Centerboard Trunk

The centerboard trunk sits over a long narrow slot in the hull of the boat. The trunk must be water tight and strong enough to support the board. A lot of force can be applied to the extended board.


Someday I might get the board stuck in some mud. The wind and tide might try to twist the boat while the sticky mud tries to hold on.

So two layers of cloth on the inside and one on the outside of the trunk.

 Trimming the excess cloth.

The two by two looking piece of wood with the clamps is the king post.
The width of the king post determines the width of the trunk. Too wide and the board might rattle.
Too narrow and the board might jam.

 I did not glue the king posts until the very end so I could adjust their width.

 The carbon gets everywhere.

  The center board pivots on a bronze pin.I drilled out an oversize hole filled it with epoxy and then redrilled so the pin will rest in a epoxy bushing. The cap covers the hole so no water gets in.

All the screws get their own epoxy bushing.

The trunk gets a trial fit. The trunk is supported by two bulkheads. Here you can see the trunk protruding through bulkhead # 3 into the cabin.