GETTING RID OF OUR CENTERBOARD FOR GOOD: A Big Change for Our Sailboat

[@vasiliyshumin2212]

Me watching on void inside: "PLEASE FILL IT WITH MORE BALLAST" :)

[@kennethpaladino4948]

Epoxy & lead weight mixture would be perfect! 👍

[@BeauAndBrandy]

planning on it.

[@SDZ420]

100% agree load that space with ballasts!!

[@corujariousa]

You've read my mind.

[@shawnjohnson2524]

What is the draft without the center board? Just curious?

[@nodogrunner]

Once again, I want to be like Beau when I grow up. All I need is an old boat and the energy of a younger man!😊

[@BeauAndBrandy]

😂🤣😂

[@AW9531]

I completed a similar centerboard (CB) removal on my Pearson 36-2 with a bolt-on shoal lead keel. I had previously reviewed my plan with Ted Brewer, who encouraged me to proceed. My motivation was to avoid the dangers of (a) loss of control of the CB during heavy seas resulting from cable failure, and (b) uncontrollable flooding resulting from rupture of the CB lifting mechanism that passes through the hull. I removed the CB, pin, sheaves & cables - revealing a hole (from the bilge to CB trunk) covered only by a sheave box! I closed off the bottom of the CB trunk, which extended vertically from bottom to top of the lead keel, with a series of transverse SS bolts about 1" above the bottom of the trunk opening. After sealing the trunk opening with duct tape, I poured a slurry of epoxy & 1/4" chopped glass (through the hole in the bilge) sufficient to flow over and encase the SS bolts. This locked the sides of the CB trunk together (in case of a grounding on rocks) and sealed the cavity from below. I then filled the entire cavity from above (through the same bilge hole) with a slurry of SIKA 212 Cement Grout. All of this probably added 200 lbs more ballast than the CB had originally contributed.

[@BeauAndBrandy]

Thank you so much for this explanation! It’s nice to hear that Ted Brewer approved of the change. We plan on adding cement as well and sealing it with polyester resin.

[@TheSloopOrion]

We owned a 1975 Irwin with a very similar design. One of the previous owners did a modification like you have done but with a wing of sorts. It was more like an oversized sole of a shoe. That was the nicest sailing boat. Unfortunately, the "wing" was a non- corrosive metal glasses over with fiberglass. This caused the glass to weep every time we hauled out. Glad you didn't mix in any metal. Looks solid!

[@douglasrobbie9998]

Surprised you did not add a breakaway 6-12" foam/fiberglas addition to the bottom of your keel. Sacrificial for grounding and better upwind performance but still under 5' draft.

[@brianmcguire5189]

Great job by all 3 of you! Don’t listen too the naysayers and trolls! Only you know your boat, can’t wait to see you guys back on the water showing us beautiful places! Happy New Year✌️✌️✌️

[@BeauAndBrandy]

Thanks so much!!

[@jiefflerenard1228]

I have seen lots of people getting into major labor work without knowing what they were getting into, but kudos to you because you know exactly how much, much, much work you are going into and are no afraid all clear eyed. Hats off.

[@ericdelevinquiere9902]

I use a diamond concrete grinder, cheaper in the long run, just have to be careful doing it but super fast! Also on the bottom job, I have seen rubber from conveyor type belts being glued on for extra protection.

[@markberger5739]

How will that not affect stability & SAFETY?😮

[@randomviking8676]

Got thisclose to a tea spitting accident when Beau suddenly had a little kids voice! 😮🤣

[@BeauAndBrandy]

🤣😂🤣😂

[@SMOKEitUP42O]

Beau the money you saved by doing most repairs has to be unreal...wishing you both no needed repairs for 2025 🎉🎉🎉

[@sv.alannah]

A whole year... On a sail boat? Ya that would be nice!

[@ETET85268]

How much positive buoyancy ( or righting moment)would there be with a sealed air cavity at the lowest point of the keel.

[@billsrq1788]

Next project. Bought another Siesta connecting the 2 together and making a catamaran

[@robertbiron]

Hope you had a Merry Christmas and I'll wish you a very Happy New Year. I was wondering what was the swing keel made of inside the shell and how much did it weigh, will you have to make up the difference in ballast? From what I found it could weigh as much as 2050 kilos or 4519 lbs, that's quite significant.The point of a swing keel is to point higher to the wind and give better stability when sailing while allowing you to have a lower draft in shallow water's. What's the plan?

