sglass
New Member
we keep our yacht on a tidal mooring does any one have any ideas how to unjam the centre plate and keeping it clear many thanks
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centre plates
- Thread starter sglass
- Start date
Magic_Sailor
Well-Known Member
Maybe I do!
Firstly, I'm always a bit paranoid about driving mud and stones up the side of the keel.
My boat is a Jeanneau Fantasia with a swinging keel. When it was surveyed, the surveyor put a note in his report to the effect that "there's a curious sea cock in the bilge which doesn't seem to do anything - I recommend you take it out and glass it over". Wrong!!!
It turns out that this is a "drop keel release valve". It is effectively a hole directly above the swinging keel. You attach a length of hose to it and open the sea cock - water finds it's own level in the hose. Then you can come at the top of the keel via the hose with a length of wood or metal and give it a sharp whack - thus releasing the offending appendage.
You may have the same device if you look under the sole.
Hope that's helpful.
Magic
<hr width=100% size=1><A target="_blank" HREF=http://hometown.aol.co.uk/geoffwestgarth/myhomepage/travelwriting.html>Click for website!</A>
Firstly, I'm always a bit paranoid about driving mud and stones up the side of the keel.
My boat is a Jeanneau Fantasia with a swinging keel. When it was surveyed, the surveyor put a note in his report to the effect that "there's a curious sea cock in the bilge which doesn't seem to do anything - I recommend you take it out and glass it over". Wrong!!!
It turns out that this is a "drop keel release valve". It is effectively a hole directly above the swinging keel. You attach a length of hose to it and open the sea cock - water finds it's own level in the hose. Then you can come at the top of the keel via the hose with a length of wood or metal and give it a sharp whack - thus releasing the offending appendage.
You may have the same device if you look under the sole.
Hope that's helpful.
Magic
<hr width=100% size=1><A target="_blank" HREF=http://hometown.aol.co.uk/geoffwestgarth/myhomepage/travelwriting.html>Click for website!</A>
oldharry
Well-Known Member
Re: Maybe I do!
Leave the plate lowered about 50cms from its stowed position, so that each time the boat lifts the plate drops slightly. The movement ensures that mud does not build up and lock the keel. Not so effective against stones, but does reduce the number of 'plate jams'.
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Leave the plate lowered about 50cms from its stowed position, so that each time the boat lifts the plate drops slightly. The movement ensures that mud does not build up and lock the keel. Not so effective against stones, but does reduce the number of 'plate jams'.
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Mirelle
N/A
That\'s good advice
but keep an eye on the condition of the lifting strop as it wears faster this way!
In a wooden centreplate boat, I used to carry a length of what builder's merchants call "water iron" - galvanised mild steel strip, about 30mm x 6mm, and a pig of lead ballast. Slide steel lath down one side of jammed plate and if necessary tap with pig of ballast. That boat had the top of the case above the w/l, which I still think is a good idea.
<hr width=100% size=1>Que scais-je?
but keep an eye on the condition of the lifting strop as it wears faster this way!
In a wooden centreplate boat, I used to carry a length of what builder's merchants call "water iron" - galvanised mild steel strip, about 30mm x 6mm, and a pig of lead ballast. Slide steel lath down one side of jammed plate and if necessary tap with pig of ballast. That boat had the top of the case above the w/l, which I still think is a good idea.
<hr width=100% size=1>Que scais-je?
claymore
Well-Known Member
Re: That\'s good advice
I think you've possibly solved a mystery. I used to keep our Gem Micro on a drying (muddy) mooring and did leave the board slightly down. At some point between sails the galvanised wire lifting strop had given way - obviously whilst she was floating and dropped down. This had displaced a fair amount of muddy water into the cabin but as she dried out, the keel didn't slide straight back up so the next time I went down, the boat was lying on its side with a few nasty mudfilled scratches on the hull on both sides and two wet seats where the water had sloshed over onto them. Lovely!
The strop was only in its second season and I thought it would have lasted a fair while longer.
Once I'd sorted it out I fixed a second really heavy duty short strop which took the weight off the winching strop but acted as a kind of safety line for when she was moored. I used to just snap this on with a mighty carabiner then take the weight off the other by winching the keel down until the weight was on the parking strop.
Gosh - that took some explaining!
<hr width=100% size=1>regards
Claymore
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I think you've possibly solved a mystery. I used to keep our Gem Micro on a drying (muddy) mooring and did leave the board slightly down. At some point between sails the galvanised wire lifting strop had given way - obviously whilst she was floating and dropped down. This had displaced a fair amount of muddy water into the cabin but as she dried out, the keel didn't slide straight back up so the next time I went down, the boat was lying on its side with a few nasty mudfilled scratches on the hull on both sides and two wet seats where the water had sloshed over onto them. Lovely!
The strop was only in its second season and I thought it would have lasted a fair while longer.
Once I'd sorted it out I fixed a second really heavy duty short strop which took the weight off the winching strop but acted as a kind of safety line for when she was moored. I used to just snap this on with a mighty carabiner then take the weight off the other by winching the keel down until the weight was on the parking strop.
Gosh - that took some explaining!
<hr width=100% size=1>regards
Claymore
/forums/images/icons/smile.gif