pin now out of ctrbd, wants to stay put, what gives?

[JMAC]

I was able to cleat off the pennant and prop up the fwd end of the board to immobilize it. I drove out the pin, a 5/16th" SS bolt about 9" Long. I pulled out the prop and the board stayed put. I uncleated the pennant and the board still swings up and down, although now the pivot hole is not aligned w/ the board anymore. The bolt shows a bit of age but is not really scored at all where you would think that the board would be chafing on it. I stuck a thin beater saw into the slot from below and can feel and hear it hit something. Can't see in there as the board has rusty scale that fills the slot. What next? Could there be something of a pipe bushing in there that has seated itself into the wood of the trunk? My thoughts are turning to Sawsalls with long metal-cutting blades...

[Meerkat]

Some c/b trunks have a removable top cap, perhaps with screws under plugs. This is so you can get at the board when it's stuck and to do preventative maintenence like anti-fouling paint.

If it's not removable, someone else suggested drilling a hole big enough to put a rod or dowel through to press on the top of the board.

HTH...

[Ed Harrow]

Stick your foot under it and it will drop right out...

Most probably there is a bushing, or similar, but I should think the hole in the centerboard trunk (where the bolt went through) would give visibility to that.

Like Meerkat says, can you remove the top of the box. This sort of job is done much cleaner (not to mention safer) from above rather than below. Also, I'm thinking I remember a boat wherein the cb pivot was hung from the top of the box, in addition to a bolt thru, but if may have been just hung from the top.

[shadow99]

I 've had this problem before as well, there was a bronze bushing that wedged itself between the C/B and the C/B trunk. Sometimes you can walk the bushing back into the C/B trunk with a long thin screwdriver, or if already frustrated slice through the bushing with a Saw-Zall. Be sure to support the C/B so it won't come crashing down.
My C/B trunk bronze bushings were severly out-of-round, which caused them to bind. I made up some bushings out of 316L and haven't had a problem since.

Rick