1978 Balboa 27 ft Masthead sloop friends?

[Skipper Lee]

Hi all,
I bought this boat 3 weeks ago in reaction to not going to Thailand and participating in the Samui Regatta with friends which should be happening now. Covid cancelled that! Ok enough whining.
It is now very nice lawn art outside my home office window. I just ordered the Thunderstruck 5KW kit to replace the seized Yanmar SB2 it came with. the Yanmar and EVERYTHING related is now out and free to good home.

This boat was built by Coastal Recreation in California.
I was recently told by someone on CF that i can access the swing bolt from inside the boat, but as this boat has a full glass liner forming all lockers, cabinets,V berth and cabin sole i cant get a visual on the bolt from there without chopping the sole out and i am quite certain that wont happen unless the keel falls out into the drink!
Hopefully the poster was not correct in how to get at it.
I add that i have never had a swing keel boat so no idea whats really up. There is a hand winch in the engine room for lowering and lifting the keel.
It sits on the full bunk trailer it came with and the entire keel sits on a 2 X 12 so i cant look at if/how the swing keel bolts and hinges from below without lifting the boat! but it must be there. if it is there i will just service it when i get it to the yard/Marina
Anyhow i am really just trying to find someone with this boat to chat with about the good bad and ugly of owning one as i am not finding anything on the web regarding this boat at all except a few on the water photos etc.

Is there anyone out there?
Best regards.
Skipper Lee.

[Skipper Lee]

BTW the cable tube was cut off by the previous owner while trying to remove the Yanmar! I am just gonna fix that.
Hope someone is out there!

[RobertWayneO]

Skipper Lee, I have the same boat. The centerboard pivot pin is accessed from the outside on the fixed keel portion. The hole for the pin is located about a third aft from the front of the keel on the port side. It may be covered by fiberglass or caulk. I had to remove the trailer to find it as part of the trailer guide boards covers that section. So no need to tear up the interior as it is not accessible from the inside. BobO

[LittleWing77]

Originally Posted by RobertWayneO

Skipper Lee, I have the same boat. The centerboard pivot pin is accessed from the outside on the fixed keel portion. The hole for the pin is located about a third aft from the front of the keel on the port side. It may be covered by fiberglass or caulk. I had to remove the trailer to find it as part of the trailer guide boards covers that section. So no need to tear up the interior as it is not accessible from the inside. BobO

Boy, Bob - what a lifesaver you are! Can you imagine if he had cut up the sole and found out the pin is only accessible from the outside *afterwards*???

There is nothing like fellow boat owners!

Fair, fair winds to you and many sea miles,
Warmly,
LittleWing77

[Skipper Lee]

Hi Little Wing,
You are right about that! Its my first small trailer boat so correct answers are valuable. This boat has been in a barn since 2003 and the original owner is deceased so not able to ask him.

Bob, Can you tell me if you raise the mast from the bow or stern and which stays are attached prior to raising? Again no luck on google there. Mine has a bent up gate hinge thru bolted in front of the mast so seems the previous owner may have been raising it from the bow but its shorter from the mast base to the bow than it is to the stern and the mast would not balance resting on the bow pulpit as it is less than half way up the mast.

This mast is not centered on the boat fore/aft, its forward of center a few feet. i wonder how its done as the hinge and attachment are quite bent and it looks as if the mast may have fallen or at least been a problem to raise. The mast however is still straight. I have not tried to raise it yet but seems as it would be hard to raise that way, at least on the water.

Because the gate hinge seems to have been added after it left the factory perhaps he was doing it the wrong way or just fastening it to the hinge once raised from the aft?

Thanks for your insight.

[Sailormanbigd]

never seen a hinge setup like that! A bit cobbled if you ask me. I would remove it and seal the holes with epoxy. there are plenty of you tube vids on stepping a mast, check them out. You walk the mast back over the stern and set the base of the mast in the tabernacle and pin/bolt it. Attach a pulley with purchase (mainsheet) to the forestay stem fitting to forestay. from the cockpit lift the mast and tension the pulley . you can use a cabin top winch if you need extra leverage. In my experience all the standing rigging is left as it was for sailing except the forestay tension. the lower shrouds help keep the mast straight (sort of) while you hoist. Once mast is up say 45 degrees it takes very little pull on pully to go the rest of the way up. then walk forward to the bow keeping tension on the pulley and attach the forestay to the stem fitting and tension. sounds a bit tricky but once youve done it a time or two its very straight forward. some use gin poles forward, some use a crutch aft to get the mast started, you will want dead simple setup. I have done by myself on all my 22ft trailer sailboats, and a 26 mcgreggor, but had a difficult time wrestling with a 25 oday as the mast was heavier. THe hard part is walking the mast back with all its shrouds/stays, pushing down on the base of the mast to align the pin/bolt, then the very hardest is lifting/starting the mast up. I get at the very back of the cockpit and lift and pull on pulley rope, then walk forward hand over hand to raise the mast overhead while taking up on the pulley rope. Have to make sure all guide wires(cables) are run fair as to not hang p as its being lifted. Best to have 2-3 people helping at first. 1 on the ground with the pulley system rope, and another in the cockpit helping to lift the mast. have fun. to lower just loosen the forestay attach pulley, keeping tension on forestay.

[Skipper Lee]

Thank you,
That sounds logical. Perhaps the previous owner tried it from the bow as the large rudder hangs on the transom and he possibly did not want to remove it to add a tall raising pole to the rudder mounts. I will be able to find a way to fix the raising pole at the stern when needed.
Best regards.
Lee.