Rudder Fix

So after the heart ache of knowing that all of this rudder business could have been avoided if I had been more aware of what was going on at the lift, I got down to repairing it.  First I removed the rudder assembly from the boat.  The heal came off with no issues but the head was on a tapered rudder post.  It took some PB Blaster and a lot of hammering to get it free.  I brought it home and started to strip off the fiberglass to expose the cast bronze head fitting.  It was through bolted in 3 places with the nuts recessed into the rear of the wood rudder.   The slot was then sealed up with a resin/wood filler mixture.  Once all the bolts were extracted I could pull off the cast piece.

I could sight down and tell it was both bent and twisted.  I took the bend out with a hydraulic press.  This brought the piece half way back into true.  The twist was proving too difficult to get out and I was worried about breaking the cast piece.  I settled on making sure the head was square and true to the rudder and letting the tail twist off the 1/16th of an inch.  I set the piece in thickened epoxy and bolted and clamped it.

I will sand and fill where needed and fill the nut voids with thickened epoxy.  I will take it back to the boat this weekend to re-insert and allow me to square up the tiller.  The head has almost certainly moved as well and will need to be re-centered.  Once that is all done I will seal the wood and cover in fiber glass, fairing to a level finish ready for paint.  All that can happen at home again during the next week before i re-install for good the following weekend.  2 years ago this job would have terrified me.  Now, a little knowledge and a lot of epoxy goes along way.

Rudder Issue

Attached are photos of my now-in-need-of-repair rudder after a slip in the sling as the boat was being lifted out of the water for another issue.  I am including these photos here in hopes of finding an answer in how to repair the rudder mounted grudgen.  The lower part is fine as it is only a small post that pivots on the heel.  My question is how is this brass piece attached to the wood rudder which is covered by glass.  Before I start grinding I would like to know where, how much, etc.

Home Projects

How do you wash and dry a sail in the woods.......any way you can.  In the slim, sliver of open area at the house I was able to hang up the #2 between the flag pole and a tree to dry after a thorough wash.  I had only used the sail once in sunny conditions and put it away dry.  We came back to the boat 4 weeks later and it had mildewed throughout.  The other sail used in the same conditions and put away the same way, in the same bag, was fine.  I still can not explain it.  The locker it was in did leak while we were gone but the sail was not wet.  Why one sail and not the other?  I hand washed the sail with a very mild bleach solution.  I know they say that the bleach will eat away at the threads but realistically, it is a 25+ year sail.  I was only hoping to get a couple of years out of them any way.  I rinsed a lot, soaking the sail, and got most of the staining out.

The other project was bed extension pieces for the v-berth and and extension piece in the main salon.  I am making the boards and supports and the Admiral is sewing the covers.  This week I will also make the bimini extensions and support brackets.

Raise it Up

Last weekend we discovered we could raise the sampan bimini about 8 inches and still clear the boom allowing the bimini to remain up while sailing.  It's intended purpose in life.  The easiest way to do that is to make extensions that will couple with the existing uprights.  My first thought was to make the pieces fit in between the upright and the radius.  The tube would be 1" OD and the insert would be about .875" dia.  The insert would need to be recessed into the tube about 2" and then rosett welds to hold in place.  A time  consuming process, so I am told.

My next plan was to put the extensions on the bottom of the uprights and that allows me to also switch tracks on how to make them.  I will take 1" SS round stock and just turn down the 1-1/4" insert piece.  It will be much heavier than the tube but it will now be the base of the structure so the strength of being solid here can help.  This is also something within my skill level.  I have a friend who is supplying the SS stock and we have plenty of Mills and Lathes at work.  This should only take me a couple of hours to complete.  It still won't give us standing head room but every little bit helps.

What is it Worth?

The one thing we did not get accomplished last weekend on the boat was......go sailing!  With all we had going on and the strength of the wind it just didn't seem prudent.  I also met with a canvas guy.  I sent him the above concept and asked him to price it out for my boat.  The thought being this investment would keep her looking better, longer.  Both for my own enjoyment but also for future resale. Keeping in mind our goal is to get to the boat once a month (3-4 days).  The rest of the month (27 days) she will not be used.  The quote came in today and I was shocked.  When will I learn.

The pro's and con's.

