January 9, 2025

PT11-52

Thursday

Now that the epoxy had cured overnight, I removed the rest of the masking from the rowlock risers.

Next, I turned to the rudder case.  Before disassembling the dry-fitted parts, I noted the reason why it was unimportant that the fiberglass sheathing on the insides of the side panels didn’t have to extend to the tips:  the area was completely contained within the area covered by the internal plywood spacer.

I disassembled the clamped-up parts and pulled the alignment nails, leaving their tips just poking out through the plywood to aid in aligning the center spacer.  Then, I applied epoxy gluing mix to the spacer and installed it on one of the cheeks (facing up on the bench), then applied glue to the other side and installed the second panel, tapping in all the alignment nails, ensuring the parts were visually and by touch, and then clamped the pieces securely.

I didn’t overdo it with the epoxy, using enough without too much of a surfeit, and now I cleaned up the narrow interior of the assembly with a dry brush to remove the minimal epoxy that had squeezed out on the inside; the way the assembly worked, the interior had to remain clean and clear for the rudder to fit and operate properly.  I checked carefully with a strong light shone into the space to ensure it was clear.  At the top of the case, where the tiller would eventually go, I smoothed the excess squeeze out into a small fillet on each side.

I left the rudder case securely clamped to cure overnight or longer.

Total time billed on this job today: 1.25 hours