Well, you CAN lift a centerboard out on shore if you need to for maintenance or something. But otherwise, when you are sailing, when it swivels up, it is hidden inside the hull. As Jake said, if you hit something, it is able to "kick up" into its slot, whereas if you hit something with a daggerboard, it's, "Uh-oh."
Mary:
Don't ALWAYS count on that. <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" /> When I first got my Hobie 17 and was new to them, the first time I took it out at Deep South I forgot to pull it up. When I hit the shore it snaped the pivot point off like snapping a twig!!!!! <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif" alt="" /> <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/mad.gif" alt="" /> <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/ooo.gif" alt="" />
Doug
