Very tight Argo centreboard

My Topper Argo has a very tight centreboard, so much so that two of us are unable to pull it down into position. Laid the boat on its side, and looked under the boat. I could pull the board out by hand, but it was really tight, with a loud squealing noise as I pulled it into the down position, and the same stowing it.

I’ve only just bought the boat, it’s secondhand, so it’s my first experience afloat with it, which ended in a wasted launching as we couldn’t move the centreboard much. I haven’t had any in-depth look at it as yet.

Topper's web site lists this part, which I believe are the brackets that go each side of the plate.

https://toppersailboats.com/product/centreboard-bracket/

I'd definitely start by consulting Topper, but failing anything useful I think I would start by double checking for any foreign objects in the case. I would certainly ask for confirmation in how to remove the board, and whether there have been any issues like this before.


Thereafter, well there are all sorts of scenarios that occur to me, some more expensive than others. A hard grounding, for instance might distort those plates and cause issues. Did you get the boat privately or from a company? If the latter then there's definitely a case for discussion!



Edited by JimC - 03 Jun 22 at 7:07am

Thanks so much for the replies, I’m going to have a go at removing the centreboard next week, will report back as to what I find.

The PY system has next to nothing for the Argo. Not even enough to make a suggestion, well, between 1200 and 1250 is as far as I would go. All you can do is to make a list of vaguely similar boats and try and slot it in. Length is the most important factor by a mile, then weight and sail area.



Edited by JimC - 22 Jun 22 at 4:44pm