Blue

The centerboard installation is finally, completely, well and truly done.  At least I think it is. I won't know for sure until it can be fully lowered, which is not possible on the cradle.  Nevertheless, the trunk cap pieces are installed, the winch is connected, and that particular set of tasks no longer appears either on my to-do list, nor in my 3 AM skull sessions.

I resolved a concern I had about the section of the trunk top to which the winch is bolted being under constant stress while the board is in the raised position.  Since I did not want to permanently attach (i.e., epoxy glue) that section to the trunk sides, I was afraid that the constant "working" resulting from the centerboard pulling the cable, pulling the winch, pulling the trunk cap would lead to leaks. After all, part of that section of the trunk cap is below the waterline.  I think I have solved the problem by bolting that section of the cap to the very stout trunk trim, with 1/4 inch silicon bronze bolts rather than screws will solve my problem.  I used 10 of them, and enough bedding compound to give me more than adequate squeeze-out.

Trunk cap assembly in place.  Those are 1/4" machine screws.

Looking forward from the cockpit.

I'm very glad I decided to mount the winch inside the cabin rather than in the cockpit.  Getting around it is not a problem, plus the handle can be removed and stowed nearby when not sailing.

While I am waiting for my ballast casting to be finished, I went ahead with hull painting.  First, I cleaned up some of the strake edges which did not look sufficiently fair to me.  I found a rabbit plane is great for this.  You just run it upside down along the bottom edge of each strake until you get a smooth pass.  This eliminates any unevenness which really stands out once you paint. I had a good deal of work to do on the port side, which I could not get good access to in the garage.  If I have learned one thing from this project, it is that you must have a spacious work area.  Sight lines are too important in hull construction to not be able to stand back and have a look! All in all, it looks pretty good, but I am sure I could have done better with a lot less work if I had had a bigger shed.

I decided, with much anguish and second guessing, and a bit of helpful encouragement from my wife, on a light blue color, actually Interlux Brightside "Light Blue."  Very creative, these marketing people.  I got one coat on today, using a 4 inch smooth roller, with my wife following with a brush to tip in. Brightside is a joy to use.  It spreads beautifully, covers well, and the dripping can be controlled.  Bosco got involved, of course.  Supervising is extremely important when painting, and he really got "into" his work. 

It surely is blue.

 

You have to respect a supervisor who gets into his work.

I have been shopping for a trailer. Finally found a dealer who knows what a centerboard is, and seems to be able to configure the bunks for my needs.  It seems that around here, at least, the powerboat is king, as far as trailers go, at least.  More on that adventure later.