forward part from falling all the way to the pavement but the adjustment is critical; if the aft edge comes off the bunk and you've left out too much slack, it may still fall to the pavement.

The hard part is on reassembly hitting the hole with the stud if you're doing it without observer assistance from inside the boat.

Though you do have to wail on it pretty hard, I have always been able to break the adhesive loose by pounding from above. I use a piece of 4 x 4 and a machinist's (small sledge) hammer; a 12 oz claw hammer will not do it. Resist the temptation to pound the stud directly with a hammer. You will certainly trash the threads.

BTW, if you are crawling around under the boat without the CB well secured, do not get body parts directly under it. It is surprisingly heavy and I'm pretty sure will break bones if it comes down on you.

[LOUIS B HOLUB]

I had so much trouble breaking loose the bolt unit from the heavy duty 5200 sealant during my CB removal, I decided to use standard Dupont marine silicone when putting things back together. Im not sure if this was a totally wise idea, but at least, the CB wont be difficult to remove (if necessary) next time. Things have been fine, and the bolt site is easily inspected periodically.

[Moe]

Louis, I used 4200 for the same reason. IMO, 5200 should be reserved for things like hull to deck joints.

[Divecoz]

I just flip the roller bracket over and out of the way and Pull the dagger-board up to and on the deck to inspect it and return it to its home. . OH yea ooppss sorry this is an X whole different procedure it takes two people and a hydraulic jack and a $12.00 tube of 3 M 4200 and several hours of horsing around and crawling under the trailer which isnt easy on a fat man.....

[LOUIS B HOLUB]

I just flip the roller bracket over and out of the way and Pull the dagger-board up to and on the deck to inspect it and return it to its home. . OH yea ooppss sorry this is an X whole different procedure it takes two people and a hydraulic jack and a $12.00 tube of 3 M 4200 and several hours of horsing around and crawling under the trailer which isnt easy on a fat man.....

Too funny But, I dont mind horsing around and crawling under the trailer, and not having to worry about a centerboard that wont "bump up" when striking a reef or submerged crab traps...and not to mention I still have the cost difference in buying an "X" -- hmm--about $12-14K (not bad for a tight wad like me) and with gas prices now a days, luggin' around an extra 300 lbs of built in ballast on an overstressed trailer 'aint thrifty either.
Im sticking to my "X" for a while longer--no matter how much "prettier" those "M" 2 tier deck windows appear. I know, I know, you have a rotating mast & a faster boat....
Happy Sailing...

[Frank C]

I just flip the roller bracket over and out of the way and Pull the dagger-board up to and on the deck to inspect it and return it to its home.

That was Roger's foresight, Richard.
He recognized that a sacrificial board might need frequent R&R.
Daniel & Leon prolly thank him profusely!@@!
THANKS, Roger!!:D

OH yea ooppss sorry this is an X whole different procedure it takes two people and a hydraulic jack and a $12.00 tube of 3 M 4200 and several hours of horsing around and crawling under the trailer which isnt easy on a fat man.....

Yeah, there's a true fact.
OTOH, although I've touched it aground 2 or 3 times, my model 2000 centerboard hasn't ever been removed. If it takes me a couple hours next year, that'll work out to 12 mins per year, and a buck a year for adhesive.

It's pretty neat to adjust CB position for balancing the helm.
Properly set, the boat can sail for an hour without touching the wheel.
No worries here about the centerboard ... rather .... just thanks for it.

[Divecoz]

No Frank its the difference in design, pure and simple.
Roger puts his name on these boats as well as his reputation and his fortune. His desire is at all time to provide the best sailing boat for the dollar.
I just dont see 2 out of 4000 being the norm...
But an easy quick way to check vital equipment is NOT a negative IMHO
There is no simple design for a center swing board.
Ropes breaking, bolts rusting through, holes elongating.
Oh and Frank you say you touched stuff . . .
they didnt touch stuff they RAMMED stuff Full Speed ahead . If not hit dead on even slightly on a biased your center board will lock and jam and break......
Frank doesnt every 26 x and M adjust the board from the cockpit ?That is where mine and all the M's I have seen adjust from.
Louis:
In-spite of the permanent ballast ( I suppose one of you will try to contend that, the ballast is IYHO a detriment to the boat )the boats are very close in weight through improved design.
The M trailer is a far superior trailer . M trailers are not rusting like the X's did and are and the M's have 15 " wheels and tires and disc brakes etc etc etc .
AND its true you can always buy used cheaper than New till it becomes a collectors item

[Moe]

Our board weighed 29 pounds. Certainly not what you want to drop on you, but not unmanageable either.

I used the rope circle hung over the pivot pin ends and 2x4 pry bar as originally recommended by Tahoe Jack IIRC. It pulled out easily, I let the front down easy onto cardboard, then slid it forward where the aft cleared the trailer bunk and let that down easily.

Replacing it went the reverse route, lifting the aft end into the slot above the bunk, then the front end up, with Barb installing the washers and nut while I held it up, maybe 15 pounds of lift.