Yesterday's epoxy/fabric sheathing on one side of the rudder is not ready for sanding. High humidity during the night followed by rain this morning left it with a coating of slippery blush. I'll have to leave it to cure for three or four days and then scrub off the blush before moving forward on the rudder project.
After the rain stopped I sponged out the small amount of water which had dripped into the boat, and after that dried I started sanding all the second-round filled holes in the boat's interior. In the process I found two unfilled screw holes which I had overlooked twice despite carefully sticking my nose in every odd corner.I decided to tape over those spots and deal with them later. I vacuumed all the dust and debris out, then did it again for good measure. Then I wiped the entire interior down with a damp sponge. More rain was forecast, so I couldn't paint today, but at least the boat is clean and ready for painting when I get the weather for it.
Since I couldn't paint, I filled those last two screw holes and used my remaining time to hang the centerboard. I set up a mirror so I could see daylight through the pivot pin hole when the board was in the right place. When I finally got the board aligned right, I slipped in the 1/2" pin, and tapped protective plastic sleeves onto the ends of the pin where it would otherwise rub on the centerboard trunk. I taped the outline of the aluminum plates I'd made to cover the ends of the pin, laid two beads of silicone around the pin hole, and screwed a plate onto each side. The centerboard pivot is above the waterline, so I'm not very worried about a leak there, but this sould provide a durable and watertight support for the pivot pin anyway.
The centerboard is in place, ready to go sailing. Plenty of other things aren't ready, of course.
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