[@davidroseman9586]

Pearson boats are notorious for wet hulls. They use balsa below the waterline, eventually water gets in. Here’s the wringer, as long as it saltwater your ok, freshwater turns balsa to mush though.

[@BeauAndBrandy]

@@davidroseman9586 we’ve cut into our keel and hull and no balsa here. Maybe in other pearsons but not Saoirse.

[@peterstockless7652]

I did the heavy grinding on my 1970's Bristol Corinthian below the water line. faired with quick fair and a squeegee'd on layer of West system. two coats of barrier coat, one coat of red bottom paint and two coats of black Kirby Copper antifouling. the boat is so smooth and is significantly faster in light air. I know you have been using total boat, and their products are top notch, but the Kirby Bottom Paint is made for slower boats like ours and I have had great results in Active New England waters. (you should have hauled and done this when you were in a colder climate. I can't imagine being under there in the heat.

[@stevenclark1717]

Smart thinking with the foamcore. Installing lead from the bottom is a huge heavy pain in the butt. Far better to have the option of adding ballast should you think it necessary from the top. Way easier to cut a hole and refiberglass while afloat should you feel the need. Personally I would just fill the void with wine bottles.

[@GuyIncognito764]

I had pearson 35 hull #7 and it came to me without a centerboard. Worked fine.

[@michaellovell9625]

A lot of work but the bottom just became a 20 foot good looking boat. 😂 Really your work is looking great. 😊 I can't wait to see what you do with the inside now. Wishing you guys a great New year's 🎉 As always be safe but have fun .⛵🇺🇸

[@camielkotte]

Another great project and demonstration in selfreliance. Cheers. Ps it keeps surprising me how much work is done without a dust collector. Using a grinder in the Netherlands will get you kicked out of the harbour. Sanding antifouling is prohibited, sanding paint without a collector is prohibited. You are obliged to use a cover over the ground when painting etc... Basically, we can't do shit over here. Add to that, i have a steel sailing yacht from the 60s which scares the crap out of people because of "rust dust" when working on it. People literally freaked out when i used a "regular vacuum cleaner" to remove old rust from the bottom of the aft locker. Panic! They didn't talk to me ever again. To "peel" a gelcoat there are special tools for that ... with suction. Btw.

[@BeauAndBrandy]

its the wild wild west over here in Guatemala. We try to contain as much as we can. we use a vacuum on our sander and tent around the boat. but you should see the copper coat dust flying around next to us all free to hit every white boat in the yard.

[@camielkotte]

@BeauAndBrandy yeah I know from other channels as well. We do what we can. Cheers. Keep it up!

[@JacobBohmeDK]

I love watching this. Solid job. You are replacing water with air. The boat might be a bit lighter and less stable. Please be more careful with epoxy. Do not get it on your skin. If you do, wash it off immediately.

[@PyrateGFXProductions]

It is my understanding that unless the boat is primarily for racing and not cruising, daggerboards are just a hindrance and in the way. However, I do see their advantages in properly applied use cases. Cruising boats are probably most typically not the proper use case.

[@paulcollins9197]

Alot of work, but in the long run I think it will be better

[@christip20]

7:03 I Loved the little “Pansy” voice, somehow it was hilarious coming from you…..I didn’t realize that I had been watching so long until I saw the shots of the stream of water coming out after you drilled that hole and I had also thought I must’ve missed one because I couldn’t remember what happened to the center board……LOL!

[@BeauAndBrandy]

lol! 😂

[@MistiMoan]

18:14 so fill this void with fairring(spelling?) compound then a second layer of fiberglass

[@BeauAndBrandy]

We will be filling the void, most likely cement.

[@MistiMoan]

@BeauAndBrandy cement. Hmm 🤔 wonder if that's comparable with fiberglass...brb 🏃‍♀️📚

[@californiakayaker]

At first it sounded terrible but after your explanation it seemed just fine. It does look really solid. Good work as usual. That teamwork thing you showed was really an eye opener.

[@zenstitch9972]

Beau! You are the MAN!!!

[@koehl405]

I hope you both had a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.. Thanks

[@brianstevens7241]

For your application removing the centerboard makes a lot of sense.

[@SpikeA]

I loved the way Beau's voice changed. It had me laughing pretty hard. I can see that in future videos. I'm still tickled!

[@CaptJimboa]

Cool. I also got rid of mine. As long as the caps don’t leak, I’m not sealing the box. I charter Daytrips in San Juan.

