More of the Same and a New Project

Wed., Oct. 5

I spent some of the day watching the Rays drop our first playoff game, but on a positive note, I did get some work done.

I put a fourth coat of varnish on the mast and sprit, fifth coat on the club.

And I did get at least the first round of fairing filler on the hull. Thinking ahead, I'll sand that smooth tomorrow and probably touch up a lot of spots. Beyond that, I just need to brush on and sand a coat or two of epoxy until the fabric weave disappears, and then it will be ready to paint. Starting next week there will be  a couple of trips out of town which will occupy most of October, but maybe I can get to the point of painting before then.

What's new is that I started making the rudder today. Actually, I started last spring by drawing out on plywood not only the outline but also the solid core filler pieces of 1x6 and 1x4 pine. All the time I remember spending on that was time saved today. I went to the lumber yard for the pine I needed.

 

I drilled holes in the pair of plywood skin panels and put nails through them, to keep them aligned. Then I cut to the top finish line. If you look closely you can see the places for all the core pieces marked out.

Then I cut the other three sides and corners.

And cut and laid out the core pieces, stapling them together to keep them aligned.

Finally, I flipped the assembly over and marked the cut line on the core pieces. They will extend above the top of the plywood to provide tabs over which the tiller will fit.

Before I glue and screw it all together, I'll plane a taper into the below-waterline part of the trailing edge of the core pieces. After it is all glued and screwed, I'll trim the edges and round them on the router table, and cover the rudder with fabric. The whole project shouldn't be too hard.

I need to think about making a tiller, too. Its downward bend means I'll have to build it up of several laminations on a form. Besides the spars, the tiller will the only item finished bright, so what I have in mind is alternating layers of light and dark wood. I'll just have to visit the specialty lumber company and see what they have that will take the bend and also look good.

Plenty of work remains, but it won't be forever before she's sailing.