weekly report - 1-Mar

27-Mar. Servo rudder foil has been  marked off. 

Hebridean plans suggest the drawing a grid of lines along the blank to guide shaping with a hand plane. Using Spotted Gum I think handplaning would be mighty difficult because it works like stone. 

Another technique I've used before is sawing accurately to depth cuts to define the foil. These are a guide to shaping the waste off. Cutting these on alternate sides provides accurate symmetry. 

A third method used with plywood is to simply sand to reveal sequential layers of ply,at various depths. This looks super cool and is accurate because you can gauge the depth quite easily. 

The windvane basically comprises four parts: the Pendulum (servo rudder), the Trunk (main body), Outrigger (holds the sail up) and the Vane or sail.

After completing the foil shape  the Rudder is mounted on the Trunk using a gudgeon and pintle arrangement. 

28 Mar: Foil shaping the rudder was completed overnight. The Spotted Gum was true to form but will varnish up a lush red colour. This afternoon I epoxy glued two rudder cheek plates in place. The gudgeons and pintles can ne fastened in place when these dry. 

. 

Here's the foot before shaping showing long cutsade on countout.

Here shaping is underway with the long cuts being sanded out.

NEW YOUTUBE CHANNEL:

Here's Nicole from "Sailing Arta" aka 'Sailing Artha". She's a hard playing twenty-something American solo sailor on a 28 footer but soon to be Skipper of Bristol Channel Pilot Cutter and take-on a circ'. She lives by her wits and a tight budget, whoxh ales it right up my canal.

29 Mar: Way hot like few days this summer. The mat surfing was small, off Pogo's and The Rocks,  and really enjoyable.

Epoxied rudder cheek plates.

30May: Worked Merewether and surfed mat in tiny conditions off the rocks. Couple of guys surfing one on a five foot fat twinny. Good fun and great to be off the rocks for se time alone.