[@iainlyall6475]

well done. interested to hear how she sails now.

[@russellparrish8862]

Wow! Nicely done. That was a big job and I am happy for y'all.

[@BeauAndBrandy]

Thank you!

[@laurierodriguez1432]

Another great project almost completed....you guys are my fave...you can do anything you set your mind to✌️💙

[@paulhellewell9468]

Great job again folks...although, Brandy, one suggestion, when you're helping at measuring out stuff, how about a taller work table. I found myself bitting my nails as you were bent over with your hair on the ground. No amount of 'BEAM' is going to help if you have to chop off a chunk of those lovely red locks. Be safe you two.

[@BeauAndBrandy]

😂🤣

[@DYoung-vt8pq]

Love you guys! Happy Holidays! Be well. ❤

[@btrent9244]

Looks like a fine job. 👍👍👍

[@lancewoolen9343]

Man!! What a project!! Looks great..

[@stepheneverett2265]

Good job.started out sketchy.but like always u rocked it.

[@iainlyall6475]

i was worried about the centreboard until i realised you still had a keel 🙂

[@John-Nada]

I love the jungle sounds of insects at night

[@krispress7824]

Good call on the centerboard

[@williamralph5442]

Good Job Beau, must be tiring. Thanks

[@TheNeds]

big job. merry Christmas happy new year!

[@loisphillips5826]

Thanks for sharing. Happy New Year

[@hanfordcreek5309]

In hindsight you should have made a 6” to 8” extension to your keel, it wouldn’t have been much more work and it would have been a more positive feature on resale…..there’s no free lunch with leeway. You may have to relay on a higher point of sail longer than you have batteries.

[@artsmith103]

They've skirted over some really shallow water. But I agree with you, 3 more inches for the length of the keel.

[@sv.alannah]

Not a bad idea getting rid of the C board. My only concern would be that space in the trunk you sealed in or did you core all of it. How big is it because it will be now full of air not water. Being that low in the water I would want to fill it with something that does not float.

[@BeauAndBrandy]

We plan on filling the void…just still debating with what.

[@sv.alannah]

@@BeauAndBrandy If you can.. 100's years ago they exclusively used rocks and sand for ballast.

[@captainandthelady]

I was wondering if you shouldn't have filled that hollow area with cement or some such material to compensate for weight loss. Or fill it up with high density foam then add a lead stub to the bottom.

[@BeauAndBrandy]

We are still contemplating on what to do there.

[@frednedgold4636]

The projects concepts you guys take on !always very interesting and challenging my thinking .good job,

[@mc400cricket2]

Happy New Year!

[@ninehundreddollarluxuryyac5958]

That soaked foam dries out real nice after a week or two. I sawed the back off one of the sugar scoops to install a boarding ladder. It was completely saturated. By the time I was ready to close it up, the foam was dry. Your hull has that stubby keel that enclosed the movable one, so your boat still sails pretty good. I lost the swing keel on a MacGregor trailer-sailer, and that boat could not make any headway upwind because of a flat bottom that depended on the swing keel being down to sail. You have a good boat to be doing the no-keel thing with.

[@lil_joe_iii]

Awesome video happy new year

[@BeauAndBrandy]

Thanks! Happy new year to you!

[@jorgegorina8358]

Awesome work.

[@ronaldwarren5220]

You da man brother!

[@TheChipster2011]

Hi Good Job Was there any weight in the centreboard ? This would have to be compensated for stability ,, Yes ? No ?

[@BeauAndBrandy]

It was MAYBE 300 lbs. but we will be filling the void.

[@michaelhensley4102]

Very informative thank you

[@svhulda6157]

Agree with you. Get rid of everything you don't need. I am fighting my wife on that issue, but that's life. I am metric, sv Hulda looks good from 10 metres, just shy of 40 feet. You will free som space on the inside too?

[@jerrykroskie7782]

Time for a new boat lot of good hurricane boats probably less work good luck

[@BeauAndBrandy]

they all still cost money and we love our Saoirse, hence the reason we are doing the modifications to her :)

[@pkrockit]

What are you going to do from the inside? Are you going to remove the centreboard trunk? Are you going to glass over the Nida-Core from the inside?

[@antonygilbert9695]

Sorry for dum question here, but what is this peel ply ?? where to find that ? how to apply.. wow, seen that previously but no idea how it's working !

