Shrimper 19 stuck centreboard

[Rivers & creeks]

Hi, what do you do with a Shrimper 19 stuck centreboard? It won’t lower, tried pulling and releasing the rope but no movement. Wary of fiddling with the drum in the water as it looks like caught fingers could be lost fingers!

It’s a new-to-me boat so I don’t know what maintenance has been done. 2005 boat so it’s a MK2

Thank you!

 

[Sticky Fingers]

Stuck up? Or down? Is this a new problem, ie just happened? if it’s stuck up, sometimes caused by a stone getting stuck in the case. Stuck down, seized drum? If it’s never worked then might need to dry out or lift/hold in slings to check it out.

 

[Rivers & creeks]

Stuck up. New to me boat so no idea about how long it’s been like this. It’s been out of the water for two years.

 

[Sticky Fingers]

Ah OK. If you can get a lashing onto the line between the drum and the c/b to take the weight, or get a second line onto the c/b, then you can remove or at least investigate the drum with no risk of finger loss.

Just a thought: is there a locking pin?

 

[Sticky Fingers]

Just found this. Some ideas in here:

https://www.shrimperowners.org/sitefiles/Roy Ratazzi centreplate.pdf

 

[Minerva]

On my wayfarer I used to carry a a long steel rule for just this sort of situation.

Looking online at mk2 shrimpers it looks like under the companionway hatch is a removable panel giving some access to the keel. Can you remove this on your boat, and if so what is access to the sides of the keel like?

If you can wiggle your new fancy pants 1m steel rule you just bought from screwfix down the slots between the keel box and the keel to clear out any old mud / stones. Working this should hopefully get you clear again.

 

[Snowgoose-1]

Any way you can pour water in the case from above ?

After a while , gently poke a long hacksaw blade by hand from above . Worked for me on other boats but no experience with a shrimper.
P.s. Above steel long ruler brilliant !

 

[HughClayton]

Unfortunately if the plate is stuck up you’ll need to get the boat out of the water and clear whatever is jamming it. It’s likely to be a stone in the center plate casing.

When it happened to me I was able to clear it with the boat on its trailer.

Be very cautious about opening the centre plate access hatch when afloat … the bottom of the hatch is often an inch below the waterline.

 

[Rivers & creeks]

Checked everything yesterday. The cable hasn’t jumped off, I lifted the step and the roller can move but the board won’t drop. Must be stuck and it’ll most likely need a lift.

 

[KevinV]

I don't know the shrimper design, but I've used a rubber mallet against the case with some success on a dinghy centreboard in the past - a bit of percussion does wonders

 

[DJE]

A Sonata in our club had this problem so a gang of us pulled her over onto her beam ends while she was afloat between two finger berths in a marina. The owner could then get at the bottom of the plate case and scrape out the mud, rust, and stones.

 

[Rivers & creeks]

Update: Two weeks jiggling about on a swinging mooring - the boat, not me - sorted it. It raises and lowers really smoothly. I was getting ready to poor a gallon of washing up liquid down and even contemplated a lift in the slings. Mother Nature sorted it.

Thanks for all the tips.

 

[Snowgoose-1]

Thanks for the feedback.
Always welcome.