Repairs accomplished, ready for sea

[JeffM]

Done patching hole in side and bottom, centerboard repaired, new rudder blade made.

The rudder blade is a bit shorter and wider than stock, and made of exterior sand pine about 3/4", but the main difference is that, going without double cheeks on the stock, the blade needs more wood (6" instead of 4) around the pivot to lengthen the lever arm against sideways stress.

I'm still meditating on a way to keep the cb trunk from spitting at speed.   Sponge jammed in the aft end of the slot helps, but bunks still gets wet sometimes.  Maybe go to a weighted board in a fully enclosed trunk?  That would also mean less yelling at kids to keep cb tackle unobstructed.  Maybe a winter project.

Photos:

1. Hole resulting after I cut out the damaged area as conservatively as possible (worried about not having big enough scrap okume to patch), and bevelling edge with grinder.

2. Patches for side and bottom made of 1/4".  Side patch is reverse-bevelled, since the top of the hole is even with the bottom of the inwale, so there the bevel is on the outside.  (Why didn't I just bevel the whole thing on the outside?  I figured it was easier to hold the patch in the curving side from the inside.)

3. Centerboard after I beat the h_ out of the trailing edge to free it for the trip home.  Damage to the inside of the trunk from jammed pebbles appears to be minimal--but its hard to see properly in there.  It's pretty thickly-coated with graphited epoxy, anyway.

4. Centerboard with damage cut out and space filled with thickened epoxy.  I did not bother glassing the repair, figuring it is a low-stress area.  A 1/4-20 by 3" screw rests in the place I later installed it to provide a place to hammer on the board in future without so much damage.  The installed screw is epoxied into place with only the head projecting from the trailing edge, and the head was ground down roughly level with the sides to reduce drag.

5. Contented skipper on a try-out cruise to Cuttyhunk Island.  The only problem was that I did not properly caulk either the pivot caps or the trunk cap, so took water pretty steadily in the cabin.  Fortunately, Trevor rather enjoys working the bilge pump.  Fortunately also all three of us were able to sleep in the cabin without needing the floor.

6. Crew taking a break at the Cuttyhunk Historical Society.

[Hirilonde]

Bah, must have missed you by a couple days.  My wife and I were in Cuttyhunk a week and a half ago for a couple days.  Glad to see you got her back in the water for the rest of the season.  Working on a boat over the winter is one thing, but missing sailing while you do it is another.

[paul_stewart]

Jeff,  Glad to hear you're back on the water!

--Paul

[Jeff MacDonald]

What Paul said, and congrats on the speedy repairs and successful shakedown cruise.

[wkisting]

Congrats Jeff. I've been following your story with interest. Great feeling when you can repair such a seeming catastrophe and be sailing again all  under your own labor, isn't it?

Happy sailing!

[JeffM]

Sorry to have missed you, Dave!  I expect you would have spotted me, since the Pond had fewer boats than I remember last year, but how easy would it have been for me to recognized Hirilonde?  Thanks Paul and Wes.  I was never in doubt that I could fix the boat once I found her and got her home.  On the other hand, after 4 years I just can't seem to stop fixing her!  I suspect that Dave's signature might just be true--for me, at least.