[@corujariousa]

I see good/critical comments below and hope you'll listen carefully. That kind of design change can lead to serious consequences if you do not compensate with something effective. Note: This change might also affect your reselling of this boat in the future.

[@BeauAndBrandy]

We are not concerned about the resell of Saoirse. We took this design change with serious thought and lots of communication and research with others that have done the same.

[@corujariousa]

@@BeauAndBrandy Great! Stay safe and enjoy the adventures.

[@jasonmathews8741]

Do you have weight in the bottom to prevent her from rolling in rough seas or big seas? Also I noticed you did not sand for the epoxy or the fiberglass. How do you know you have a good bond?

[@BeauAndBrandy]

We still have a 5,500 lb keel. The 300 lb centerboard was negligible. But we plan on filling in the void. And yes we did sand in between (there was at least one scene of sanding) not sure if the audience wants to see ALL the sanding we have to do 😜. But yes it was done properly.

[@brassring5524]

Good job Beau, laying on the ground working overhead and sometimes in the Rain is tough. It looks great.....and YAY no more leaks. Are you gonna glass over the centerboard pin on the inside ?

[@BeauAndBrandy]

YES!!!! so excited to do that, no reason to have those extra cavities gathering water.

[@maryjnorwood3962]

Wait, what? Oh, my gosh! How logical! 😎❤️⚓️

[@tbnservices]

Did you guys consider that your keel being completely saturated with water provided ample ballast with or without the centerboard in place? I’m worried that now that you’ve fixed the water ingress and filled the void with lightweight foam, plus the removal of the center board.. the absence of a considerable amount of weight below the waterline may make for a highly unstable vessel. Hope I’m wrong.

[@BeauAndBrandy]

We are not filling it with foam, we are doing cement to add back in the weight.

[@5thdayadventures]

Nicely done! Are you going to fill the void where the board was with anything? Like concrete? Or cut out the box out on the inside or just leave it?

[@BeauAndBrandy]

@@5thdayadventures filling it…more on that to come.

[@5thdayadventures]

@@BeauAndBrandy Great I can't wait to see what you come up with...

[@glynwillmoth7617]

What is the draft when you finish? Have a great new year !

[@BeauAndBrandy]

we have a full keel that is 3.9. Happy New Year to YOU!

[@mrsmithdaddy]

12:02, is that a raw water intake? What do you use it for?

[@artsmith103]

Theme of the whole video. It's the empty centerboard trunk after centerboard broke/removed.

[@BeauAndBrandy]

That’s the speed transducer

[@jasonrarick4649]

Good Work Beau, now sirsha has had a hystarectomy.

[@BeauAndBrandy]

🤣

[@HeadingThisWay]

Where were you doing the work ? Hard to find a good DIY yard anymore ..

[@BeauAndBrandy]

we are in the rio dulce, guatemala.

[@ianmiller750]

RAM?

[@BeauAndBrandy]

nanajuana :)

[@waterdog226]

Merry post -Christmas! Rio Dulce is a great place to do work or have it done. I have been there (two years ago) we stayed at an Inn there. Our daughter and her husband were docked at their marina. You guys were there too.. I think you said you were at Monkey Harbour. Their boat is Black Jade. They are two Canadians. That area is lovely.

[@curtishyde1842]

Are you sure it wasn't a partially sunk container y'all seem to have that kind of luck with containers just saying love you all LOL😮😢😅😊❤

[@scottmarkham9466]

Ashwagandha puts me to sleep everynight !

[@MarchTwentyfour-t8z]

Personally I don't know the design of your yacht. If your old centerboard was light weight with no ballast then you'll probably be fine. If it was me, I'd be looking for a way to put a new steel centerboard in, something weighty. 90% of the time you'll never need it, but when you do need it I'd hate to regret not having it.

[@snapstring]

👍

[@BeauAndBrandy]

🙌

[@CJ5EVOLUTION]

No option to find a massive hard wood you can add just to add a little more kiel and weight, you are in the right country to find hard wood for cheap, hard wood is heavy so you kill two birds with one shot

[@jpiz224]

Heyyyyyy😂

[@nowhereman7398]

I've eaten a little paste, didn't like it. I also tried dry dog food when I was feeding our dog, that stuff is really foul. When my new dog won't eat dry dog food, I can't blame him. Ugghhh. I usually feed him human food leftovers, he loves that. Even though I'm not such a good cook.

[@jiefflerenard1228]

It seems to me that dogs lived longer on leftover when I was a kid (1950's) all the dogs I had as an adult raised on dry food died of cancer. Maybe a fluke? Also lots of different dry food ,some expensive ones are corn free .

