Hirilonde

So the areas with blush have all the soft stiff scraped off and what is left is hard and still yellowed/foggy?

I would think that the shape of the aluminum where it slides would be very critical regardless of graphite or not. Fair at both ends, smooth round, etc..

.........and damned because it is all related.

Bright work is looking good. In the old days, the spars were often the only item done bright. This was done so that rot or other damage could be easily observed before they broke. The masts being vertical receive less UV than any more horizontal surfce and booms and gaffs were usually covered with the sails when not sailing.

I made my main sprit a little shorther than desired. I scarfed a piece on to make it longer.

Oak stains easily and deeply, you would have had to remove way too much to get rid of all the black. If you want to keep the Oak bright, give it many coats of varnish and keep them up.

I think you will find that paint works reasonably well on the frame, but does nothing for the springs. The paint does not get between the leaves, but water does. Springs are often the first part to go, or hubs/bearings if they are not maintained.

Do you glue a backer to the inside of the hull to bolt them through? This is what Garry called for to install his home made SS nesting hardware. Mine are still holding 19 years later.

I used 6mm bs1088 Okoume as my deck was bs1088 Sapele. A couple minutes in boiling water made bending it into place easy. Clamped it in place and let it dry, then epoxied it in. I specifically ordered 2 sheets of Sapele for my deck and transom. I am a huge fan of Sapele. But kiln dried is very hard and even steamed does not bend easily. It could be laminated into place, tedious to do, but would look great.

Hey geekygrappler, Almost any wood with straght grain makes a good batten. Some hard woods might be too rigid. I used 1/4" x 1/4". I take it from your post you don't have a table saw? A batten really must have uniform thickness and width or it won't bend fair. You could actually use some of your 6mm (1/4") plywood, but again, it would need to be ripped uniformly. The easiest way to bend the batten is to put the nails on the line and bend the batten around the outside of the curve. This will give you a fair line on the inside of the curve, and it will be the exact line. Just trace it lightly so as not to move the batten. Cut just outside of the line, and tweek or finesse to the line with a block plane or sanding block.

Pictures please.

You definitely want a secure level building form. I built on the ground and just leveled my sawhorses. Scarf before lofting. The kits cut before scarfing, but CNC is more accurate than you are. In your situation I would use Baltic Birch plywood for the console. It is probably the best plywood shy of BS 1088.

Imagine cleaning out your house of 36 years to move for retirement.

In a regular chock, the groove runs straight out the side. In a skene chock it runs diagonally. The diagonal should be close to the direction a line would run through it. In your case, from aft to forward and outboard, as an anchor rode or dock line would run. This avoids a hard bend on the chock, which would wear on the line as the boat moved with waves and wind.

Late season sails are a bonus, looking good. It looks like you have your skene chocks backwards.

I have concluded that as an older person the only way to keep moving is to keep moving. Do something, anything, just don't stop. Hey Jeff, thanks for the designs and materials, I had fun building and paddling. Might it still be worth selling the books and patterns? Maybe just the on line/download versions.

If you were not glassing the hull I would worry about the chine tape. But if it is all solid, nothing loose or pealing, then just make sure to saturate those spots well with epoxy and glass over it all.

Open the tail gate of the truck. Set the stern section with the nesting bulkhead on the ground, and the transom leaning against the tail gate. Set the forward section into the aft section. Lift up the nesting end and slide it in. The reverse for unloading.

Make a dummy centerboard. It would be just the cap and maybe 6 inches of board. I always threatened to make one for towing, but never did. I just stuffed a towel in the trunk.

This may sound silly, but if you punch a hole in your cover at the low poit where the puddle forms, it will drain into the boat, and then out through the Elvstrom bailer. UV is the enemy, a fresh water rinse during rains doesn't hurt.

I carried 4 people and a little stuff while rowing my 9N out to the mooring. Yeah, we sat low. We cruised for years and never wanted larger. If you will cruise with 4, then a 10 or 11 is probably a good idea. I am a huge fan of light weight. The difference wrestling a 9 vs an 11 is quite large.

Unless you are using a motor, you don't need to register it. If you are, then the DMV in most states handle registration. In other states, RI for one, Environmental Management/EPA or what ever your state calls it handles registrations.

Buff is a classic deck color, light enough to not get hot, color enough to avoid glare, looks great against varnished wood and doesn't look busy, even as a 3rd color.

B&B builders are getting older, well, some of us are. I remember him from the 1st Messabout. Sat in the cockpit of his Princess chatting for a while. Seems all chats with him lasted a while, not complaining. I will remember him.

When solo, I set right up near the center thwart/mizzen. When I have 1 other, they are in the foreward cockpit. In light air, I will sit foreward of the mizzen using the hiking stick, and if a passenger, they are foreward as well As Alan points out, keeping the transom out of the water is key. And if really light winds, healing the boat over to lee and foreward reduces wetted surface while helping the sails keep shape ready for the next puff.