Additional purchase for centerboard ?

Submitted by abl1111 on Wed, 08/01/2012 - 19:00
Forums: 
Owning, Rigging, and Sailing the Flying Scot

 Sail in very shallow waters and are constantly working the centerboard.I have the WACO 360.  Drum, centerboard, WACO 360 are all in perfect working order.Is there a way to add a block or so between the centerboard line 'drum/spool' and the WACO 360 ?Always have either a tiller, mainsheet, or both in my hands and I single hand mostly.  Yanking on the centerboard is a workout. Thx.  

sawyerspadre

Wed, 08/01/2012 - 22:47

I don't think you could add a block between your waco and the drum.  There is too much line to absorb for the distance between. I find that when I need to crank on the line to raise the board, I have recently turned downwind,and the wind is blowing medium to strong.  If it is really light air, there is no big rush to get the board up.  If it is blowing then I put the tiller between my legs to hold it steady, as I stand at the back of the cockpit.  You can brace against the rear edge of the coaming, which steadies your stance.  This is nice if you get hit by a puff and the boat squirts forward a little.If it is windy enough to urgently need to raise the board, then standing that far back in the bus is no problem.  If it is honking, you want the people back anyway to keep the bow from sticking or digging in.  Putting the board down is a one-handed deal.Have fun, sail in breeze, and you will get it.  

abl1111

Thu, 08/02/2012 - 08:53

Thx for reply.  I thought it would be tough to add mechanical advantage here, but wasn't sure.I sail in a Bay with very shallow areas; the beauty of crossing all channels, and sandbars is made possible by playing the centerboard and rudder blade.On 'the other side of the coin', I just had to glass back on 3" of centerboard due to scraping over the sandy bottom over the years.  Cannot figure what grit sandpaper that does this, but I figure about 2 grit - wet sanding to boot !Take care.