Leaderboard

I need to lift those weights more often Jay; my arms and legs are skinny and weak! I probably won't finish the boat in time for the Messabout. Working with my kids really slows me down at times . . . . . . but it is worth it when I see a smile like this.

Pics work for me

I don't think you really will gain anything using it for the rudder up/down haul. You could use it for the second line on the CB purchase but not really necessary.

Amos, 12 strand lines like that are made from polypropylene and are VERY strong. They do have some disadvantages. They are slippery so they are no good to use in a cam or Jam cleat. Also if they catch something with a burr or snag on a ring ding you'll pull a strand right out of them and sometimes you can smooth it back in but over time they start to get a bit fuzzy. Still strong though. They also have excellent wear resistance so they can roll over a block with a high turning angle and far outlast a dacron line which will eventually break from internal friction of the strands. It would work excellent for the centerboard uphaul line and I have used 12 strand for that before. The very first part of the purchase that does not need to be cleated would be idea from 12 strand. You can tie bowlines in the ends and they will hold for all of our applications but they will slip once you start to approach the maximum load capabilities of this line. For the CB uphaul it might see 200lbs which is not even close to what the line could handle. The bigger advantage to my mind using 12 strand there is that it will last longer rolling over the cheek block inside the trunk. One tricky part is figuring out how to get it to stay in the centerboard. What I have done in the past is put a bunch of overhand knots in the end and then a large fender washer with a tiny hole. with the fender washer inside the centerboard hole with stopper knots behind it you should be good to go but I've always backed it up by just pouring the lot full up with epoxy. You'll get years of service from it. 12 strand is also sold with a braided cover over it which gives a line the low stretch and strength properties of the 12 strand but a braided cover that can be used in a cam cleat. any high performance line for racing are of this type where low stretch is a requirement. For our Core Sound boats the loads just below the threshold where stretch is something we need to consider for halyards and such. The CB pennant is likely the highest loaded line on the boat when the CB is retracted.

Why don't you just drag them into the B & B site. I lower the res a bit because my camera takes ridiculously large pics and then just drag them in.

I've never used anything but porch and floor on my boats. Well, for the painted bits. I've never had one problem. When there has been damage, it has been easy as pie to repair. Porch and floor is formulated to walk on. It ain't interior wall paint. Would I use it on a moored boat? No. A drysailed camp cruiser? Yes. In a very obnoxious orange, too. A little pirogue or canoe? Sure. Yellow, with green trim... Peace, Robert

Made 2 of these a few weeks ago, cut them on a water jet out of 3/8" aluminum and going to either polish them or maybe powder coat them ( silver) I am also thinking I should clear coat them. Planning on mounting them on either side towards the back, probably use a drill and tap the back side and use a hidden screw from the back that way they will look clean and less of a chance for water to get through.

A fairing trick I'm not a big fan of, but many are is, to use a small notched trowel to spread the first layer of fairing compound. It's really handy around tape seams where the area raised is slight and hard to see. A uniform smear of goo (all over) with the trowel and let it dry. Next you come back with the long board and start knocking it down. Blowing off the surface you'll see the little ridges left by the trowel, but some will be deeper than others, which is what many like about this technique. Because you can literally see the low and high spots in the valleys of the notches, you know where to focus filling and knocking down efforts. Once you've got it pretty much fair, you simply come back with more fairing compound and fill the grooves, flush to their neighbors. What I don't like about this technique is the amount of waste in used filler, but it is an effective method, that many pro's employ. It can also be pretty fast. A buddy of mine is a metal boatbuilder and he uses this method exclusively. I can understand why with metal builders, as there's always a considerable amount of fairing with plate distortion and such, so it makes sense for him. For a small boat a 1/16" V-notch trowel is fine, unless the surface needs major low spot filling.