Replace Broken Centerboard Cable

[anna schutt]

We have a 54' bristol swing keel, the lifting cable broke and was accidently cranked inside the tube. We were unable to push back thru, so we removed the old cable.
How do you get a new cable back thru to the swing keel?
We have tried various fish tapes for days no luck.
Any ideals?

[PAR]

My recollection of this arrangement is the lanyard runs aft slightly and directly down to about the mid length of the trailing edge on the board. Naturally, it's a whole lot easier if the boat is on the hard and the board dropped over 1/2 way down. A trick I've used in the past is a narrow diameter bolt with the head cut off a piece of strong sring glued and tied to it (I usually cross drill a hole in the bolt for the string). Duct tape a shop vac to the tube and feed the bolt in from the other end. With luck, you'll hear a clunk when the bolt gets sucked into the shop vac and now you have a "leader" to pull the hoisting lanyard through. A good seal on the sop vac end is fairly important with large yachts as lifting the darn bolt a long way requires a good seal.

[Andromaxa]

I read your note.

Did you have success in replacing the cable - if so how??

I also have had the cable break and a crew member pull it all out without thinking.

Andromaxa

[Juniper]

I've used 1/8" drip irragation tube for mine last summer, it's flexable but not floppy, it's got to go around a few bends, I've hear of the shop-vac method and the other way if in the water is to puor water down it and try and have the water pull a fish line with a small bead/wiegh on the end, when it comes out the bottom go swimming and attatch a small cord then the cable.

[Unicorn Dreams]

Anna

Since you are in the Keys, and all else fails, fond a local electrician.
They sometimes use a snake which is a coil of fine twine that they blow thru elec. conduit so they can pull wires thru. We had an electrician take over a job another one started and they had to use one to find out where some of the conduit went.