misaligned centerboard slot

[Pernicious Atavist]

we were given a small plywood skiff--hull only--needs finish work, topsides, etc.--built by a guy who had money and little real skill. this dude was IN LOVE with epoxy, but apparently not a chalk line, measuring tape, etc.
the boat is about 12 ft by 4, slight deadrise. now, my young friend wants to use it to knock-around in, not race or any of that tomfoolery. however, the measurement-impaired builder misaligned the c/b slot by about 1/2 inch over its length. the c/b is aluminum.
my question is: will the 1/2 inch make a detectable difference? is it worth cutting out and reinstalling?

[ishmael]

It will make a difference, probably detectable, but no, I'd leave it alone.

Given what you say, make sure the thwarts, transom etc are well connected before you turn it loose.

[shadow99]

Is there room inbetween the CB & the CB trunk, could you shim the aluminum CB over too straighten it? Lets say you've got a 7/8" width in the C/B trunk & the C/B is 3/8" thick, hardwood shims attached to the board could straighten it out. Or reduce the thickness of the C/B so you can have some adjustment without tearing out the old trunk. A cocked C/B can cause tacking & steering issues.

Rick

[Jamie Hascall]

Ahh There's nothing like a free boat .
Give it a sail. If it's got major problems then look for a fix. If not, enjoy!

Jamie

[Nicholas Carey]

Most likely, seems like the worst case would be that it points higher on on tack than on the other. Learn to accept it and deal with it.

[CK 17]

"my question is: will the 1/2 inch make a detectable difference? is it worth cutting out and reinstalling?"

I guess now is a good time to confess a similar mistake on my riverside dinghy. I didn't notice any adverse handling issues because of this. [img]smile.gif[/img] However, things did get a little "adverse" when the CB fell out of the bottom of the boat.

This I deserved [img]redface.gif[/img] --I decided to try something a little different in its construction. Lucky for me we were able to grab the lanyard and save the CB. It should be reinstalled the correct way and sailing again this week.
Joe Schena

[Scott Rosen]

Originally posted by ed maurer:
my question is: will the 1/2 inch make a detectable difference? is it worth cutting out and reinstalling?

Ed,

I would strongly suggest that before you spend any more time worrying about this, and certainly before you undertake any repairs, you should take the boat for a sail. It's almost impossible to predict how a boat will respond to this kind of thing just by reading about it. With any luck, you won't notice a problem and will avoid a lot of needless work and expense.

Good luck.

[NormMessinger]

Or, you could give the boat to me. I'm pretty sure I wouldn't notice.

[Harry Miller]

A long time ago when I raced a 470 I glued spacers inside the forward part of the cb trunk to make a gybing centreboard. I couldn't find any rules that prohibited it and most of my colleagues were skeptical that it would make any difference. I found that I could point significantly higher. You may only be able to shim one side but I think it would be worth it. Good luck.