December 16, 2020

Arietta 12

Wednesday

Another round of finish sanding brought the hull nearly to its final readiness, but there were a few small low spots that would require another round of epoxy fairing compound, so after cleaning up I spot-applied the additional material where needed.

While I was thinking of it, I used the solar panel to mark the screw locations and drill pilotholes through the newly epoxy-filled holes in the lazarette hatch–another small item to tick off the pre-primer list.

The owner requested that I install an oarlock for a sculling oar on the transom, and with some time on hand I made up a teak block to support the oarlock socket and raise it high enough for clearance over the lazarette hatch.  To better secure the base and oarlock to the taffrail when the time came, I enlarged the mounting holes from their standard #10 to 1/4″ size, which I not only felt would be stronger, but I couldn’t get the bolt length I needed (4.5″) in #10 anyway.

I’d await final installation till later, and I had to order the bolts anyway, so for now I finished up with a coat of Cetol on the new base.

Total time billed on this job today:  3.5 hours

0600 Weather Observation:  7°, clear.  Forecast for the day:  Mostly sunny, 18°.