I am embarrassed to say that I did it again. Almost 3 years to the day I had another close encounter with a reef and the centerboard punched a hole in the trunk -- just like last time. Repairs will be finished this week, but I've been thinking about solutions to this problem -- in addition to avoiding reefs, of course.
Has anyone replaced the plastic shim on the top leading edge of the centerboard with a more shock absorbing something? Would that be enough to make a difference?
Building a "crush box" in the bilge doesn't seem practical, but how about rebuilding the the top of the centerboard so that it is more likely to collapse on hard impact? I might undertake that project when the boat is hauled for storm season.
Your thoughts and suggestions are most welcome.
Jim Kloss
s/v Ambivalence
S2 7.9 #8
crush box?
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