the centerboard in my sailboat is definately solid wood - not plywood,
not fiberglass coated, etc... it's just a wooden centerboard. Do I
still need to use the West System epoxy or can I just get a standard
wood glue from my local lumberyard - then coat the entire centerboard
in some water-proof seal to protect it (since it looks a little
weathered)

Walt wrote:
wrote:
I just purchased a used Escape Rumba. The centerboard is split right
down the middle. I called the Escape company and was told I could get a
new one for $95, but it is on 2 week backorder.

How hard would it be to make a new one myself? Can I just buy a certain
type of wood, cut out the shape, bevel the edges, put on some type of
water-proof seal ??

Or, I could glue the old one back together?

Assuming it's a clean split, I'd try gluing the old one back together
first. It's not at all uncommon for wood centerboards to split - a bit
of cleanup and application of some West System epoxy and they're like
new. Now, I don't think the Escape has a wood centerboard, but whatever
it's made of is probably gluable if the split is a clean one.

Second choice would be to spend the 95 bucks - yes, you can build your
own more or less the way you describe, but it'll take more than 95
bucks worth of your time unless you value your time at less than minimum
wage. And if you ever want to race it you'll probably need to use a
stock centerboard.

//Walt