Should I cap my centerboard slot?

[Mike J]

Re: Should I cap my centerboard slot?

Yeah, but they've got a whole 10 minutes, and they can keep warm by slapping a spare paddle on the water to try to deter sharks.

Y'all are hardcore!

Yes, the thought process for the test sinking began with not wanting my wife to stay in the cold water off the coast of Maine if we were to capsize. She's as tough as they come but hypothermia doesn't play favorites. In warmer waters Ian I agree with your suggestion to bail first before recovering any crew.

I wound up fitting a hunk of closed-cell foam into the slot that I can stuff in once we are underway. An added benefit is it's flexible enough to still allow the centerboard to kick up if I hit something. In consideration of the extra 120 pounds in the boat while bailing I've relocated the four 6" fenders I normally store atop the decks by installing cleats to secure them below the side benches. That should more than offset the weight with the added benefit of looking much more tidy. I'll post a pic once the paint is dry.

Mike

[Ben Fuller]

Re: Should I cap my centerboard slot?

That will be good. Should we do a deliberate test at the Small Reach? One of the benefits of the closed cell is that it helps fill in the slot when sailing at speed. Used to have one on my old International Canoe.

[John Meachen]

Re: Should I cap my centerboard slot?

My boat has an open slot and even with a slot gasket there was a tendency for water to slosh into the cockpit. I made a plug by gluing a strip of plywood backing to a block of insulation foam that press fits into the slot when the centerboard is down. It does not seal the slot completely but the cockpit floor now remains dry. The plug gets tucked away when the board is up.

You had a sub-optimal gasket.

[cyclone]

Re: Should I cap my centerboard slot?

You had a sub-optimal gasket.

Probably because I didn't know how to make an optimal one. A gasket was not a feature in the original plans. I added strips of fabric backed gasket material to each side of the bottom of the slot with the middle edges overlapping slightly. I'm sure it doesn't seal around the leading edge of the centerboard. The ingress of water was more of a nuisance and seldom occurred at boat speeds below 10 kt. As a bonus, the plug I'm now using discourages objects from disappearing into the centerboard slot which is flush with the cockpit floor.

[Dave Hadfield]

Re: Should I cap my centerboard slot?

Some CB boats vomit water from their trunks-tops. Some don't.

Sail the boat. See what comes up. Then sort out what you need.

Drake never spits a drop upwind, but sometimes does a bit downwind if there's a lot of yawing. Not enough to bother with a closed cap.

Adapt and correct to suit your own boat.

[Canoeyawl]

Re: Should I cap my centerboard slot?

A problem can arise if you are trying to dewater a boat with an open centerboard case below the water level.
The less problems you have at that time the better.
My own experience is not a capsize in calm water, where you can swim around and gather your stuff, dive down and recover your wallet, phone and etc., but rather the opposite, occasionally accompanied by a medical issue.

[AdB]

Re: Should I cap my centerboard slot?

To quote Iain on this subject: (FB group Iain Oughtred Boats Worldwide)

I once had the same problem with the water over the top of the centre case. A towel stuffed in fixed that, and allowed us to bail her out. Later carried a piece of the soft squishy pipe insulation, which was ideal (– but never needed.)

[Yeadon]

Re: Should I cap my centerboard slot?

I'm finishing off preparations to my Oughtred Fulmar for this year's Small Reach Regatta by checking off the safety items on the skipper's info sheet. One of the items is a requirement that "you must be able to block water from coming in your centerboard trunk". This got me thinking since I have taken to adding about 100 pounds of ballast next to the case anytime I am singlehanding to calm the boat down a bit, so I put in at a local lake and bailed water into the boat. Even with watertight decks fore and aft the water level in the case was only a few inches lower than the level inside the boat when the excess started to drain out the case.

My biggest concern is that with another crew member I will have to leave them in the water after a capsize until I can get the boat bailed enough to pull them over the side. In other words, the weight of another crew seems like it would be too much to keep from flooding in through the open case. Here's are pics of the configuration:

[ATTACH=CONFIG]41029[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]41030[/ATTACH]

As I see it I have four options: lash in some flotation under the side benches, ditch the ballast, leave the case open but raise the sides up a few inches, or enclose the case completely. I think enclosing the case completely would eliminate the chance of flooding through the case but would involve reshaping the centerboard for clearance under a cap and adding at least a 2-1 uphaul and either a downhaul or some weight in the board. I'm reluctant to go that route so close to the regatta without time shake out any problems that may arise but in the long haul this plan may be the best.

So, what am I missing? I know there's a whole fleet of Caledonia yawls participating that use the same open slot arrangement so I suspect there's a gap in my understanding.

Thanks in advance,

Mike

No matter what choice you choose I'd start by adding more than adequate flotation. Nice boat!

[Mike J]

Re: Should I cap my centerboard slot?

Should we do a deliberate test at the Small Reach?

Thanks Ben, if I don't get a chance to test out my changes next week I may want to do that. I can guarantee though that you'll never see anyone get out of 60 degree water faster than me though!


AdB, thanks for the quote from Iain, and that's exactly what I did: bought a piece of pipe insulation.

No matter what choice you choose I'd start by adding more than adequate flotation. Nice boat!

Thanks! I unabashedly used your build thread and JM's threads on Rowan for build ideas. As for flotation, I added in some blocks to hold fenders under each of the four side benches instead of up on the deck.

Mike

[Stu Fyfe]

Re: Should I cap my centerboard slot?

Closed cell swimming noodle. Cut a strip to fit the slot. Stuff it in. It will return to it's original shape when removed.

[Rob Hazard]

Re: Should I cap my centerboard slot?

At last year's SRR, 3 participants did intentional capsizes. Doug Welch flipped his Annapolis wherry, John Hartmann did his Ilur, and I did my Scamp. It's a useful exercise.

[Plyboy]

Re: Should I cap my centerboard slot?

Closed cell swimming noodle. Cut a strip to fit the slot. Stuff it in. It will return to it's original shape when removed.

I thought noodles several times, but didn't want to have the "OMGWTFBBQ you can't let pool noodles anywhere near a boat, they eventually waterlog!!!".."Like wood you mean?" argument.

There has been around, plank noodles, which are something about 1"x6" by 4ft....which a slice of might stuff in nicely, but recently, I've been seeing them in an almost maltese cross section, meant for slotting together, and those I think you could hack at with a breadnknife to slice into a T shape with a rounded top, that might work nicely, maybe make straps over the top to really keep them there.
I

[Pateplumaboat]

Re: Should I cap my centerboard slot?

Another idea:
Sew a pouch-bag with a bridle, made of neoprene (about 4 mm thick neoprrene from old wetsuit). Put this bag over centerboard-top and pull-thight bridle below certerboard-rails. In addition (if watertightness is still an issue) push down wedge-shaped wooden strip into centerboard-slot covered with neoprene and hold down strip with some strap.

[Plyboy]

Re: Should I cap my centerboard slot?

Since minor damage trashes a PFD, cutting one up for the foam in it should be basically free if you can get one. Depending on design, you might be able to cut one outside of two seams and have the foam in a neat bag still.

[Ian McColgin]

Re: Should I cap my centerboard slot?

Try not to overthink. Take a nice day and capsize her in shallow water. Figure out what happens.