Working on the rudder. I needed a new tiller handle so I made one out of a scrap piece of hickory. The problem was that it was just a little thinner then the rudder so when I clamped the bolts tight I had a hard time fitting it over the head of the rudder. I bought the aluminum head piece from Stephen Jenson at San Juan Sailboats(Stephen@sjsailboats.com) for $20. I used a hitch clip to attach it to the rudder head to make taking the tiller handle off easier. It's easier to store w/ the handle off. I had obtained the tiller handle specs from someone in the community but I cannot find the e-mail. Basically it is 48" long and has a 3" drop from the rudder end. The aluminum cap is blank so you have to drill your own holes. It was fairly easy to measure the hole on the rudder head and where it should appear on the aluminum cap. A drill press is handy when making the holes. I used 2 bolts to attach the handle. I have seen 4 bolts on some pictures but it seems 2 should suffice. I'll let you know once I have the boat in the water. The outer layer of blue paint was chipped and peeling. I scraped it down to the fiberglass using a wallpaper scraper which worked well. I plan on sanding down the rest and for this year I was just going to paint on a layer or two of polyurethane varnish I have left over from the tiller handle just to help protect the fiberglass a bit. Again, this year I just want to get the boat in the water. Next year I'll make her pretty.I would also like to find another method to keep the rudder in the down position. The elastic rope tied in a square knot doesn't seem to be the best method though it is functional. If anyone has any other ideas I would love to hear them.
The next job was to make a new traveler base. The old one had rotted and when I pulled it out there were actually carpenter ants living in the wood. I had some composite decking scaps and used a piece as a new base for the traveler. I plan on using the same screw holes from the old traveler. I figure the fewer holes in the fiberglass the better. I had to crawl into the bunks to undo the bolts that were holding down the prior traveler base. No an easy task - I am 6'2" and 220lbs - tight fit. I used duck tape to hold the new traveler base in place then went back into the bunk space and drilled up through the existing holes to mark the spots on the new traveler base.
