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Stambaugh Sailing Skiff Build in Virginia Mountains

You can see the centerboard of my boat protruding below the hull in the designer's drawing.

sailingskiff_15.jpg

The centerboard goes through a hole in the bottom of the hull. The centerboard case, or trunk, keeps the water on the outside, and also provides structure to take the lateral force of the board.

The centerboard pivots on a pin (1/2" bronze in this case) and can retract into the hull. It will be raised and lowered by a lanyard, and will have a lead weight to keep it underwater. There are several advantages to this arrangement:
  • The boat can operate in shallow water (4" for this boat) without running aground
  • Because the centerboard is free to move, it can retract into the hull if it hits an obstacle
  • The centerboard can be partly raised to fine tune the steering
  • Raising the centerboard makes it easy to get the boat on and off a trailer.
 
Nice work, U.
I'm guessing by the size of that trunk that you plan to use a swing keel.
I built my K19 per the plans with a drop in centerboard.
I have since found out that to be less than ideal.
It's awkward to deploy and retract.
It drafts nearly 4-1/2 ft when fully deployed, there is no easy way to adjust the depth of engagement.
It's a tight fit in the centerboard trunk, great for performance, not so great if I hit a submerged erratic! Which I did, damaging my centerboard and breaching the centerboard trunk.
I have yet to repair the damage, other projects have taken priority ...AND, I'm deciding whether or not to modify my hull to have a swing keel.
Hmmm...


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Thanks for that tutorial on the centerboard. Would you typically have it fully deployed at maximum depth while under sail in deep water?
 
Yes, Glenn.

Stripperguy, I just found your building thread and discovered that you also have a Shopsmith. And your workmanship is so much better than mine!

The awful crunching sound you experienced is one reason I decided to build a boat with a pivoting centerboard.

If you are able to contact the designer, ask for advice about the conversion. Be aware that the case will occupy a lot more space inside the hull than the tiny daggerboard case. You will also need a substantial thwart to take lateral loads, and hefty bedlogs. You boat may not be quite as fast.

Here is a detail for the pivoting pin, similar to my construction:

Ofer CB pivot detail.jpg
I bored the necessary holes in the board and case oversized, and filled with epoxy to prevent water intrusion, then redrilled to the proper diameter.

More later. The weather is too nice to stay inside, and I'm off for an afternoon of paddling
 
I've only had one boat with a (pivoting) centerboard, my other dinghies used a (drop in) daggerboard. One had a daggerboard that was curved aft, it was inclined to pop up when grounded. That would change the balance if not original, but it was original to the Melonseed I had. That board also had several holes drilled so that a peg could be inserted to raise it partway.
 

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