Pro - Will prevent the quick degradation of all the bright-work, we have a lot.
Pro - Will limit the amount of rain finding it's way into the boat.
Pro - Will radically limit the amount of clean up, touch-up and maintenance.
Pro - On my limited trips to the boat we can focus on fun and sailing.
Pro - Might reduce spiders and cobwebs, but might not.
Pro - Would be warmer in the winter.

Con - Very, expensive.
Con - Possibly trapping moisture under and in boat.
Con - Very, very expensive.
Con - Time needed to open and close the boat will increase dramatically.
Con - Very, very, very expensive.
Con - Greater wind resistance in a sudden storm.

Help me decide.  When I heard the cost I passed out.  When I came too, I began doing the mental checklist  listed above.  I am squarely stuck on the fence.

Boat Ratios

This past weekend we enjoyed 8 hours of driving for 40 hours on the boat. A 1:5 ratio.  Yet still very worth it and very productive.  I may start tracking this ratio if only to satisfy my anal tendencies.  Our next trip to the boat should render a 1:10.5 ratio.  Lets see how that plan works out.

On the list of what we did get accomplished:
1.)  Installed the new fuses for the battery banks and the charger.  The battery banks now have 225 Amp fuses on each.  It is not really required on the house bank for normal use but if I need to combine the banks for starting if the starter bank is low it needs to be protected.  The charger just required a 10 Amp fuse that I had neglected to put in.

2.) With a functioning engine we were able to move the boat to a new slip.  The 5 nights we spent in the old slip was pretty rocky with the prevailing winds.  That was never going to improve.  We were fortunate to be moved relatively quickly after requesting a new slip and were reassigned to the other side of the docks.  Luck was not on our side as the wind was coming in from a rare NE direction and blowing 15-20.  It made entering this new slip challenging as the correct lines were not in place yet and I still can't get this boat to go backwards.  The transmission goes into reverse but the boat just spins in a circle.  I had help on the boat and on the dock but it still took 4 attempts.  Not pretty.

3.) Installed and adjusted dock lines in new slip.

4.) I installed the new piece of seal-tite for the mast wires where they exit the mast and enter the cabin top.  This stuff will not kink and will not leak.

5.) Adjusted dock lines in new slip.

6.) I crimped on new wire ends for the mast head light and anchor light and made all the final connections on the split block.  I ran the VHF antennae cable all the way to the radio and installed the final connecting piece.  I was not able to solder the shield wires to the housing and I am not getting a strong signal.  I will solder properly next time with better equipment.  At dusk I checked the mast head light which worked fine but the anchor light appeared to not be working.  After a little discussion it was agreed that it is really hard to see the anchor light when standing below it.  I went back to the boat to try again with someone on shore with a better angle to see the light.  Turns out it was working and working very well.  Very Bright.  I left it on for a couple of hours to revel in my success until two other people told me I left my anchor light on.

7.) Adjusted dock lines in new slip.

8.) We installed the sampan bimini mounts and poles and strung the old cover across so we could take some measurements.  I jacked up the boom as high as it would go and propped it up with a screw driver.  I raised the topping lift and figured we had about 8 inches to gain in the height.  With the top on we could extend the leading edge, if we installed another support, about 9 inches.  I will fabricate the 4 extension pieces and the Admiral can sew a new top.  That should get us by for a year or two.

9.) Adjusted dock lines in new slip.

10. I installed the drip tray/support I had fabricated to hold the AC unit in place.  The unit fit in perfectly and even though it was cool and windy I ran it for an hour.  It took a while for the compressor to come on but did cool down to 66.  It was relatively quite and I think will work very well.  I just need to add a strap over the top to make sure it stays in place.

11.) Adjusted dock lines in new slip.

12.) We temporarily installed the new bed piece that converts the two settee bunks (parallel)  into a twin bed for two (perpendicular).  After a nights sleep, some minor refinements were suggested, so the pieces were brought back home to be added too and the foam cover to be made.  It will add 6 inches to one side and all will be right with the world....on one side.

13.) Adjusted dock lines in new slip.

14.) Buoyed by the success of this bed piece a template was made for a insert into the v-berth to fill in the void.  Construction will be the same and a cushion added to the top.  Lots of work to do at home before we head back to the boat in just over two weeks.

15.) And just before we left to come home.....Adjusted dock lines in new slip.