[@sailorjim7115]

🎉🎉🎉

[@nolanmailhos1470]

How come you didn't say exactly what brand the boat is. I see a lot of Boats I would like to buy but. A lot of them have a center board so I'll stay away from it. So is it a good repair?

[@artsmith103]

They did, Pearson 35

[@Desire4Sound]

This dream powder is dangerous. :)

[@BeauAndBrandy]

You got some?

[@waterdog226]

I mistakenly posted this to MarchTwentyfour.. meant for Beau and Brandy.

[@joeldelamirande5792]

Too bad you can’t add a longer keel

[@BeauAndBrandy]

probably could, but woah that would be a ton of work!

[@joeldelamirande5792]

@ I know the feeling I refitted a C&c 30 After I was done I could have bought a bigger boat but still look nice after 4 years

[@nolanmailhos1470]

Sorry I didn't watch video 3 times before I found out. Thirty five foot person

[@BeauAndBrandy]

Pearson.

[@faircompetition1203]

Your boat actually still has a keel . More of a shoal draft . It will sail like a shoal draft boat , crap to windward and Ok everywhere else . Mind you it probably was crap to weather anyway and filling that will make the boat faster . That design for the centerboard was crap anyway. My boat is a Tanzer 10.5 with a cast iron swing keel that connects via a grounding plate that is bolted to the boat like a Southerly . Way better design . It also fills the entire trunk when down . One warning is beware changing the ultimate stability of the boat , it is not really an offshore boat in the first place . Looking at it the keel probably did not contribute much , but do think about it .

[@HeadingThisWay]

I wonder if back filling the cavity with something heavy would add to the stability ????

[@artsmith103]

​@@HeadingThisWay I was thinking of some lighter mortar material.

[@69lure]

CRAZY...In heavy seas with sails down that Centre Board may have stopped a role over if ya cop a wave from the side.. You not scared to do the work though Beau good job mate ..

[@AndyUK-Corrival]

Pretty sure it wasn’t ballast but for pointing upwind so it would not have been much help for righting.

[@69lure]

@@AndyUK-Corrival Mate you obviously dont sail and have no idea what you are talking about..In 20ft waves with no sail it helps i have also used buckets on ropes to grab water to stop roll over ..Anything to grab water from a side hit helps..When you may need it and not have it can make a difference been sailing for 50yrs fully Qualified Skipper and been around the Globe 3 times ..Spending 24hrs with no sails in Gail force winds you use everything to prevent a roll over and that centre board will help when coping a wave from the side as it grabs water..In Some conditions you cant motor or have any sails up and just have to sit it out..If you Sail you would know this

[@mikep8058]

Watch out for those orcas.... nice work

[@JonMadsen70]

:)

[@GoofieNewfie69]

Don't use a grinder, hehehe, spoken like a true armchair sailor, regurgitating amature KZbin advice. Imagine the comments if they seen us using the big 5 and 6 inch belt sanders on a hull

[@USA4thewin]

dont let other people tell you how its done ,, those boat engineers are all stupid more boats have sunk because of bad design than sailors facts

[@dianne.murielrobidoux9008]

Merry Xmas and Happy New Year. You're attached to this boat but as humans age so does it to. Heard it's a buyer's market! Get something bigger with a bit of comfort you'll be happy we'll feel it too! escape the sailing uma rutter downward's. I've unsubscribed , tried trials and nope !!! What's wrong? Uninthousiasism!!!😢

[@SVPearler]

Buyers market, but when you have to sell first and work needs to be done to make it more saleable, where does that leave you? Catch 22. And it's their boat, not yours.

[@CarltonTweedle]

The boat was built with a swing keel should still have one. Sorry but this is dangerous. I ken you are not going deep sea, but a quick squall your goosed. Please stay safe.

[@BeauAndBrandy]

We’ve been sailing 3 years without it and lots of bad weather and conditions.

[@CarltonTweedle]

I am just worried. Ex merchant seaman been on big ships and a few times we went over 45 degrees. This was in the South Atlantic by the Falklands.

[@artsmith103]

​@CarltonTweedle it's not ballast. Has nothing to do with tipping. He even mentioned they might fill the remaining cavity with ballast.

[@jackdbur]

Dig out the cover of the void next to the casing and fill it with hi-density concrete.

[@arqcm]

Time for another boat!! :)