RUDDER TEMPLATE

Last weekend, I cut a template for the rudder.  The dimensions for the template were taken from the J/30 class specifications and laid out on a piece of plywood.  Then the template was rough cut with a jig saw and finished off with a hand held belt sander.

When the template was laid on the rudder, it was apparent that the rudder was a bit fat in the center.  I think this is a relatively common condition for the J/30 rudder coming from the factory.  In the attached pictures, you can see the profile of the leading and trailing edges of the rudder holding up the template from being able to sit flush on the leading and trailing edges.

I've started to taper the leading and trailing edges by grinding down the fiberglass. I have one side nearly complete and will be starting the other side very soon.

WOODWORK & UNDER-SINK NASTINESS

We dove into a couple of new projects on the winter list this past weekend.  Our friend Mary volunteered to refinish the interior woodwork, I think before she realized what she was getting into.  And if nothing else, certainly before she realized I hadn't cleaned everything out of the boat yet from the summer season which meant many trips up and down the ladder emptying the boat before sanding could begin.  Sorry Mary!

And why are we refinishing woodwork?  Over the years, there had been a few leaks in the boat, mainly from the handrails and the windows.  The leaking has stained and damaged some of the woodwork finish.  So, it's time to take care of the damage.  Most of the mahogany is in decent shape, so not much finishing will be needed of mahogany.  Much of the white ash, however, needs to be refinished.

Areas adjacent to woodwork were taped off so that the surfaces would not be accidentally damaged while we were sanding.

Yes, that is the sink you see in this picture.  When we got into the project, I realized it would be easier to refinish the woodwork around the stove with the stove and gimbal removed.  Being that the stove is in close proximity to the sink, this reminded me that I also needed to fix a leak on the sink drain.  So I started to take apart the sink drain, which instantly crumbled into about five pieces.  In addition, the drain hose was not in the best of condition, so out the hose came as well.  The bottom of the sink was corroded, so I decided to take the whole thing out so it could be cleaned up and repainted.

And, of course, since I was under the galley, this reminded me that I had wanted to clean up and repaint the area under the galley.  There are two shelves in this area.  One was in decent condition while the other showed significant signs of deterioration.

The one on the left in this picture will be painted (in lieu of re-varnishing) while the one on the right will be rebuilt and painted.

A picture of the area under the galley after removal of the shelves is below.  The foot pump for the sink faucet attaches to the lower shelf.  This entire area under the galley will be repainted.