Selecting the Class Boat Best for You 



21 



the boat from sliding sidewise through the water. There the resemblance 

 ends. 



The centerboard hull is shallow and has a wood, fiberglass or metal 

 plate which moves up and down through a box on the centerline. Stand- 

 ard centerboards, the most commonly used type, are fitted with pins at 

 their forward, lower corners. At the after, upper corner of each, there's 

 a line or chain arranged to control, about one third of the way down, the 

 depth of the centerboard. 



Another style of centerboard which is often found in small class boats, 

 is the dagger type. This type requires a trunk and slot, but it isn't hinged. 

 It's bodily lowered or raised. In fact, it can be entirely lifted out when 

 the boat isn't being sailed. Adjustments are provided so that the depth 

 of the centerboard below the bottom can be controlled, and often the 

 slot and trunk are somewhat longer than the centerboard is wide so that 

 the latter can be shifted forward or aft to provide perfect balance in 

 relation to the center of sail pressure. 



When sailing in very shoal water or before the wind, and when at 

 anchor, the centerboard is raised up into the trunk so that little, if any, 

 of it projects below the bottom of the sailboat. However, no boat will 

 sail well when the centerboard is up unless dead before the wind. For 

 stability, this type of boat relies on its wide beam and the weight of the 

 crew. A centerboard craft can be easily capsized, but this is counteracted 

 by the knowledge that it won't sink if swamped. Furthermore, it is rela- 

 tively inexpensive to build and maintain, and its light weight and fairly 

 flat bottom make it easy to trailer. The draft of centerboard sailboats 

 can be as little as three inches. 



Two types of centerboards— the standard type (left) and daggerboard type (righi) 



